close

Re: the General News item at http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/78067/news/british_isles.html -

"Mummies, possibly of ‘Celtic’ origin and some 3,000 years old, have been unearthed in the Tarim Basin of western China for nearly 100 years. ‘Cherchen Man’ is just one of these but one of the most interesting. Cherchen Man is tall, red haired and wears a red tunic and tartan leggings. His mummified body, along with others, are now kept in Urumqi City Museum in Xinjiang province. Perhaps even more interesting are the burial sites where Cherchen Man and his people are found – these bear signs of a Celtic influence and include standing stones similar to British dolmens as well as icons reminiscent of sheela-na-gigs."

The mention of 'signs' of a Celtic influence, as well as standing stones similar to British dolmens and icons reminiscent of sheela-na-gigs is interesting (though I can't find any pics of them on the internet) and if true would seem to push back the sheela-na-gig tradition to at least 1,000bce.

I've read of these discoveries too.....several years back. Maybe Smithsonian or National Geo Mag, can't remember. Very Fasinating. If i recall, based on burial goods and the like, there were a nomadic/itinerent race. There burials were quite elaborately done too....nearly an underground vault comprised of logs. Sort of like a buried Log cabin.
But i think it has been conjectured that these people are of Norse ancestry too. I think that the Chinese Cultural heritage{GOVERNMENT} is not very keen on the thought of outside influence as a part of Chinese History. I had thought at the time that the remarkable preservational state of these mummies would allow fairly conclusive evidence of there true geographic origins. But those Tartan patterns. Hhmmmm.

Speaking of Chinese heritage.....i sure hope i live long enough to see the contents of the First Emporers tomb!

http://vethrian.com/westpara/tocharian_nordic_mummy.jpg

Think this is meant to be a pic of one of them?

This sort of thing?

Celts In China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw64i6nGuss

H