1. THE MUMMIES OF URUMQI

2. WHERE WERE THEY FOUND? The mummies of the Xinjiang region were found in the driest, saltiest part of Central Asia--in Chinese Turkestan (wedged between Kazakhstan and Mongolia)

3. HOW MANY WERE THERE? In the last 25 years, archaeologists have discovered hundreds of bodies dating from 2000BC (Beginning of the Bronze Age)

4. WHEN WERE THEY MADE? Dating as far back as 4,000 years, they were made by accident- -naturally--by the dry climate in the salty Tarim basin. The oldest mummies from Cherchen found so far died about 3,000 years ago, while the oldest mummies found near Loulan died about 4,000 years ago.

5. HOW WERE THEY MADE? Bodies buried in the sandy desert (most likely in winter) froze and dried out before they could begin to rot. By the time summer (and high temperatures) arrived, the bodies had become mummified. Because they were already dried, the summer's heat would not cause them to deteriorate.

6. CHERCHEN MUMMIES The Cherchen mummies include Cherchen Man, Cherchen Woman, two other women, and an infant wrapped in a beautiful brown cloth tied with red and blue cord. The infant was buried with a "baby bottle" made from a sheep's udder; each of its eyes was covered with a blue stone

7. WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THEM? The Cherchen mummies are known for their degree of preservation (far better than most Egyptian mummies), their colorful clothing, and their Caucasian features. Their burial fabrics (in unusual patterns and woven in unusual ways) and their Caucasian features suggest that they (and/or their ancestors) had come from Celtic tribes in Central Europe.

8. LOULAN MUMMIES The Loulan mummies include the Beauty of Loulan and a few other mummies including an eight-year-old child wrapped in a piece of patterned wool cloth and closed with bone pegs. The wool clothing from Loulan seems to be much less colorful (in much more neutral, earth-tone colors--though fading could have occurred), but it is no less impressive in its patterns and weaves.

9. YOUR HYPOTHESIS Why had they ended up in China? Were they nomads? Were they adventurers? Were they raiders and robbers?