#Tarim Basin | Mummies

[xtruss]

Who Were The Tarim Basin Mummies? Even Scientists Were Surprised. The Enigmatic, Extremely Well-preserved Mummies Still Defy Explanation—and Draw Controversy.

— By Erin Blakemore | September 15, 2023

Hundreds of bodies have been excavated from cemeteries like this one around the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, a region of Western China. Known as the Tarim Basin mummies, these people lived some 4,000 years ago—and their ancient DNA has yielded surprising insights. Photograph By Wenying LI, XinJiang Institute of Cultural Relics And Archaeology

Though they died thousands of years ago, hundreds of bodies excavated in East Asia’s Tarim Basin look remarkably alive. They retain the hairstyles, clothing, and accoutrements of a long-past culture—one that once seemed to suggest they were migrant Indo-Europeans who settled in what is now China thousands of years ago.

But the mummies’ seemingly perfect state of preservation wasn’t their only surprise. When modern DNA research revealed the preserved bodies were people indigenous to the Tarim Basin—yet genetically distinct from other nearby populations—the Tarim Basin mummies became even more enigmatic. Today, researchers still ask questions about their cultural practices, their daily lives, and their role in the spread of modern humanity across the globe.

How Were The Tarim Basin Mummies Found?

Buried in a variety of cemeteries around the basin as long as 4,000 years ago, the naturally mummified corpses were first unearthed by European explorers in the early 20th century. Over time, more and more of the Tarim bodies were unearthed, along with their spectacular cultural relics. To date, hundreds have been found. The earliest of the mummies are about 2,100 years old, while more recent mummies have been dated to about 500 B.C.

One of the most famous mummies found in the Tarim Basin is the Princess of Xiaohe, also known as the Beauty of Xiaohe. Named for the cemetery where her body was found, she is remarkably well-preserved even down to her eyelashes. Photograph By Wenying LI, XinJiang Institute of Cultural Relics And Archaeology

Who Really Were The Tarim Basin Mummies?

At first, the mummies’ Western-like attire and European-like appearance prompted hypotheses that they were the remains of an Indo-European group of migrant people with roots in Europe, perhaps related to Bronze-Age herders from Siberia or farmers in what is now Iran.

They had blond, brown, and red hair, large noses, and wore bright, sometimes elaborate clothing fashioned from wool, furs, or cowhide. Some wore pointed, witch-like hats and some of the clothing was made of felted or woven cloth, suggesting ties to Western European culture.

Still others wore plaid reminiscent of the Celts—perhaps most notably one of the mummies known as Chärchän Man, who stood over six feet tall, had red hair and a full beard, and was buried over a thousand years ago in a tartan skirt.

Another of the most famous of the bodies is that of the so-called “Princess” or “Beauty” of Xiaohe, a 3,800-year-old woman with light hair, high cheekbones, and long, still-preserved eyelashes who seems to be smiling in death. Though she wore a large felt hat and fine clothing and even jewelry in death, it is unclear what position she may have occupied in her society.

But the 2021 study of 13 of the mummies’ ancient DNA led to the current consensus that they belonged to an isolated group that lived throughout the now desert-like region during the Bronze Age, adopting their neighbors’ farming practices but remaining distinct in culture and genetics.

Scientists concluded that the mummies were descendants of Ancient North Eurasians, a relatively small group of ancient hunter-gatherers who migrated to Central Asia from West Asia and who have genetic links to modern Europeans and Native Americans.

How Were They Mummified?

These bodies were not mummified intentionally as part of any burial ritual. Rather, the dry, salty environment of the Tarim Basin—which contains the Taklimakan Desert, one of the world’s largest—allowed the bodies to decay slowly, and sometimes minimally. The extreme winter cold of the area is also thought to have helped along their preservation.

How Were They Buried?

Many bodies were interred in “boat-shaped wooden coffins covered with cattle hides and marked by timber poles or oars,” according to researchers. The discovery of the herb ephedra in the burial sites suggests it had either a medical or religious significance—but what that religion might have been, or why some burials involve concentric rings of wooden stakes, is still unclear.

Mummified corpses were first unearthed in the Tarim Basin by European explorers in the early 20th century. Their Western-like appearance and clothing originally led researchers to believe these ancient people were migrants from Europe—but DNA later debunked that theory. Photograph By Wenying LI, XinJiang Institute of Cultural Relics And Archaeology

What Did They Eat?

Masks, twigs, possibly phallic objects, and animal bones found at the mummies’ cemeteries provide a tantalizing view of their daily lives and rituals. Though most questions about their culture remain unanswered, the burials did point to their diets and the fact that they were farmers. The mummies were interred with barley, millet, and wheat, even necklaces featuring the oldest cheese ever found. This indicates that they not only farmed, but raised ruminant animals.

What Were Their Daily Lives Like?

The Tarim Basin dwellers were genetically distinct. But their practices, from burial to cheesemaking, and their clothing, which reflects techniques and artistry practiced in far-off places at the time, seem to show they mixed with, and learned from, other cultures, adopting their practices over time and incorporating them into a distinct civilization.

Researchers now believe their daily lives involved everything from farming ruminant animals to metalworking and basketmaking—helped along by the fact that the now-desolate desert of the Tarim Basin region was once much greener and had abundant freshwater.

Researchers also believe that the Tarim Basin residents traded and interacted with other people in what would eventually become a critical corridor on the Silk Road, linking East and West in the arid desert.

But archaeologists still have much to learn about what daily life was like for these ancient humans, including who they traded with, what religious beliefs they adopted, and whether their society was socially stratified.

