Researchers at Khovd Museum who excavated the mummy’s grave unearthed several possessions such as a clay vase, a saddle, pillows, a trough, a bridle, an iron kettle, a wooden bowl, four ‘dool’ (ancient Mongolian clothes) and the carcass of a whole horse. However, the item that created an online stir was that the ancient human was found buried wearing a pair of boots with a design that somehow resembles the Adidas logo. The pair of boots found was well-preserved along with aforementioned other items.
It is thought the woman is of Turkik origin. The remains appear to be the first complete Turkic burial in Central Asia to Siberia from around 600 BC. B.Sukhbaatar, a researcher from Khovd Museum, told the Siberian Times: “It is the first complete Turkik burial at least in Mongolia – and probably in all Central Asia. This is a very rare phenomenon. These finds show us the beliefs and rituals of Turkiks. “We can see clearly that the horse was deliberately sacrificed. It was a mare, between four and eight years old. Four coats we found were made of cotton.” Along with the other grave goods (which were placed there to be used by the deceased in the afterlife), excavators also found pillows, goat bones, a sheep’s head and travel pack that contained a sheep’s entire back and small leather bag designed to carry a cup. Sukhbaatar continued: “This is a very rare phenomenon. These finds show us the beliefs and rituals of Turkics. This person was not from elite, and we believe it was likely a woman, because there is no bow in the tomb… An interesting thing we found is that not only sheep wool was used, but also camel wool. We can date the burial by the things we have found there, also the type of hat. It gives us a preliminary date of around the 6th century AD.” The horse found in the grave was “deliberately sacrificed,” added Sukhbaatar, who theorized the mare was between 4 and 8 years old. Located 2,803 meters (9,196 feet) above sea level in cold weather conditions, the 3-meter deep burial site helped preserve the mummy and the possessions. The team now plans to study the grave and its contents to get a better understanding of ancient Turks in Mongolia. “The finds show us that these people were very skilled craftsmen. Given that this was the grave of a simple person, we understand that craft skills were rather well developed,” Sukhbaatar said. “Now we are carefully unwrapping the body and once this is complete the specialists will be able to say more precisely about the gender.” The Altai Mountains unite Siberia, in Russia, and Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.
— Kate Murdoch (@KateMurdoch3) April 13, 2016
