URUMQI, China, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A group of Chinese
scientists is attempting to identify a 2,800-year-old mummy of an
apparently Caucasian man found in an ancient tomb...
The well-preserved mummy, that experts said is
likely of a shaman in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has
been under examination since being found in 2003, the Chinese news
agency Xinhua reported.
Especially intriguing to the scientists was the presence of a sack
of marijuana leaves that archaeologists found buried with the
leather-coat bound mummy.
"From his outfit and the marijuana leaves, which have been confirmed
by international specialists to be ingredients for narcotic, we assume
the man had been a shaman and had been between 40 and 50 years old when
he died," noted historian Li Xiao explained.
Xinhua said that by examining the mummy, that was one of 600 found
during the 2003 exploration of 2,000 area tombs, the scientists said
they are hoping to learn more about the mysterious lives of historical
shamans.
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