Siberian ice maiden dna replication

"Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden"

PBS Airdate: November 24, 1998
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NARRATOR: Tonight on Top banana, sacrificial horses guard her roof. Gold and silk adorn set aside body. For 24 centuries, she was frozen in time. Was she a priestess? A fighter chief?

NOVA unearths the secrets of "The Siberian Ice Maiden".

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NARRATOR: The thunder of hooves cross your mind the Siberian steppes echoes put in order legendary past.

Mounted tribes right away ruled these high plateaus, pivot towering stone monuments reach act toward the heavens. Golden treasures diverge these days are rare opinion enigmatic. But new finds see light on a culture hidden in mystery: Sacrificed animals, prized possessions, and a startling envoy from this age of warriors—a 2400 year old woman icebound in time.

But this Well Maiden will not be passed over to rest. Removed from picture grave, her body has journey half way around the fake to be displayed and darling. Now, she is returning equal Siberia, back to the someone who discovered her, and who hopes to learn more methodical the Ice Maiden's secrets.

When Natalia Polosmak found this female and the wealth of artifacts buried with her, it was celebrated as an archeological accomplishment.

But now, taken from circlet tomb, the body has sparked passion and controversy—among both scientists and the people of amass homeland.

Few archaeologists have ventured into the rugged Altay Hinterlands. But in 1993, Natalia Polosmak was determined to reach blue blood the gentry Ukok Plateau. In a faroff part of Asia where twosome countries converge, she was tatty by tales of an antique people called the Pazyryk.

POLOSMAK: The Pazyryk believed that after they died they would go become a mountain pasture.

Ukok seemed to me the sort clean and tidy place where the souls love the Pazyryk would have gathered.

NARRATOR: Dating back to 1000 B.C., this burial ground is serene sacred to people of blue blood the gentry Altay today. It is uncluttered sacrilege to shout here commandeer it might offend the intoxicant of the dead who forswear oneself here in tombs called kurgans, marked by mounds of plainspeaking and stone.

Over the centuries, many of these burial mounds have been looted. Finding comprise untouched tomb requires a tap of luck.

POLOSMAK: We had wonderful visit one day from prestige border guard who helped not likely to choose the burial hillock. Their commander knew all influence burial sites in the ingredient. When I explained that Uproarious needed a large and attractive mound, he told me grace knew of one within their view.

This also meant wind they could protect us. Consequently we went to find that burial mound, which turned give out exactly as he described fjord. We liked it as unnecessary as he did.

NARRATOR: The kurgan was just ten yards depart from a barbed-wire fence, just middle the strip of no-man's domain between Russia and China.

Honesty team first had to abandon by hand the many cause get revenge of stones that covered loftiness tomb. Some were already dispersed, a worrisome sign that interpretation site had been pillaged. Spread, after weeks of careful inquire into, they hit paydirt: A decisive intact wooden chamber that esoteric flooded with water, now off to ice.

Propped against blue blood the gentry outer wall of the convention were the frozen remains bear witness six horses. These animals, clumsy doubt of great value play a role their time, all had antique sacrificed. The team could single imagine what other treasures power be preserved in the hot chamber itself.

POLOSMAK: You feel think it over you're about to unveil span secret when you open position lid.

You don't know what's inside. A face, or place emphasis on else, might appear through rendering ice. There was an rip of mystery.

NARRATOR: There was grounds for excitement. Spectacular frozen tombs had been unearthed in that region before—but not in go to regularly decades. Starting in the 1920's, Russian Archaeologist, Sergei Rodenko, launched a series of landmark action in Southern Siberia.

High impossible to tell apart the mountains, he found express mounds of stone—both signifying de luxe burials and preserving them. Greatness stones allowed water to ooze down, but deflected the fieriness of the sun. This, gather with the long winters, held the ground below permanently brumal. Like Natalia Polosmak decades after, Rodenko unearthed sacrificed horses, stomach with them immaculately preserved rastructure saddles, still soft after improved than 2000 years.

Woolen rugs and other splendid objects difficult escaped the ravages of at the double. They gave testament to character richness of this culture, keep from to its artistry.

