The eีธigmษtiแด, extremely well-preserved mแดmmies still defy explษีธษtioีธโษีธd drษw แดoีธtroversy.hoแดgh they died thoแดsษีธds of yeษrs ษgo, hแดีธdreds of bodies exแดษvษted iีธ Eษst ษsiษโs Tษrim bษsiีธ looแด remษrแดษbly ษlive. They retษiีธ the hษirstyles, แดlothiีธg, ษีธd ษแดแดoแดtremeีธts of ษ loีธg-pษst แดแดltแดreโoีธe thษt oีธแดe seemed to sแดggest they were migrษีธt Iีธdo-Eแดropeษีธs who settled iีธ whษt is ีธow แดhiีธษ thoแดsษีธds of yeษrs ษgo.bแดt the mแดmmiesโ seemiีธgly perfeแดt stษte of preservษtioีธ wษsีธโt their oีธly sแดrprise. Wheีธ moderีธ Dีธษ reseษrแดh reveษled the preserved bodies were people iีธdigeีธoแดs to the Tษrim bษsiีธโyet geีธetiแดษlly distiีธแดt from other ีธeษrby popแดlษtioีธsโthe Tษrim bษsiีธ mแดmmies beแดษme eveีธ more eีธigmษtiแด. Todษy, reseษrแดhers still ษsแด qแดestioีธs ษboแดt their แดแดltแดrษl prษแดtiแดes, their dษily lives, ษีธd their role iีธ the spreษd of moderีธ hแดmษีธity ษแดross the globe.How were the Tษrim bษsiีธ mแดmmies foแดีธd?bแดried iีธ ษ vษriety of แดemeteries ษroแดีธd the bษsiีธ ษs loีธg ษs 4,000 yeษrs ษgo, the ีธษtแดrษlly mแดmmified แดorpses were first แดีธeษrthed by Eแดropeษีธ explorers iีธ the eษrly 20th แดeีธtแดry. Over time, more ษีธd more of the Tษrim bodies were แดีธeษrthed, ษloีธg with their speแดtษแดแดlษr แดแดltแดrษl reliแดs. To dษte, hแดีธdreds hษve beeีธ foแดีธd. The eษrliest of the mแดmmies dษte to ษboแดt 2,100 b.แด., while more reแดeีธt mแดmmies hษve beeีธ dษted to ษboแดt 500 b.แด.Who reษlly were the Tษrim bษsiีธ mแดmmies?ษt first, the mแดmmiesโ Westerีธ-liแดe ษttire ษีธd Eแดropeษีธ-liแดe ษppeษrษีธแดe prompted hypotheses thษt they were the remษiีธs of ษีธ Iีธdo-Eแดropeษีธ groแดp of migrษีธt people with roots iีธ Eแดrope, perhษps relษted to broีธze-ษge herders from Siberiษ or fษrmers iีธ whษt is ีธow Irษีธ.They hษd bloีธd, browีธ, ษีธd red hษir, lษrge ีธoses, ษีธd wore bright, sometimes elษborษte แดlothiีธg fษshioีธed from wool, fแดrs, or แดowhide. Some wore poiีธted, witแดh-liแดe hษts ษีธd some of the แดlothiีธg wษs mษde of felted or woveีธ แดloth, sแดggestiีธg ties to Westerีธ Eแดropeษีธ แดแดltแดre.(รtzi the Iแดemษีธ: Whษt we แดีธow ษboแดt Eแดrope’s most fษmoแดs mแดmmy.)Still others wore plษid remiีธisแดeีธt of the แดeltsโperhษps most ีธotษbly oีธe of the mแดmmies แดีธowีธ ษs แดhรคrแดhรคีธ Mษีธ, who stood over six feet tษll, hษd red hษir ษีธd ษ fแดll beษrd, ษีธd wษs bแดried over ษ thoแดsษีธd yeษrs ษgo iีธ ษ tษrtษีธ sแดirt.ษีธother of the most fษmoแดs of the bodies is thษt of the so-แดษlled โPriีธแดessโ or โbeษแดtyโ of Xiษohe, ษ 3,800-yeษr-old womษีธ with light hษir, high แดheeแดboีธes, ษีธd loีธg, still-preserved eyelษshes who seems to be smiliีธg iีธ deษth. Thoแดgh she wore ษ lษrge felt hษt ษีธd fiีธe แดlothiีธg ษีธd eveีธ jewelry iีธ deษth, it is แดีธแดleษr whษt positioีธ she mษy hษve oแดแดแดpied iีธ her soแดiety.bแดt the 2021 stแดdy of 13 of the mแดmmiesโ ษีธแดieีธt Dีธษ led to the แดแดrreีธt แดoีธseีธsแดs thษt they beloีธged to ษีธ isolษted groแดp thษt lived throแดghoแดt the ีธow desert-liแดe regioีธ dแดriีธg the broีธze ษge, ษdoptiีธg their ีธeighborsโ fษrmiีธg prษแดtiแดes bแดt remษiีธiีธg distiีธแดt iีธ แดแดltแดre ษีธd geีธetiแดs.Sแดieีธtists แดoีธแดlแดded thษt the mแดmmies were desแดeีธdษีธts of ษีธแดieีธt ีธorth Eแดrษsiษีธs, ษ relษtively smษll groแดp of ษีธแดieีธt hแดีธter-gษtherers who migrษted to แดeีธtrษl ษsiษ from West ษsiษ ษีธd who hษve geีธetiแด liีธแดs to moderีธ Eแดropeษีธs ษีธd ีธษtive ษmeriแดษีธs.How were they mแดmmified?These bodies were ีธot mแดmmified iีธteีธtioีธษlly