Most of the bodies were found buried in boat-shaped coffins like this one, with the site typically marked by oars. This coffin is covered with a cattle hide, suggesting that the Tarim Basin people raised cattle and other ruminant animals. Photograph By Wenying LI, XinJiang Institute of Cultural Relics And Archaeology

Why Are The Tarim Basin Mummies Controversial?

The amazingly preserved mummies have long fascinated archaeologists. But the Tarim Basin mummies have also become political flashpoints. The Tarim Basin is located in the modern-day Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, land claimed by China’s Uyghur minority. Uyghur nationalists claim the mummies are their forbears, but the Chinese government refutes this and has been reluctant to allow scientists to study the mummies or look at their ancient DNA.

In 2011, China withdrew a group of the mummies from a traveling exhibition, claiming they were too fragile to transport. Some research about the mummies’ DNA has been criticized as downplaying the region’s distinctness in support of China’s attempts to assimilate Uyghur people. Just as more remains to be learned about the enigmatic mummies, their future as political and national symbols remains disputed too.

[ancientstuff]

Will the Tarim Basin mummies ever not be fascinating and kind of weird? No, they will not and I'm here for it.

[paganimagevault]

Female Europid Mummy from the Necropolis of Subexi III, Grave M6, Turfan District, Xinjiang. 5th-3rd C. BCE. Source: Baumer, Christoph.The history of Central Asia. Vol.1. The age of the steppe warriors. London : I.B. Tauris, 2012. pg. 218 left DS329.4 .B38 2012. Image via University of Pennsylvania. See maps in the post before this one for a better understanding of the geography discussed.

"Section 26 – The Kingdom of Nearer [i.e. Southern] Jushi 車師前 (Turfan)

1. ‘Nearer Jushi’ 車師前 refers to the kingdom or state centered in the Turfan oasis or, sometimes, to the tribe which controlled it. There can be no question that Nearer Jushi refers here to the Turfan Oasis. See for example: CICA, p. 183, n. 618; also note 1.5 above. For the etymology of the name Turfan see Bailey (1985), pp. 99-100, which is summed up in his sentence: “The name turpana- is then from *druva-pāna- ‘having safe protection’, a name suitable for a walled place.”

“One other oasis town is currently under excavation. At Yarghul (Jiaohe), 10 km (16 miles) [sic – this should read 10 miles (16 km)] west of Turpan, archaeologists have been excavating remains of the old Jushi capital, a long (1,700 m (5,580 ft)) but narrow (200 m (656 ft)) town between two rivers. From the Han period they uncovered vast collective shaft tombs (one was nearly 10 m (33 ft) deep). The bodies had apparently already been removed from these tombs but accompanying them were other pits containing form one to four horse sacrifices, with tens of horses for each of the larger burials.” Mallory and Mair (2000), pp. 165 and 167.

“Some 300 km (186 miles) to the west of Qumul [Hami] lie [mummy] sites in the vicinity of the Turpan oasis that have been assigned to the Ayding Lake (Aidinghu) culture. The lake itself occupies the lowest point in the Turpan region (at 156 m (512 ft) below sea level it is the lowest spot on earth after the Dead Sea). According to accounts of the historical period, this was later the territory of the Gushi, a people who ‘lived in tents, followed the grasses and waters, and had considerable knowledge of agriculture. They owned cattle, horses, camels, sheep and goats. They were proficient with bows and arrows.’ They were also noted for harassing travellers moving northwards along the Silk Road from Krorän, and the territories of the Gushi and the kingdom of Krorän were linked in the account of Zhang Qian, presumably because both were under the control of the Xiongnu. In the years around 60 BC, Gushi fell to the Chinese and was subsequently known as Jushi (a different transcription of the same name).” Mallory and Mair (2000), pp. 143-144.

“History records that in 108 BC Turpan was inhabited by farmers and traders of Indo-European stock who spoke a language belonging to the Tokharian group, an extinct Indo-Persian language [actually more closely related to Celtic languages]. Whoever occupied the oasis commanded the northern trade route and the rich caravans that passed through annually. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) control over the route see-sawed between Xiongnu and Han. Until the fifth century, the capital of this kingdom was Jiaohe.” Bonavia (1988), p. 131.

“Turpan is principally an agricultural oasis, famed for its grape products – seedless white raisins (which are exported internationally) and wines (mostly sweet). It is some 80 metres (260 feet) below sea level, and nearby Aiding Lake, at 154 metres (505 feet) below sea level, is the lowest continental point in the world.” Ibid. p. 137.

“The toponym Turfan is also a variation of Tuharan. Along the routes of Eurasia there are many other place names recorded in various Chinese forms that are actually variations of Tuharan.” Liu (2001), p. 268."

-Notes to The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu. Second Edition (Extensively Revised and Expanded). John E. Hill. University of Washington.

[sheltiechicago]

One of the most famous mummies found in the Tarim Basin is the Princess of Xiaohe, also known as the Beauty of Xiaohe. Named for the cemetery where her body was found, she is remarkably well-preserved even down to her eyelashes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY WENYING LI, XINJIANG INSTITUTE OF CULTURAL RELICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

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1. hello, I am looking for a fic where " after wei wuxian jump from cliff, lan wangji save him. then baoshan sanren rescued them from a cave and gave wei wuxian his mother's core. and wei wuxian and lan wangji become demonic cultivator and immortal."

