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Cherchen Man or Chärchän Man or Ur-David is the modern name given to a mummy found[when?] in the town Cherchen, located in current Xinjiang region of China. The mummy is a member of the group known as Tarim mummies. His naturally-mummified remains were discovered in Tomb 2 at the Zaghunluq cemetery, near the town of Qiemo (Chärchän) in the Taklamakan Desert of north-west China.[1][2][3] Other such remains have also been recovered at sites throughout the Tarim Basin, including Qäwrighul, Yanghai, Shengjindian, Shanpula (Sampul), and Qizilchoqa.

Discovery

In September 1985, archaeologists excavating the Zaghunluq cemetery uncovered Tomb 85QZM 2, an intact burial containing the remains later known as Cherchen Man. The cemetery, located approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) south of modern Cherchen (Qiemo) in the Tarim Basin of present-day Xinjiang, had been identified during archaeological investigations earlier that year and contained several hundred burials.[4]

Cherchen Man was found within a burial chamber containing the remains of three women, while an infant was interred in an adjacent tomb. Archaeologists excavated five tombs during the investigation, three of which had previously been looted. Tomb 85QZM 2 was one of only two undisturbed burials examined by the expedition.[4]

Description

The mummy is an adult male who is believed to have died around 1000 BC and is likely to have been aged around fifty years at the time of his death.[1][5][2] His height is estimated at 176–178 cm.[2] His hair was “reddish brown flecked with grey, framing high cheekbones”, he had an aquiline “long nose, full lips and a ginger beard”.[6][7][8][9]

Associated objects and clothing

Facial tattoos or paint of the Cherchen man[10][1]

The Cherchen Man was buried wearing a red twill tunic, striped woollen leggings, and white deerskin boots.[1][2][11] The leggings have been described as having a pattern resembling tartan.[12][6]

Yellow and purple motifs painted in ochre pigments were applied to the sides of his face.[1][11] These spiral and sun-like designs have occasionally been misidentified as tattoos in popular accounts, but examination of the mummy has shown them to be painted decorations.[1]

The associated burials included three women and an infant.[13] The infant was buried wrapped in a burgundy-coloured shroud and wore a blue cashmere bonnet.[11] Grave goods accompanying the child included a cow-horn cup and a sheep’s udder that may have been used as a feeding vessel.[11]

Condition and preservation

Cherchen Man is an exceptionally well-preserved Tarim mummy. His body was naturally mummified by the arid conditions of the Tarim Basin rather than through deliberate embalming. Soft tissues and other organic materials survived in remarkable condition, allowing archaeologists to examine the burial and its contents in unusual detail.[14][15]

He was interred in a mud-brick tomb covered with reeds and brush. Within the tomb, the body rested on branches with small mats placed beneath it, reducing contact with moisture and helping to slow decomposition. Archaeologists also noted a wooden support that appears to have held the legs in a bent position, increasing air circulation around the body and further contributing to preservation.[16]

The cemetery was situated in salt-rich sandy soil in an area known locally as Tuzluqqash (“salt rock”), conditions that helped inhibit decay and preserve both the human remains and associated organic materials. Together with the region’s arid climate, these environmental conditions helped preserve the burial and its contents for more than three millennia.[17]

  • The infant mummy (Tomb A-2), probably the son of the Cherchen Man[13]
    The infant mummy (Tomb A-2), probably the son of the Cherchen Man[13]
  • A wife of the Cherchen man[13]
    A wife of the Cherchen man[13]
  • Cherchen female mummy hands
    Cherchen female mummy hands

See also

Location of Cherchen within the general area of the Tarim Mummies

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Kamberi, Dolkun (January 1994). “The three thousand year-old Charchan Man preserved at Zaghunlug” (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  2. ^ a b c d Mallory, J.P.; Mair, Victor H. (2000). The Tarim Mummies. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 191. ISBN 0-500-05101-1.
  3. ^ Anthony, David. “Tracking the Tarim Mummies”. Archaeology. 54 (2).
  4. ^ a b Kamberi, Dolkun (January 1994). “The Three Thousand Year-Old Charchan Man Preserved at Zaghunlug” (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers (44). Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania: 1–3.
  5. ^ Skinner, Tomás. “The Mummies of Zaghunluq Cemetery: Dress, Appearance and Identity”. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b Bernstein, Richard (13 January 1999). “Books of the Times; Silent giants as guides on an ancient thoroughfare”. The New York Times. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  7. ^ Jones, Malcolm. “A Celt in China? The Mysterious Origins of Cherchen Man”. History News Network. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  8. ^ Eiland, Murray Lee (2007-07-25). “Felting Between East and West”. Visual Anthropology. 20 (4): 263–283. doi:10.1080/08949460701424163. ISSN 0894-9468. S2CID 144540499.
  9. ^ “Expedition Magazine | The Mummies of East Central Asia”. Expedition Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  10. ^ Xinjiang Museum notice
  11. ^ a b c d Mair, Victor H. (15 November 2010). “The Mummies of East Central Asia”. Expedition Magazine. Penn Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  12. ^ Eiland, Murray Lee (2007-07-25). “Felting Between East and West”. Visual Anthropology. 20 (4): 263–283. doi:10.1080/08949460701424163. ISSN 0894-9468. S2CID 144540499.
  13. ^ a b c Longfellow, Katharine (2013). Threads of the Dead: An Investment in Appearance in Ancient Central Asia (PDF). University of Vermont.
  14. ^ Kamberi, Dolkun (January 1994). “The Three Thousand Year-Old Charchan Man Preserved at Zaghunlug” (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers (44). Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania: 1–14.
  15. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Mair, Victor H. (2000). The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 191. ISBN 0-500-05101-1.
  16. ^ Kamberi, Dolkun (January 1994). “The Three Thousand Year-Old Charchan Man Preserved at Zaghunlug” (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers (44). Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania: 5–7.
  17. ^ Kamberi, Dolkun (January 1994). “The Three Thousand Year-Old Charchan Man Preserved at Zaghunlug” (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers (44). Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania: 2–3, 5–7.