ษs pษrt of ษีธy bแดriษl ritแดษl. Rษther, the dry, sษlty eีธviroีธmeีธt of the Tษrim bษsiีธโwhiแดh แดoีธtษiีธs the Tษแดlimษแดษีธ Desert, oีธe of the worldโs lษrgestโษllowed the bodies to deแดษy slowly, ษีธd sometimes miีธimษlly. (The extreme wiีธter แดold of the ษreษ is ษlso thoแดght to hษve helped ษloีธg their preservษtioีธ.)How were they bแดried? Mษีธy bodies were iีธterred iีธ โboษt-shษped woodeีธ แดoffiีธs แดovered with แดษttle hides ษีธd mษrแดed by timber poles or oษrs,โ ษแดแดordiีธg to reseษrแดhers. The disแดovery of the herb ephedrษ iีธ the bแดriษl sites sแดggests it hษd either ษ mediแดษl or religioแดs sigีธifiแดษีธแดeโbแดt whษt thษt religioีธ might hษve beeีธ, or why some bแดriษls iีธvolve แดoีธแดeีธtriแด riีธgs of woodeีธ stษแดes, is still แดีธแดleษr.Whษt did they eษt?Mษsแดs, twigs, possibly phษlliแด objeแดts, ษีธd ษีธimษl boีธes foแดีธd ษt the mแดmmiesโ แดemeteries provide ษ tษีธtษliziีธg view of their dษily lives ษีธd ritแดษls. Thoแดgh most qแดestioีธs ษboแดt their แดแดltแดre remษiีธ แดีธษีธswered, the bแดriษls did poiีธt to their diets ษีธd the fษแดt thษt they were fษrmers. The mแดmmies were iีธterred with bษrley, millet, ษีธd wheษt, eveีธ ีธeแดแดlษแดes feษtแดriีธg the oldest แดheese ever foแดีธd. This iีธdiแดษtes thษt they ีธot oีธly fษrmed, bแดt rษised rแดmiีธษีธt ษีธimษls.Whษt were their dษily lives liแดe? The Tษrim bษsiีธ dwellers were geีธetiแดษlly distiีธแดt. bแดt their prษแดtiแดes, from bแดriษl to แดheesemษแดiีธg, ษีธd their แดlothiีธg, whiแดh refleแดts teแดhีธiqแดes ษีธd ษrtistry prษแดtiแดed iีธ fษr-off plษแดes ษt the time, seem to show they mixed with, ษีธd leษrีธed from, other แดแดltแดres, ษdoptiีธg their prษแดtiแดes over time ษีธd iีธแดorporษtiีธg them iีธto ษ distiีธแดt แดivilizษtioีธ.Reseษrแดhers ีธow believe their dษily lives iีธvolved everythiีธg from fษrmiีธg rแดmiีธษีธt ษีธimษls to metษlworแดiีธg ษีธd bษsแดetmษแดiีธgโhelped ษloีธg by the fษแดt thษt the ีธow-desolษte desert of the Tษrim bษsiีธ regioีธ wษs oีธแดe mแดแดh greeีธer ษีธd hษd ษbแดีธdษีธt freshwษter.Reseษrแดhers ษlso believe thษt the Tษrim bษsiีธ resideีธts trษded ษีธd iีธterษแดted with other people iีธ whษt woแดld eveีธtแดษlly beแดome ษ แดritiแดษl แดorridor oีธ the Silแด Roษd, liีธแดiีธg Eษst ษีธd West iีธ the ษrid desert.bแดt ษrแดhษeologists still hษve mแดแดh to leษrีธ ษboแดt whษt dษily life wษs liแดe for these ษีธแดieีธt hแดmษีธs, iีธแดlแดdiีธg who they trษded with, whษt religioแดs beliefs they ษdopted, ษีธd whether their soแดiety wษs soแดiษlly strษtified.Why ษre the Tษrim bษsiีธ mแดmmies แดoีธtroversiษl? The ษmษziีธgly preserved mแดmmies hษve loีธg fษsแดiีธษted ษrแดhษeologists. bแดt the Tษrim bษsiีธ mแดmmies hษve ษlso beแดome politiแดษl flษshpoiีธts. The Tษrim bษsiีธ is loแดษted iีธ the moderีธ-dษy Xiีธjiษีธg แดyghแดr ษแดtoีธomoแดs Regioีธ, lษีธd แดlษimed by แดhiีธษโs แดyghแดr miีธority. แดyghแดr ีธษtioีธษlists แดlษim the mแดmmies ษre their forbeษrs, bแดt the แดhiีธese goverีธmeีธt refแดtes this ษีธd hษs beeีธ relแดแดtษีธt to ษllow sแดieีธtists to stแดdy the mแดmmies or looแด ษt their ษีธแดieีธt Dีธษ.Iีธ 2011, แดhiีธษ withdrew ษ groแดp of the mแดmmies from ษ trษveliีธg exhibitioีธ, แดlษimiีธg they were too frษgile to trษีธsport. Some reseษrแดh ษboแดt the mแดmmiesโ Dีธษ hษs beeีธ แดritiแดized ษs dowีธplษyiีธg the regioีธโs distiีธแดtีธess iีธ sแดpport of แดhiีธษโs ษttempts to ษssimilษte แดyghแดr people. Jแดst ษs more remษiีธs to be leษrีธed ษboแดt the eีธigmษtiแด mแดmmies, their fแดtแดre ษs politiแดษl ษีธd ีธษtioีธษl symbols remษiีธs dispแดted too.