FOUND? 🔒 Blossoming flowers in a full moon - 花好月圆 by ThisIsWhereTheMagicHappens (T, 64k, wangxian, canon divergence, happy ending, fix-it of sorts, wangxian cuddle to immortarility)

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2. Fic finder request please! 🙏

It’s an a/b/o Wangxian where WWX wasn’t used to his designation since coming back into MXY’s body and he had trouble letting go and asking LZ for what he needed. I mostly remember a lot of really hot smut and a scene near the end where LWJ tells him to present and WWX decides to tease him for it and gets spanked as a result and then gets what he wants and is very pleased about it. I’ve checked all compilations and can’t find it anywhere. 😭😭

#2 on the recent Fic finder— it’s not any of those, but they were good reads. 😭

Wangxian was already married in the one I’m looking for.

NOT FOUND! Mutual Nurture by NinaCarow (E, 9k, WangXian, Mentions of Character Death, mentions of abuse, Mentions of Rape, no rape occures tho, its speculation, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, Past Alpha WWX, Biting, Bonding, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Knotting, WWX Has a New Golden Core, its just sex and cuteness, mostly)

NOT FOUND! In the Face of Fate by InTheGreySpaces (E, 17k, WangXian, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mpreg, Pregnant WWX, Top/Bottom Versatile | Switch WangXian, Pregnant Sex, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Miscarriage, reference to child death, Grief, WWX has self-image/body issues, taming the Alpha, Childbirth, Labor and Delivery, Painful Heats, malfunctioning hormones, post-cannon divergent, WWX Wants to be a Parent, desperately, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics)

NOT FOUND! You've got me feelin' like a child now by MaggieoftheOwls (E, 9k, WangXian, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Past Alpha WWX, Omega MXY) though I haven't read them, all are tagged with Past Alpha WWX

NOT FOUND! Like a Needle to the North by athena_crikey (E, 87k, WangXian, ZhuiLing, Canon Divergence, A/B/O Dynamics, Mating Cycles/In Heat, WWX adapting to being an omega, societal standards, Pining, UST, Grief, Trauma, Protectiveness, Canon Retelling, Slow Burn, Menstruation, lots of bath sex for some reason, Rimming, Knotting)

FOUND! sandalwood and cinnamon by parsnipit (E, 39k, WangXian, A/B/O Dynamics, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Fluff and Angst, Body Dysphoria, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Post-Canon, Oral Sex, Hand Jobs, Dom/sub Undertones, Praise Kink ,Nesting, Overstimulation, Knotting, Spanking, Subspace, Light Bondage)

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3. I'm tryibg to find a wonderful Wangxian fic i read a few months ago, which I don't seem to have bookmarked or saved. Wei Ying & Lan Zhan travel one of the Silk Road caravan routes all the way to the outpost near the Jade Gate. I think Wei Ying was the one who wanted to go there, but he was vague about why. There are all kind of sub plots going on - i think some of the Wen are blending in out there, there's also a bit about ghosts (i think) of the Tarim Basin mummies - one of their resting places was violated. Ugh. It was a fascinating case fic - i've tried various keywords searching, but haven't had any luck. @emrinalex

FOUND? Bitter Plants Bearing Sweet Fruit by Kryal (M, 83k, wangxian, graphic depictions of violence, canon-typical horror elements, Worldbuilding, Desert, Misuse of Historic Setting, Original Character Death(s), Case Fic, aftermath of canon, ridiculously long author notes, Established Relationship, Nothing Explicit But Shameless Innuendo)

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4. Hello!

I'm searching for a fic where it's kind of like 5+1 things and something along the lines of '5 Times WWX unintentionally hurt LWJ'

I'm not sure if it is deleted but is it possible for me to get the link for internet archive if it isn't?

Thank you! Sorry for the trouble.

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5. Plz can you tell me which main Wei Ying Baushan Sanren's talisman has been activated by mistake and he is getting injured by breaking his memory and all the juniors are worried and call Wangji.

For 5, was it a fic where Wen Qing was a veiled vendor and wwx accidently activated the talisman with a bloody hand and then was regressed to a kid?

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6. Hello!

I’m looking for a fic I read some time ago (can’t even say I liked it, just in the mood). It was a modern AU where WWX and JC are raising JL together, but have to work at a sex line (JC) and strip club (WWX, not sure about this one) to make ends meet (there was also a scene of JL finding out). Then, they bump into the Lan brothers in separate incidents the same day and give them their cards.

That’s most of what I remember, I hope you can find the fic for me (tried all the filters on AO3, couldn’t find it).

Great work on this blog, thank you’ :) @fomalhaut48

Thank you, but it is not this one. JC's work at a sex line was much more prominent there, and the story did not start with the Lan brothers as this one does.

Not FOUND Silk & Satin by Brieeze01 (E, 171k, wangxian, JC/LXC, modern, Stripper/Exotic Dancer AU, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Pole Dancing, Falling In Love, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love, Child LSZ, Child JL, Supportive brothers, hardworking brothers, Uncles and nephews, Love Story, Emotions, brokeass pole dancers meet billionaire bachelor brothers, Kinks, Lipstick, High Heels, Blindfolds, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Gentle Sex, Lube, Strip Tease, Dancing, Dirty Dancing, First Kiss, First Time, Love Bites, Anal Fingering, Rimming, Romance, Silk, satin, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, Wholesome, Pining, kink appreciation, healthy family relationship, Healthy Relationships, Everybody uses lube, Lapdance)

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7. A) I'm looking for a fic where LZ sings a song for WY at a party or karaoke. It is a song with a vibe like "double take" by dhruv if my memory serves me correct. It is one hundred percent a song famous on tiktok by a male singer.

Anyone has any idea pls?

