Emily Chan
The woman likely belonged to an elite class, as evidenced by the amount and diversity of items she was buried with.
There were golden earrings, a gold bracelet, a silver cup, a bronze vessel, coral and glass beads, and silk textiles.
The coffin was made of Marbury wood, which did not grow locally. The silk was also not of local origin; it came from the south of China.
“The fact that artifacts were produced in different places, some of them probably quite distant, and materials from diverse origins (including, for example, the wood types found in the grave) ended up in this grave suggest a network of connections that are unknown from historical records at the time,” said Shelach-Lavi.
The Khar Nuur woman’s high societal status enabled her to gain access to rich artifacts beyond her homeland.
It is unclear why she was buried within the fortress walls. Archaeologists cannot say for sure, but the fortress may have been viewed as a symbol of power and prestige during a transitional period.
The team will continue excavating the site to get a better idea about the people who inhabited the region.
