Advertisement

One Of The Best Preserved Mummies, This 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Remains Still Have Blood In Veins

The mummy was from Xin Zhui, also known as Lady Dai, a woman from the Han Dynasty of China (206 BC – 220 AD), who died around 163 BC. When first discovered in 1971, Xin Zhui’s hair remained untouched, with the skins soft to the touch and the veins still contained type-A blood. Now more than 2,000 years old, her own ligaments can still bend, much like a living person.

 2,000-Year-Old Chinese RemainsSource: Getty Images

The remains of Xin Zhui.

Widely recognized as the best-preserved human remains throughout history, Xin Zhui was first found in 1971 by workers excavating near an air raid shelter in Changsha when they suddenly came across her giant burial chambers.
The funnel-like tomb held more than 1,000 precious relics, for instance makeups, toiletries, pieces of lacquerware, and 162 sculpted wooden effigies representing her servant staff. There was even a meal presented for Xin Zhui to dine in her afterlife.
Of course, the exquisite structure was spectacular because the integrity has been retained for 2 millennia or more, but the most striking impression struck upon the archaeologists is Xin Zhui’s exceptionally perfect physical condition.
When experts excavated Xin Zhui, they found that her body has maintained the skin like that of a living body, soft to the touch with moisture and elasticity. Furthermore, her original hair, upon the discovery, lied in place, including that on her head and inside of her nostrils, as well as the eyebrows and lashes.
An autopsy carried out by archaeologists revealed that the 2,000-year-old mummy was in an identical condition compared to that of a person who had just recently died. However, her corpse immediately became undermined once exposed to oxygen, causing the remains to begin deteriorating. Therefore, the modern image of Xin Zhui cannot truly reflect her preservation.

 2,000-Year-Old Chinese RemainsSource: Getty Images

A recreation of Xin Zhui.

Another fascinating discovery is that all of Xin Zhui’s organs remained untouched, while her veins still contained type-A blood, as well as showing clots, indicating her actual cause of death: heart attack. Scientists also discovered an array of additional ailments throughout her body, including gallstones, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and liver disease.
Furthermore, pathologists were able to discover 138 undigested melon seeds in Xin Zhui’s stomach and intestines during inspection, suggesting that this was her last meal, eaten minutes before she had the heart failure, because in fact such seeds typically take one hour to digest.

So how was this remains so well-preserved?

The exceptional preservation condition was attributed to the airtight and elaborate burial chamber where Xin Zhui was entombed, according to scientists. She was put to rest inside the smallest of 4 pine box coffins, each encased inside another larger, similar to that of Matryoshka doll, 40 ft. underground.
20 layers of silk fabric were used to wrap her body, alongside the presence of 21 gallons of a mysterious type of liquid analyzed to be slightly acidic, containing traces of magnesium
The floor was lined with a thick layer of paste-like soil, and the entire thing was packed with moisture-absorbing charcoal and sealed with clay, keeping both oxygen and decay-causing bacteria out of her eternal chamber. The top was then sealed with an additional three feet of clay, fending off water from piercing into the structure.

 2,000-Year-Old Chinese RemainsSource: Getty Images

Drawing of the burial chamber of Xin Zhui.

Although much is known about Xin Zhui’s burial and death, little is acknowledged about her life. Lady Dai was the wife of a high-ranking Han official Li Cang (the Marquis of Dai), who died at around 50 because of her penchant for excess. The cardiac arrest that killed her was thouht to have been brought on by a lifetime of obesity, lack of exercise, and an opulent and over-indulgent diet.
Nevertheless, her body remains perhaps the best-preserved corpse in history. Xin Zhui is now housed in the Hunan Provincial Museum and is the main candidate for their research in corpse preservation.
VIDEO:
Share this article
Advertisement
 
Advertisement