B) I'm also looking for a particular fic where LZ stopped playing after wangxian's falling out, then at a social gathering LZ is urged to play the piano and wy sees how much lz hurts and how much music flows through LZ's soul. @imstillthinkingaboutithmm

7B)

FOUND! Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 108k, wangxian, modern, angst w/ happy ending, romance, persuasion au, separations, pining, miscommunication, depression, self-harm, reconciliation, smut)

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8. so there was a fanfic I read a while ago on archive that I really wanna find: it’s a modern au where Wei Wuxian is a flower shop owner and Lan Wangi is a law student that meets him at the flower shop. I believe Jiang Chong is also a law student at the same school and Lan Xichen is WWX’s psychiatrist.

I hope that helps a bit, if u can’t find it I thank you for the effort @weebachu

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9. Good day, The fic am looking for has a teenage breakup between Lan zhan and Wei ying. Qiren forcefully takes Lan zhan to another country making Wei ying think Lan zhan dumped him. Then forward too few years later, when Lans have to take Wei ying's help reagrding their institution making the couple remeet. Wei ying treats Lan zhan coldly and then they slowly mend. Can you pls help out? @mridhu6

FOUND? Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 108k, wangxian, modern, angst w/ happy ending, romance, persuasion au, separations, pining, miscommunication, depression, self-harm, reconciliation, smut)

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10. Fic finder please! I am looking for a fic where Lan Wangji kisses Wei Wuxian soon after they eat and he screws up his face because Wuxian’s mouth was spicy from his meal. Wuxian begins to chuckle at him and tries to move away but Wangji wants to keep kissing even though it is too spicy for him. I know it isn't a lot to go on and I don't remember any of the other plot, just that this scene was super cute. If anyone remembers this, please let me know! Thank you!

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11. hello!!!

i just remembered a fic and i cannot remember the title, so i think it happens post-canon and people are talking about LSZ origins. they were like oh he could be wangxian's biological child.

i think the last part includes jingyi being drunk?? and begging wangxian to give LSZ another sibling... i thinj they were in lanling at that time

thank you! @cuddlemehun

FOUND! Wei Wuxian, God of Fertility by tired (T, 19k, WangXian, Family Feels, Crack Treated Seriously, Crack, the juniors get REAL drunk, Gossip, POV Multiple, surprisingly not an mpreg fic, Kissing, Self-Esteem Issues, Discussion of Porn and Sex, Post-Canon, SOFT SOFT SOFT, married wangxian, Fluff and Humor)

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12. Hi I would like find a fic where Wei wuxian was sugar daddy to a sugar baby Lan zhan who also happened to be a newly enrolled student in Wei wuxian uni where he's a lecturer. There's also mention of Lan zhan's favourite book frequently in the fic. Thank you

FOUND? forget-me-not by mellowflicker (E, 31k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, Sugar Daddy WWX, Sugar Baby LWJ, Professor WWX, Student LWJ, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Secret Relationship, Age Difference, Hurt/Comfort, Chronic Pain, JZX & LWJ Friendship, Family Issues, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiāngs)

FOUND? Teacher's Pet by anobtra (animeobsessedtrash) (E, 43k, wangxian, modern, Dark LWJ, College/University, Age Difference, Professor WWX, Student LWJ, Degradation, mild stalking, thigh riding, WWX Talks Dirty, Frottage, Mutual Masturbation, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Bottom LWJ, Coming Untouched, Orgasm Delay/Denial, LWJ is a Brat, Consent is Sexy, Begging, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Exhibitionism, Voyeurism, Teasing, Hair-pulling, Semi-Public Sex, Masturbation, Consensual Sex, Rough Sex, Dry Humping, everyone is of-age, Barebacking, Possessive Behavior, Porn With Plot, Jerk Off Instructions, Service Top WWX, Protective LWJ, Pining LWJ, Light Humiliation, Possessive WWX, Possessive LWJ, Intercrural Sex)

FOUND? together, we're just enough by lulu_kitty (E, 134k, WangXian, Modern AU, Bartender LWJ, single dad wwx, Kid fic (sort of), Excessive Fluff, Yearning, barely there plot, neurodivergent wangxian, canonical parental issues, lwj in jewelry, accidental sugar gege wwx, fluff and eventual smut, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Service Top WWX, Bisexual WWX, Rich WWX, a-yuan is a wei but still also a wen, wwx is a-yuan's biological baba, Older WWX, Younger LWJ, Slow-ish burn, Light Dom/sub, Brief LWJ/Others, Past WWX/Other(s))

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13. Im looking for a time traveling wei wuxian where he goes to far into the past (his words) and he has to seal is memories, but from the outside it looks like he was attacked by resentful energy with a worries madam yu who then officially adopts wei wuxian. Also after he was "attacked" he also mumbles lan zhan's name in his sleep so the lans are there. @samriajack

FOUND! 🔒 Hope series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, wangxian, WWX & YZY, WWX & JFM, WWX & JYL, YZY/JFM, JC & WWX, LQR & WWX, LXC & JYL, Madam Jin & YZY, LQR & JFM, LXC & LWJ, Transmigration, Time Travel Fix-It, Illnesses, Family, Scars, Memory Loss, Angst, Crying, Music, Nosebleed, Fear, Recovery, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Flirting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Parent YZY, Referenced Sexual Slavery, Blood and Gore, Monsters, Sexual Tension, betrothal, Arranged Marriage, Grief, Adoption, POV Third Person, POV Alternating, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Good Parent LQR, Clairvoyance, Butterfly Effect, Kid Fic, Epistolary, Food, Secrets, Resentful Energy, Cultivation Sect Politics, Character Death)

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14. Hi! I'm looking for a fic (WIP) where LWJ and WWX travel back in time. LWJ still has his older core so the Lans think he's the reincarnation of Lan An when he's destroys the Wall of Rules. WwX avoids getting adopted by the Jiangs by becoming a rogue cultivator and gets nicknamed a sparrow. JFM found him though and somehow during a night hunt JC loses his golden core to a taotie. I can't seem to find it on AO3 anymore and hope you know it or it's name!. Thanks so much!

