| Princess of Ukok Human Mummy | |
| |
| Reconstruction of the Princess Ukok | |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | The Princess of Ukok, Siberian Ice Maiden, Altai Lady, Devochka, Ochy-bala |
| Age | Between 25-28 |
| Sex | Female |
| Status | Higher Status |
| Height | 5ft 6 inches |
| Source | |
| Culture | Pazyryk culture, Russian Steppes |
| Date(s) | From 5th Century BC, found in the summer of 1993 |
| Site | Found in the Ukok Plateau near the border of China |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Republican National Museum, Siberia, Russia |
| Catalog # | Unknown |
Princess of Ukok, also known as the Siberian Ice Maiden or Altai Lady, is a 2,400 year old mummy. "She belonged to a tribe called the Pzyryks, close relatives of the Scythians, who lived around the Black Sea" (Womack, 1995). The Pazyryks tribe came from European descents, they were nomadic horseman and shepherds , that are believed to have worshiped the Sun, Moon, and the animals that were tattooed on their bodies. The Siberian Ice Maiden now rests at the Republican National Museum in Gorno-Altaisk, Russia.
Mummification[]
The Ice Maiden was buried in balm and bandages, her organs were removed and her body had been stuffed with grass and wool, and placed in a wooden coffin. The preservation of her skin and body resulted from the water that had flooded her tomb helping to freeze her into a block of ice and thus preserving her remains. Her hair had been shaved from her head and replaced with a wig that was draped with a tall wooden head-dress decorated with carved cats and swans. She was buried in a burial chamber built of larch logs; it is very rare to find a woman buried alone in a wooden tomb. Images of deer and snow leopards were carved in leather. Her burial site was undisturbed by looters.
Studies[]
She was discovered by Natalia Polosmak and her team of archaeologists in the summer of 1993, "on the Ukok Plateau, near the border of China, which is now referred to the Autonomous Republic of Altai" (Siberian Ice Maiden, 2015).
Inside her chamber they found a coffin containing a body, wood, gold, bronze, coriander, and cannabis. There were two small wooden tables, where they found horse meat, mutton, and dairy products. She had the heads of six horses surrounding her, which were all oriented towards the east. The horse's head was to serve her as guide on her journey to the afterlife. The archeologists discovered her "dressed in a white woolen stockings, a woolen skirt with horizontal white and maroon strips and a yellow Chinese silk blouse with maroon piping" ( Womack, 1995). This suggested that she was the elite of her society. After studying her tattoos it was suggested that she may have been a "shaman or a religious leader" (Womack, 1995), as she had sacred animals tattooed on her body.
Tattoos found all over Princess Ukok body
Her skin was pale and white that was preserved through the freezing of water, to defrost her they poured hot water that had darkened her skin causing her tattoos to fade.
Sampling the organic material, dendro-chronologists concluded she was buried in the spring time.
Pathology[]
Her cause of death was unknown until about 2014 when researchers suggested she may have had breast cancer. Researchers also discovered that she had injuries sustained in a fall, which may have also contributed to her death. After MRI scans determined that it may have been breast cancer that may have lead to the Ice Maiden's death. The current theory now suggests that the 30 year old, possibly weakened from what appears to be breast cancer (MRI scans revealed abnormal tissue growth that may have been malignant tumors) she fell from her horse. The fall injured her right hip and shoulder; she also suffered a blow to the head. Researchers think she may have hung on to life for some time before finally succumbing, however, based on healing at the fracture sites.
DNA testing showed that the Ice Maiden was of Caucasian descent. Her face was reconstructed using her skull by Tanya Balueva, who used her features and measurements and compared it to present-day Altai inhabitants to confirm that she was Caucasian and had no Mongolian features. Since her tattoos were damaged by the hot water, an archeologists, Dr. Kozeltsev, and his assistants have been working on restoring the Ice Maiden's body so the tattoos can be fully restored again.
Additional[]
Archaeologists found the remains of six horses, a grand sacrifice among the nomadic Pazyryk, complete with saddles and gold-trimmed harnesses. The excavation team also found the bodies of a teenager and a man with a fatal head injury, perhaps killed to accompany the maiden to the afterlife, and buried in a seperate part of the tomb.
The was wrapped in a silk tunic from India, colored with dyes of exotic origin, possibly from as far away as the Mediterranean coast. With her was an ornate Chinese mirror and a small pouch filled with cannabis.
External Links []
- Siberian Ice Maiden. (2015). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Ice_Maiden
- Womack, H. (1995). Siberian 'Lady' still youthful after 2,400 years. retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/siberian-lady-still-youthful-after-2400-years-1572004.html
- Siberian Times Reporter. (2012). Siberian Princess reveals her 25, 000 year old tattoos. Retrieved from http://siberiantimes.com/culture/others/features/siberian-princess-reveals-her-2500-year-old-tattoos
- Mosbergen, D. (2014). Now we know what killed the Ancient 'Ice Princess', and why she had that marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/16/siberian-ice-princess-cancer-cannabis_n_5993052.html
References[]
1- Reese, M.R (2014), The Stunning Ancient Tattoos of the Pazyryk Nomads. Retrieved from http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/stunning-ancient-tattoos-pazyryk-nomads-002267
2- Stewart, W. (2014) Mummy's MRI scan reveals 2,500-year-old Siberian princess died from acute breast cancer - and smoked cannabis to dull the pain. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2792587/mri-scan-reveals-2-500-year-old-siberian-princess-died-acute-breast-cancer-smoked-cannabis-dull-pain.html#ixzz4vA9ZeTrC
3- Siberian Ice Maiden. (2015). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_Ice_Maiden
4-Holloway, A. (2014). 2,500-year-old Siberian Ice Maiden will finally be laid to rest in her homeland. Retrieved from http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/2500-year-old-siberian-ice-maiden-will-finally-be-laid-rest-her-homeland-002468
5-Womack, H. (1995). Siberian 'Lady' still youthful after 2,400 years. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/siberian-lady-still-youthful-after-2400-years-1572004.html
http://scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/archaelogy/13-creepiest-mummies-on-earth/6/
Notes: Altai’s “Princess Ukok” mummy and what her tattoos tell. (2014, December 18). Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://japanesemythology.wordpress.com/notes-altais-princess-ukok-mummy-and-what-her-tattoos-tell/ Siberian Ice Maiden: Mummy Tattoos. (2015, April 09). Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://todiscoverrussia.com/siberian-ice-maiden-mummy-tattoos/ Womack, H. (1995, February 07). Siberian `Lady' still youthful after 2,400 years. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/siberian-lady-still-youthful-after-2400-years-1572004.html