蒙古國發現1500年前突厥女木乃伊

Archaeologists in Mongolia are slowly unwrapping the mummy of a suspected ancient woman found preserved in the Altai Mountains. So far only one hand and her feet in modern-looking boots are visible, but experts believe the find dates to around 1,500 years ago.

近日，蒙古國的考古學家正在小心翼翼地挖掘着保存在阿爾泰山脈的一具女木乃伊。截至目前爲止，我們只能夠看到一隻手及穿着現代樣式靴子的雙腳。但據專家判斷，這具木乃伊可能有1500年的歷史了。

Researcher baatar, from Khovd Museum, said: 'This person was not from the elite, and we believe it was likely a woman, because there is no bow in the tomb. Now we are carefully unwrapping the body, and once this is complete the specialists will be able to say more precisely about the gender.'

來自科布多博物館的研究專家蘇赫巴託表示：“這具木乃伊並非一名貴族女性。之所以推斷這是一具女性木乃伊，是因爲墳墓中沒有發現弓箭。目前我們正在小心挖掘，一旦全部挖掘出來，專家們就能明確判斷是否爲女性了。”

A host of possessions were found in the grave. These included a saddle, bridle, clay vase, wooden bowl, trough, iron kettle, the remains of an entire horse, and ancient clothing.

墓中還發現了大量財物。這些財物包括馬鞍、繮繩、陶土花瓶、木碗、水槽、鐵鍋、一匹馬的遺體以及一些古代服飾。

There were also pillows, a sheep's head and felt travel bag in which were placed the whole back of a sheep, goat bones and small leather bag designed to carry a cup.

此外，墳墓中還有枕頭，羊頭骨，被放於羊背上的一個類似旅行袋的東西，一些羊骨頭以及放杯子的皮包。

The first mention of Turks was in a Chinese text that made reference to Turk tribes and Sogdians along the Silk Road. The Turkic people developed their own alphabets, had their own language and are known for a number of symbols including wolves and the colour blue. Today, modern Turks live across Asia and eastern Europe.

突厥人第一次被提及是在中國關於絲綢之路的文獻資料中。突厥人有自己的文字和語言，並且以狼、藍色爲代表符號。現在，突厥人主要生活在亞洲和東歐地區。

Commenting on the recent discovery, baatar continued: 'It is the first complete Turkic burial at least in Mongolia - and probably in all Central Asia. This is a very rare phenomenon. These finds show us the beliefs and rituals of Turkics.'

而對於如今的這一發現，蘇赫巴託繼續說：“這是蒙古，也可能是在整個中亞的第一座完整的突厥人古墓。這非常罕見。該發現讓我們瞭解了突厥人的信仰和風俗。”

The grave was located 9,200 feet (2,803 meters) above sea level. This fact and the cool temperatures helped to preserve the grave, which sat three metres deep.

該墓地位於海拔9200英尺（2803米）的地方。這樣的位置以及寒冷的氣候有助於保存這一三米深的墓地。

'The finds show us that these people were very skilled craftsmen,' added the researcher. 'Given that this was the grave of a simple person, we understand that craft skills were rather well developed.'

這名研究者補充說：“這些發現向我們展示了這些人都是技藝高超的手藝人。因爲這具木乃伊是一個普通人，可以想見當時他們的技藝該是多麼高超。”