Archaeologists in China revealed the discovery of a fascinating Tang Dynasty mural in June that appears to show a blond “Westerner” male.
The Tang Dynasty ruled a majority of central and eastern China from A.D. 618 to 907, and built the strange tomb in Taiyuan, the Shanxi province’s capital, according to Live Science. Though the tomb was uncovered in 2018, the latest revelation focuses on a series of murals that show aspects of daily life that have never been seen before.
One of the murals includes men threshing grain and producing noodles, and another depicts a “Westerner” with blond hair and a beard, presumed to hail from Central Asia, Western Michigan University history professor Victor Xiong (who was not associated directly with the discovery) told Live Science.
Stunning Tang dynasty mural in tomb unearthed in China may portray a ‘Westerner’ man with blond hair https://t.co/D8adaeDIhm
— Live Science (@LiveScience) July 15, 2024
“Based on his facial features and outfit style, we can identify him as a ‘Westerner,’ likely a Sogdian from Central Asia,” Xiong told Live Science. The Sogdians traded along the Silk Road at the time, and mostly resided in what is modern day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Along with the daily-life and “Westerner” depictions, the roof of the tomb is adorned with what appears to be either a dragon or a phoenix. (RELATED: China Just Showed Off A Ton Of Advanced Robots, And Yeah, We’re All Screwed)
It’s believed the tomb belonged to a 63-year-old man who died around the year 736, along with his wife, the Chinese outlet Xinhua reported. The structure consists of a singular chamber, door and corridor, according to Live Science. Some of the murals on the wall show the same people over and over, leading archeologists to speculate they were the tomb’s owners, the South China Morning Post reported.
