Archaeologists find 2,500-year-old mummy in Mongolia

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Archaeologists find 2,500-year-old mummy in Mongolia, tattoos and

all Thu Aug 24, 2:18 PM ET

 

 

 

BERLIN (AFP) - An international group of archaeologists has

unearthed a well-preserved, 2,500-year-old mummy frozen in the

snowcapped mountains of Mongolia complete with blond hair, tattoos

and a felt hat.

 

 

The president of the German Archaeological Institute, Hermann

Parzinger, hailed the "fabulous find" at a press conference to

present the 28-member team's discovery in Berlin.

 

The Scythian warrior was found in June at a height of 2,600 meters

(8,500 feet) in the Altay Mountains in an intact burial mound or

kurgan.

 

Parzinger said the tomb was practically untouched when the team

discovered it.

 

"We just had to sweep away some dust and could begin," he said.

 

Researchers said the most striking feature about the man was his

light blond hair, which Parzinger acknowledged may have yellowed

after his death.

 

The man, who was apparently well-off, was cloaked in a beaver-skin

coat with sable trim and sheep's wool lining that was in remarkably

good condition, and still intact skin on his upper body revealed

tattoos.

 

Two horses with elaborately decorated saddles and bridles, weapons

and wooden, clay and animal horn vessels were placed in the tomb

alongside the corpse to accompany the warrior into the next life.

 

The recovered items are currently in storage in Ulan Bator.

Parzinger said even the contents of the horses' stomachs would be

examined to offer insights into the region's vegetation two

centuries before Christ.

 

Parzinger said that until now remains of the Scythians, who were

Iranian nomadic peoples, had only been found on the Russian side of

the Altays. He said the new find showed that their territory was

much broader than first thought.

 

He said the ice had helped preserve the mummy and his belongings and

noted that global warming also posed a threat to such archaeological

finds. He said that if the trend continues, in 20 to 30 years there

would be no more ice kurgans.

http://news./s/afp/20060824/sc_afp/germanymongolia_060824181

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