The Tarim Mummies

Book excerpt: Preserved in the Täklimakan desert sands of China lay the well preserved remains of a people who settled in the Tarim Basin four thousand years ago. This book forms the first comprehensive study of the mummies, their clothing and physiology, and also speculates on their identity. The possible contenders for the origins of these people and their linguistic background are discussed and the authors conclude with the rather controversial claim that these in fact represent the first Europeans in China. A most interesting and important book.