蒙古国发现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，蒙古国的考古学家正在小心翼翼地挖掘着保存在阿尔泰山脉的一具女木乃伊。截至目前为止，我们只能够看到一只手及穿着现代样式靴子的双脚。但据专家判断，这具木乃伊可能有1500年的历史了。

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.'

来自科布多博物馆的研究专家苏赫巴托表示：“这具木乃伊并非一名贵族女性。之所以推断这是一具女性木乃伊，是因为坟墓中没有发现弓箭。目前我们正在小心挖掘，一旦全部挖掘出来，专家们就能明确判断是否为女性了。”

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.

墓中还发现了大量财物。这些财物包括马鞍、缰绳、陶土花瓶、木碗、水槽、铁锅、一匹马的遗体以及一些古代服饰。

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，坟墓中还有枕头，羊头骨，被放于羊背上的一个类似旅行袋的东西，一些羊骨头以及放杯子的皮包。

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国关于丝绸之路的文献资料中。突厥人有自己的文字和语言，并且以狼、蓝色为代表符号。现在，突厥人主要生活在亚洲和东欧地区。

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.'

而对于如今的这一发现，苏赫巴托继续说：“这是蒙古，也可能是在整个中亚的第一座完整的突厥人古墓。这非常罕见。该发现让我们了解了突厥人的信仰和风俗。”

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.

该墓地位于海拔9200英尺（2803米）的地方。这样的位置以及寒冷的气候有助于保存这一三米深的墓地。

'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.'

这名研究者补充说：“这些发现向我们展示了这些人都是技艺高超的手艺人。因为这具木乃伊是一个普通人，可以想见当时他们的技艺该是多么高超。”