The Princess of Xiaohe (Chinese: 小河公主; died about 1800 BC), also called the Little River Princess, was discovered in 2003 at the Xiaohe Cemetery in Lop Nur, Xinjiang. She is one of the Tarim mummies and is known as M11 because she was found in that tomb. She was buried around 1800 BC. Her body shows European and Siberian genetic traits, and she had white skin and red hair. Her remains are very well preserved, with her clothing, hair, and eyelashes still in good condition.

Discovery

The Princess of Xiaohe was found by archaeologists from the Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology at Xiaohe Cemetery No. 5, Tomb 11, 102 km (63 mi) west of Loulan, Lop Nur, Xinjiang in 2003. She was given the name "Princess of Xiaohe" because of how well her body and clothing were preserved, not because of her social rank. There is no evidence to suggest she was more important than other mummies buried nearby. She belonged to the Xiaohe culture and was buried around 1800 BC. Her body, clothing, and hair are unusually well preserved. Scientists believe this happened because the desert air was very dry and salty, and her coffin was sealed tightly. The coffin was wrapped in cowhide before burial. As the cowhide dried, it tightened, sealing the coffin completely. Her body was not embalmed before death. Instead, the dry climate and burial method caused her body to naturally mummify over time.

Appearances and grave goods

The Princess had long hair and eyelashes. Some of her facial features, such as high cheekbones, resemble those of Ancient North Eurasians more than those of modern people in the region where she was found. She appears to be smiling slightly. She was 1.52 meters (5 feet 0 inches) tall. She was buried wearing a white felt hat, a white wool cloak with tassels, and a string skirt. She wore fur-lined leather boots, a red rope necklace, and a bracelet with one jade bead on her right arm. Wooden pins, three small pouches of ephedra, and twigs and branches of ephedra were placed near her body. Wheat and millet grains, strings made from animal tendons, and animal ears were spread over her body. A wooden phallic object was placed between her breasts. Like other mummies in the Xiaohe Cemetery, she was buried in a boat-shaped coffin with a standing wooden pole above it. Her grave had not been disturbed since her burial. Archaeologists discovered it in 2003.

Chunks of cheese were found on her neck and chest, possibly as food for the afterlife. At first, archaeologists were unsure what the clumps on her body were. However, a 2014 study led by Andrej Shevchenko showed that the clumps were cheese. The cheese found on the mummies in this cemetery is the oldest preserved cheese in the world, likely made with a kefir starter. Her entire body and boots were also coated in a white substance, likely a dairy product, but its exact origin is unknown.

Exhibitions

In 2010, she was shown at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. In 2019, she was shown at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University. She appeared in the first episode of the documentary series New Silk Road.

• The "Princess of Xiaohe"
• Princess of Xiaohe. Beijing Capital Museum
• The "Princess of Xiaohe" wearing her funeral clothes
• Another felt hat from Xiaohe