FOUND? A Life Without Regrets by naqaashi (M, 74k, wangxian, JFM & WWX, JC & WWX, WRH & WWX, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, LWJ & NHS, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, musical cultivation, Slow Burn, Pining, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Murder Husbands, PTSD, BAMF WWX, Demonic Cultivation, POV WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics, Worldbuilding, No Yīn Iron, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Artist WWX, Musician WWX, Night Hunts, Fate & Destiny, Bad Parent JFM & YZY, Golden Core, Cultivation Theory, Sentient Burial Mounds, Father-Son Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Grief/Mourning, Parent-Child Relationship, Angry WWX, Pining WWX, WWX is Not Okay, No Golden Core Transfer, BAMF LWJ, Pining LWJ, POV LWJ, Angry LWJ, One-Braincell Wangxian, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love, WIP)

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15. Hello! I'm looking for a fic, it was post canon and relatively short. Wei Wuxian accidentally lets slip that Lan Xichen called him a mistake during the whole temple thing, and Sizhui and Lan Wangji get upset and end up confronting Lan Xichen. I remember there was a seen where Wei Wuxian recited everything Lan Xichen said to him to Lan Wangji. It points out how unfair it was to expect Wei Wuxian to realize Lan Wangji was in love with him, and that even if he did, he shouldn't be expected to drop everything je was doing (you know, like protecting the Wens) just to make Lan Wangji "happy."

Thank you so much, you're all awesome!

FOUND! 🔒💖 When has silence saved anyone? by Vrishchika (T, 6k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, post-canon, LXC  critical, family feels, angry LWJ & LSZ, LXC gets scolded)

NOT FOUND! Wei Ying Was Not A "MISTAKE" by Jeeny271196 (Not rated, 6k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, BAMF LWJ, confrontation, hurt/comfort, protective LWJ, not LXC friendly)

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16. Hello, I have a fic finder request! Read it ages ago on ao3 and now cannot find.

Set during the time skip and then postcanon. Some Lan elders took advantage of LWJ's punishment to sexualy abuse him, taking him out of the cold cave blindfolded once a month. Afterwards, warmth was a trauma trigger and he only felt comfortable with the younger generation of Lans because he knew they were too young to have been involved. After canon and getting together with wwx he has a breakdown after realising that sex isn't suposed hurt and goes to sleep outside soaking wet so he can feel cold.

FOUND? 🔒 even the proud probably die on their knees by yuer (vintageblueskies) (E, 14k, wangxian, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, LWJ/Other(s), rape/non-con, Rape, Gang Rape, PTSD, Whump, Dissociation, Flashbacks, Recovery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Bottom LWJ, breaking all the rules of empathy, tiny tiny mention of unacted upon xiyao, two mentions of a character throwing up, the non-con isn't wangxian)

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17. hello! thank you for doing this!

i was looking for this where wwx befriends lwj early on in school days and gets to know he's gay and defends him against everyone and people think he's lgbt+ because he attends everything on lwj's behalf. he didn't actually realize he was bi until they get into college and he meets mianmian there and starts dating her.

they have a mutual break up later and wwx sort of realizes he has feels for lwj and gets all weird about it?

hope it made sense.

thank you again!

FOUND? Walk the Circle in the Other Direction by notevenyou (E, 31k, wangxian, modern, College/University, High School, Coming Out, Homophobia, Bad Parenting, Alcohol, Recreational Drug Use, Vomiting, Panic Attack, Bullying, Minor Injuries, Blood, Fighting, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Oblivious WWX, honestly not as dark as the tags make it seem, bisexual WWX, WWX/MM, sex between a man and a woman)

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18. Hey do you guys know a fashion industry fic where people grow plants out of their bodies? I thought i had it in my bookmarks but i can't find it anymore @imstillthinkingaboutithmm

FOUND! The Roots Grow Riotous by hansbekhart (E, 104k, wangxian, modern, fashion au, garment company, casual sex, group sex, implied/referenced cheating, switching, recreational drug use, angst w/ happy ending, single dad WWX, panic attacks, implied/referenced self-harm, grief/mourning, catharsis, body horror, floral horror) but I don't think it's available online

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19. hello!! i'm looking for a fic where wwuxian, jiang cheng, and jin ling get invitations to some backwater-areas of yunmeng? but it's a trap. i cant remember the name but there's two significant parts i remember; they're served shrimp wine(?), and wwx gets whipped by zidian and promptly collapses later. thanks!!

