The rare and ancient discovery of a mummified woman in Mongolia has been overshadowed by an obsession with her footwear, as people liken the 1,500-year-old boots to a pair of Adidas sneakers.
Archaeologists unearthed the female’s remains on the Mongolian side of the Altai Mountains, more than 2,800 meters (9,186ft) above sea level.
Alongside the ice-preserved body, a number of artifacts including an iron kettle, pillows, cotton coats, and a sacrificed horse were found in what is believed to be an ancient Turkik burial site.
Researcher B Sukhbaatar told the Siberian Times that the grave is a “rare phenomenon”.
“It is the first complete Turkik burial at least in Mongolia - and probably in all Central Asia… These finds show us the beliefs and rituals of Turkiks,” he said.
Despite being a groundbreaking find, social media users have been busy wondering whether the woman was actually a time traveler with a penchant for sports footwear. Sounds plausible, right?
A picture of the corpse’s feet released by a Mongolian museum sparked the bizarre Adidas theory, with three lines resembling the German sport brand’s logo seen on a pair of tattered traditional shoes.
“Didn’t know they had Adidas back then…,” commented one LiveLeak user, before people ran amuck with bizarre speculation online.
Others weren’t so easily convinced, however…
Amid the silliness, archaeologists from the city of Khovd say they will unwrap the mummified remains to establish more details about the woman’s origins.