A mural discovered in a Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) tomb depicts a Western man with blond hair and beard, possibly a Sogdian trader from Central Asia, leading camels, suggesting cultural exchange and trade connections, likely from the Silk Road.
The well-preserved tomb was discovered in 2018 during road construction in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China. The tomb belonged to a 63-year-old man who died in 736 and his wife. The mural's details were revealed in a recent publication.
The tomb features murals depicting scenes of daily life, including people threshing grains, making noodles, fetching water, following the "figure under the tree" style popular in Shanxi.
The murals provide insights into Tang dynasty customs, cultural advancements, imperial policies, symbolic imagery, cultural diversity, and Western influences.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: La Nación, Live Science, Daily Caller, AOL, Lao Dong, Historia, Elu24 Postimees, El Confidencial, Men's Journal, NRZ.