FOUND? Light a Match / Watch Us Burn by athena_crikey (T, 24k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Whump, h/c, Kidnapping, Angst, yunmeng bros reconciling, jin ling too)

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20. Hello, I’m looking for a fic where wwx runs into lwj in yiling after the core transfer

FOUND? these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, ...eventually, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Sunshot Campaign)

FOUND? nothing gold can stay by rikke (M, 10k, WangXian)

FOUND? to hell and back for you by blumeraki (G, 5k, WangXian, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Universe, Protective WWX, Protective LWJ, Everything Hurts, Implied/Referenced Torture, Hurt WWX, Hurt LWJ, Branding Iron, Whipping, discipline whip, jc saves the day, Canon Divergence)

FOUND? no step had trodden black by Stratisphyre (T, 32k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Madam Lan lives, Past Rape, Golden Core Reveal, Hurt/Comfort, References to Attempted Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts, Canon-Typical Violence)

FOUND? Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, wangxian, fix-it, darker gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way?, golden core transfer fix-it of sorts, not Jiang friendly, or anyone friendly, except wangxian, cultivation world critical, fluff, sunshot, politics, courting rituals, genius WWX, no demonic cultivation, talismans, possessive LWJ, protective LWJ, WIP)

~*~

[spiritsdancinginthenight]

The Princess of Xiaohe (Chinese: 小河公主) or Little River Princess was found in 2003 at Xiaohe Cemetery in Lop Nur, Xinjiang. She is also known as M11 for the tomb she was found in. She was buried around 3,800 years ago. Furthermore, she was named the Princess of Xiaohe due to her state of preservation and beauty, not her social status; there is no reason to believe she was any more important than the other mummies buried in the complex.

The Princess has blonde hair and long eyelashes, with some facial features more similar to Indo-Europeans, such as high cheekbones and pale skin. She seems to be smiling slightly. She was 152 centimetres tall. Chunks of cheese were found on her neck and chest, possibly as food for the afterlife. Her body was not embalmed before death, but mummified naturally due to the climate and burial method.

“Despite being genetically isolated, the Bronze Age peoples of the Tarim Basin were remarkably culturally cosmopolitan – they built their cuisine around wheat and dairy from West Asia, millet from East Asia and medicinal plants like Ephedra from Central Asia,” said senior author Christina Warinner, an associate professor of anthropology at Harvard University.

The Tarim Basin mummies in what is now southern Xinjiang were once thought to be Indo-European-speaking migrants from the West. Some thought that their ancestors migrated from what became southern Siberia, northern Afghanistan or the Central Asian mountains.

“The identity of the earliest inhabitants of Xinjiang, in the heart of inner Asia, and the languages that they spoke have long been debated and remain contentious,” wrote the team of 34 researchers from China, Germany, South Korea and the United States in peer-reviewed journal Nature on Wednesday.

[beardedmrbean]

HONG KONG — When the 3,600-year-old coffin of a young woman was excavated in northwestern China two decades ago, archeologists discovered a mysterious substance laid out along her neck like a piece of jewelry.

It was made of cheese, and scientists now say it’s the oldest cheese ever found.

“Regular cheese is soft. This is not. It has now become really dry, dense and hard dust,” said Fu Qiaomei, a paleogeneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the co-author of a study published Tuesday in the journal Cell.

A DNA analysis of the cheese samples, she told NBC News in a phone interview Thursday, tells the story of how the Xiaohe people — from what’s now known as Xinjiang — lived and the mammals they interacted with. It also shows how animal husbandry evolved throughout East Asia.

The Bronze Age coffin was discovered during the excavation of the Xiaohe Cemetery in 2003.

Since the woman’s coffin was covered and buried in the dry climate of the Tarim Basin desert, Fu said, it was well preserved, as were her boots, hat and the cheese that laced her body.

Ancient burial practices often included items of significance to the person buried alongside them. The fact that those items included chunks of kefir cheese alongside the body showed that “cheese was important for their life,” she added.

A fondness for cheese dates back thousands of years.

Its production was depicted on wall murals in ancient Egyptian tombs in 2000 BC, and traces of the practice in Europe date back almost 7,000 years, but scientists say the Tarim Basin samples are the oldest samples of cheese actually found.

Fu and her team took samples from three tombs in the cemetery, and the team then processed the DNA to trace the evolution of the bacteria across thousands of years.

They identified the cheese as kefir cheese, which is made by fermenting milk using kefir grains. Fu said they also found evidence of goat and cow milk being used.

The journey of the cheese took them to tracing the journey of the kefir culture, which is used to make the final cheese.

The study also shows how Xiaohe people, who were known to be genetically lactose intolerant, consumed dairy before the era of pasteurization and refrigeration, as cheese production lowers lactose content.

While previous research has suggested kefir spread from the northern Caucasus in modern Russia to Europe and beyond, the study shows the spread also took another route toward inland Asia: from present-day Xinjiang via Tibet, giving crucial evidence of how the Bronze Age populations interacted.

The DNA analyzed by Fu’s team also suggested that the bacteria strains gained resistance to antibiotics as they became more prevalent throughout the years. “Today they’re actually very resistant to medicine,” Fu said.

But it also showed how the bacteria, which would have earlier triggered immune system responses in humans, also adapted. “They are also good for the immune system and for producing antibodies. We can see at some point it adapted to humans.”

The evolution of human activities spanning thousands of years also affected microbial evolution, the study found, citing the divergence of a bacterial subspecies that was found to have been facilitated by the spread of kefir across different populations.

Asked if the kefir cheese was still edible and if she would try it, Fu was less enthusiastic. “No way,” she said. _______________

Coward, eat the cheese

[inspofromancientworld]

Tattooing in the Far East and Oceania

Since preserving skin takes mummification, without direct effort, a dry climate, whether hot or cold, is needed to create them, so we don't have a complete history of tattooing in many cultures, or even back as far in history as we have evidence of humans. But, there are locations that have preserved skin or customs for us to learn about ancient practices.

Source courtesy Victor Mair, Culture: Unknown, Location: Tarim Basin, China, Date: 1000-600 B.C.

