The Mummies of Urumchi

Paper Summary:

This paper contains a report on the book, including the author's thesis, evidence she uses to prove her thesis, and how convincing a case she makes. It explains how the author analyzes how ancient civilizations of Asia and Europe expanded from common places of origin. It also questions where these Caucasians came from. It explains that Elizabeth Wayland Barber, an archaeologist at Occidental College, asks herself those questions and begins a fascinating journey along the Silk Road into prehistoric time.

From the Paper:

"Barber's book chronicles the mummies found in and around the Urumchi area of Eurasia. The mummies are quite interesting for several reasons, including the vivid and beautiful clothing they wore, and the fact that they appeared to be distinctly Caucasian, rather than Asian or Mongoloid, which one would expect from the area they were found. Early in the book she raises many questions about these fascinating mummies, including where they came from, why they were entombed where they were, and even speculatively, what language they may have spoken. While Barber's archeological specialty is textiles, which she does cover extensively, she takes the study of the mummies much further in this book, as one reviewer noted. "In the process, she takes us through the entire process of modern archeology -- comparative linguistics, tracking down ancient original sources, studying the climate of the time, carbon dating, following artifacts as they move through different cultures..." (St. Philip). Clearly, Barber hopes to solve the mystery of these tantalizing mummies, and take the reader along with her as she makes her own voyage of discovery. What she finds is both fascinating and amazing."

More papers on The Mummies of Urumchi:

• Book Review # 66714 : "The Mummies of Urumchi"
• Research Paper # 109505 : "The Mummies of Urumchi, China"
• Book Review # 62236 : "The Mummies of Urmuchai"

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