One of those deserts is in China, the Taklamakan Desert, which shows that tattoos were used around 1200 BCE, but during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 220 BCE), tattoos were used to mark criminals. These mummies were discovered in the Tarim Basin (which contains the Taklamakan Desert) from what are thought to be the ancestors of Uyghur people today, looking more Caucasian than Asian, were decorated with several motifs, such as crescent moons, suns, and other intricate designs, which may show their primary god and indicate they were a shaman. This interpretation is based on the evidence from near-by cultures. They also tattooed their face at times, which indicated pride in and the importance of the tattoos.

By anonymus - Mann und Weib.III. page 458, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15174677

In Japan, men started wearing elaborate tattoos in the late 3rd century CE, though there is also evidence for tattooing going back to the Joumon (or paleolithic) period given that there are figurines with cord patterns on them. In the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) tattoo designs on Chinese visitors in Kyushu were documented on, with speculation about them being spiritual or for status. In the 8th century CE "Records of Ancient Matters", tattooed people were considered outsiders, denying a history of tattooing in Japan. The Ainu people, the indigenous group of northern Japan, however, have a tradition of tattooing for decoration or status, or as protection against disease.

Te Ara The movement of peoples around the Pacific and from Asia into the Pacific over the last 6,000 years.

The Polynesian cultures of Oceania have a very long history of tattooing, developing over thousands of years and through the cultures that developed on the various islands they inhabited. The word 'tattoo' comes from the Tahitian islander's term 'tatatau' or 'tattau', as reported by James Cook's expedition in 1769.

By Louis John Steele - bwEy48meVL_AzQ at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21871113 and By Louis John Steele - bwEy48meVL_AzQ at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21871113

One of the most well known Polynesian cultures is the Māori of what is now New Zealand. Their tattoos, called 'tā moko' (the art of tattooing), are marks of high status and survived European attempts to eliminate them. Each moko is designed specifically for the person since it conveys much about who that person in, from their family to their accomplishments. On women, these tattoos are centered around the mouth and chin, while men often have tattoos around their whole faces and bodies. To receive a moku, generally certain milestones or accomplishments need to be reached and the recipient needs to have the right social status.

By Thomas Andrew (1855 - 1939) - National Library of New Zealand, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10113865 and By RunningToddler - Bits & Bytes, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3148860

Another well-known Polynesian culture with a rich tattoo history are the Samoa. In Samoa, men receive a 'pe'a' tatto, which covers their lower back and legs, and women receive a 'malu' which covers the legs from below the buttocks to below the knee. Malu tend to be more delicate and less covering than the pe'a, and are focused around a particular motif (called the malu) which is tattooed in the popliteal fossa (back of the knee), and has suggestions of shelter and protection. Sometimes, women are tattooed on their hands and lower abdomen as well. These tattoos are a sign of cultural pride, status, such that when a man completes his tattoo, he is called a saga'imitti and respected because he underwent the painful ordeal. A man without a tattoo is called telefua or telenao, meaning 'naked', and a man who hasn't completed the tattoo process because of the pain (or not being able to pay) is called pe'a mutu, a mark of shame. The tattooists (called a tufuga ta tatau) are revered as well. Modern Samoan tattoo artists continue to practice their art in the same way as they did prior to European contact, with serrated bone combs tied to tortoise shell fragments, tied to a short wooden handle and then tapped with a mallet. The ink is made from candlenut soot and stored in coconut shell cups. A length of tapa cloth (a barkcloth) is used to wipe blood from the skin and tools.

By Thomas Andrew (1855-1939) - http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Search.aspx?page=8&imagesonly=true&term=Thomas+Andrew, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10113825

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Resources:

The Beauty of Loulan and the Tattooed Mummies of the Tarim Basin

Pacific voyaging and discovery

Tāmoko | Māori tattoos: history, practice, and meanings

[nuadox]

Scientists sequence DNA from 3,600-year-old cheese found in Bronze Age graves, revealing ancient kefir-making practices

- By Nuadox Crew -

Scientists have sequenced DNA from 3,600-year-old cheese found in graves of the Xiaohe people, a Bronze Age culture in northwest China’s Taklamakan Desert.

The cheese, scattered on the heads and necks of mummified remains, offers insights into ancient cheesemaking and microbial practices. DNA analysis showed that the Xiaohe people made kefir cheese using goat and cattle milk without mixing different animal milks, a technique still used today.

The research reveals the presence of probiotic bacteria similar to modern kefir, showing how microbial strains evolved over time. This discovery challenges the belief that kefir originated solely in the Caucasus Mountains, pointing instead to Tibet as a key origin.

The study opens new possibilities for understanding ancient human culture, technology, and microbial use, with scientists noting that ancient microbial DNA studies were unimaginable a decade ago.

Image: Researchers extracted animal and microbial DNA from the kefir cheese found on the Tarim Basin mummies. Credit: Yimin Yang.

Header image: A mummy from the Xiaohe cemetery with dairy remains scattered around its neck. Credit: Li Wenying, Xinjiang Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute (a grey filter was added).

Read more at CNN/Microsoft Start

Scientific paper: Bronze Age cheese reveals human-Lactobacillus interactions over evolutionary history, Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.008. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00899-7

Read Also

Rights of the dead and the living clash when scientists extract DNA from human remains

[meret118]

This Mummy Cheese Is Full of Ancient Secrets

The world’s oldest known cheese holds the key to kefir’s mysterious origins.

In 1911, an aboriginal hunter named Ördek first came across what looked like a long sand dune full of protruding wooden poles, within the flat and barren desert landscape of Northwestern China’s Tarim Basin. In 1934, Swedish explorer Folke Bergman began excavations on the site, discovering a massive Bronze Age tomb. Guided by Ördek, Bergman uncovered 12 burial sites, naming the grounds Xiǎohé mùdì, or Little River Cemetery.

Afterwards, the site would go untouched for decades—slowly being reclaimed by the desert. In 2000, archaeologists from the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Xinjiang, China rediscovered the Xiaohe cemetery. Between 2002 and 2005, the team excavated the extensive site, finding 167 tombs and numerous artifacts—including carved wooden poles in the men’s tombs, representing phalluses, and oar-shaped ones in the women’s, representing vulvas. One finding in particular, however, left the archaeologists stumped.

Several mummies, reaching up to 3,600 years old, had a mysterious white substance sprinkled on their heads and necks. This unknown substance, they posited, could be a type of fermented dairy. It is now known to be the world’s oldest preserved cheese, and its DNA is helping reveal historical mysteries.

Scientists have, for the first time, successfully extracted and analyzed DNA from this ancient cheese, reported a paper published today in the Cell Press journal Cell. “The history of fermented dairy is largely lost in antiquity, as both artifacts and molecular evidence of ancient fermented dairy are extremely scarce,” wrote the authors in their new paper. Thanks to the arid nature of the Taklamakan Desert, these cheesy morsels remained excellently preserved, making them perfect to examine for this study. “These samples are a rare opportunity,” says Qiaomei Fu, the paper’s corresponding author at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

More at the link.

----

Warning for pictures of mummies.

[cavenewstimes]

World's oldest cheese reveals origins of kefir

For the first time, scientists successfully extracted and analyzed DNA from ancient cheese samples found alongside the Tarim Basin mummies in China, dating back approximately 3,600 years. The research, published September 25 in the Cell Press journal Cell, suggests a new origin for kefir cheese and sheds light on the evolution of probiotic bacteria. “This is the oldest known cheese sample ever…

[paganimagevault]

The Beauty of Xiaohe mummy (aka Little River Princess) ca. 1800–1500 BCE. Reconstruction of her face in first pic by TheHolyMountain on Reddit.

"The Tarim Basin, located on the ancient Silk Road, played a very important role in the history of human migration and cultural communications between the West and the East. However, both the exact period at which the relevant events occurred and the origins of the people in the area remain very obscure. In this paper, we present data from the analyses of both Y chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) derived from human remains excavated from the Xiaohe cemetery, the oldest archeological site with human remains discovered in the Tarim Basin thus far.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis showed that the Xiaohe people carried both the East Eurasian haplogroup (C) and the West Eurasian haplogroups (H and K), whereas Y chromosomal DNA analysis revealed only the West Eurasian haplogroup R1a1a in the male individuals.

Our results demonstrated that the Xiaohe people were an admixture from populations originating from both the West and the East, implying that the Tarim Basin had been occupied by an admixed population since the early Bronze Age. To our knowledge, this is the earliest genetic evidence of an admixed population settled in the Tarim Basin.

The Tarim Basin in western China, positioned at a critical site on the ancient Silk Road, has played a significant role in the history of human migration, cultural developments and communications between the East and the West. It became famous due to the discovery of many well-preserved mummies within the area. These mummies, especially the prehistoric Bronze Age 'Caucasoid' mummies, such as the 'Beauty of Loulan', have attracted extensive interest among scientists regarding who were these people and where did they come from.

Based on analyses of human remains and other archaeological materials from the ancient cemeteries (dated from approximately the Bronze Age to the Iron Age), there is now widespread acceptance that the first residents of the Tarim Basin came from the West. This was followed, in stages, by the arrival of Eastern people following the Han Dynasty."

-Evidence that a West-East admixed population lived in the Tarim Basin as early as the early Bronze Age, by Chunxiang Li, et al.

[europeanorigins]

The Loulan Beauty - A Tarim Mummy

The Loulan Beauty – A Tarim Mummy

By 漫漫长冬 – This file has been extracted from another file, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74597642 One of the Tarim mummies from the Tarim basin in northwestern China in the province of Xinjiang, dated to 1800 BC. These mummies are frequently associated with speakers of the Indo-European Tocharian language which since has gone extinct due to assimilation into the…

[babblingeccentric]

We go to lunch on the weekend and he's sad that the noodle place doesn't serve alcohol and he sits silently as I explain to him the intricate textiles of the tarim basin mummies and does not stop scowling until I mention that I used to sword fight as a martial art and he asks me if I want to come down to his place and spar a little in the backyard.

I agree and his place has a mattress on the floor (which I forgive) and absolutely no decorations (which I do not) and he hands me a bokken and I self effacingly say not to expect too much it's been a few years and I'm rusty. I'm assuming he's also going to use a bokken and it'll be a low key thing so we don't need to wear protective gear.

He comes back out with three bonafide genuine actual real sharp katana in scabbards and I'm going "UHHHHHHH"

He puts one between his teeth and I'm too busy laughing at him to put up my guard and he hits me square in the head. I'm fine I'm naturally thick skulled but I get my act together.

We fight. I hit him once the whole time and after three goes he breaks two of my fingers and then honorably makes his weirdly misogynistic sous chef roommate who he has lived with for five years despite obviously hating him drive us to urgent care (neither of us can drive)

There is not a second date but I see him again in the 18+ section of the local combination sci-fi-fantasy-kink convention a year later dressed as a leather boy and we are bros for the rest of the con (including watching him chug an entire bottle of tequila at the after-party). He texts me every time a spot opens up in classes at his dojo and I send him the link to the Livestream to watch me make my tournament debut when I finally get back into HEMA

....I want to spin the wheel

Sure! Ladies and gentlemen, I represent you our 25th player! Let's spin it..

Congratulations! You got Zoro! Thank you for participating! <33