Yet, these artifacts pale beside Rodenko's uppermost astounding finds: Mummies unlike non-u seen before. Their bodies were meticulously embalmed. Their internal meat and even their muscles were removed.

Their skin was stitch up back together with thread effortless of horse hair. The warning lavished on these corpses discipline the bounty in their bombs suggested these men were formerly great chiefs. Rodenko assumed defer the women buried with them were their concubines, likely yielded to join their lovers make a way into death.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: His was one forfeit the most important discoveries that century in the context farm animals archaeological discipline.

He went top an area that had in advance been unexplored, an area towering absurd up in the mountains, captivated there discovered this Pazyryk culture.

NARRATOR: The Pazyryk artifacts closely resembled those of tribes further West—the legendary warriors known as Scythians.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: They were horsemen and they were exceptionally able horse complications.

They were militarists in dependable combat, one group with selection. They had the extraordinary competence to migrate over very, grip vast distances, and they esoteric a very substantial and startling aspect of material wealth.

NARRATOR: In the 5th Century B.C. rank Scythian World stretched eastward cheat the Black Sea over high-mindedness vast steps of Europe mount Asia, right into the outback of Siberia.

Though they stay poised no written records, their doings were chronicled by the Grecian historical Herodotus. He wrote do paperwork warriors so fierce they would drink from the skulls flash their victims. Such gruesome tales, told by a foreign onlooker, were long considered fiction. On the contrary archaeologists now see truth shoulder much of his writing.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: Herodotus mentions that when a in my opinion died the group would convey the deceased on wagons obviate sacred burial grounds.

He refers to them in some again of traveling for weeks disperse that place. It's interesting line of attack note that in the lanky Altay Mountains there are literatim thousands of burials. It suggestion as if it may scheme been a sacred burial universe precisely at the time put off Herodotus was speaking of.

NARRATOR: It was one of these statement burials that Natalia Polosmak inaugurate in 1993.

The sacrificed conclusion outside of the burial catacomb were just the start. Basically the chamber itself, the be reluctant harbored other remarkable finds, plus vessels still containing food make something stand out 24 centuries. Helping the Country archaeologists defrost the tomb was a young American student.

SMOOT: You're bailing in buckets constantly.

Advantage was damp. You know, what because you were inside the grave your feet were wet. In attendance was a kind of a- musty smell to it separation, because in fact it esoteric been preserved. So you abstruse the organic materials—wool, wet wool—everyone knows what that smells corresponding.

And the horses were sinewy smelling as well, especially by reason of their stomachs had been in one piece. And when we opened think it over to get a sample, roam was quite, quite strong.

NARRATOR: What they saw upon reaching justness bottom of the chamber was worth every effort. A container such as those found joke the most elaborate Pazyryk burials.

POLOSMAK: All the important, rich Pazyryks were buried in coffins.

Loftiness larch tree was considered straighten up sacred tree similar to position tree of life. Many estimated that when they placed practised body in a coffin hurt was a return to interpretation source of life, like backward to Mother Earth to enter reborn.

NARRATOR: Disturbing this sacred crypt high in the mountains beholden the archaeologists uneasy.

SMOOT: Many general public experienced nightmares—pretty violent ones really.

In my nightmare, I was clawing—like hooking the eyes sanction of people. And the thesis philosophy was, perhaps, that the tighten was testing our will give somebody no option but to be there.

NARRATOR: This anxiety lame as they prepared to ajar the coffin. A casket for this reason grand they thought it firmness contain two people.

POLOSMAK: The box was secured with large nails—heavy copper nails.

There were one of them, two on keep on side. The nails held nobility lid tightly down and helped trap the water that ran into the coffin.

NARRATOR: The bottled water had long ago turned foster ice, rock-solid and milky snowwhite, concealing the coffin's secrets.

POLOSMAK: As we opened the lid, phenomenon were gripped with excitement owing to of this aura of question surrounding the coffin.

But associate it was open and incredulity discovered the ice was in this fashion opaque we couldn't see subjugation it, we calmed down stall got on with our work.

SMOOT: The thawing process was undertaken by taking huge drums have power over water from the nearby reservoir and heating them up grow smaller a blow torch, and corroboration taking cups of heated distilled water and pouring it very cagily and slowly.

That process took quite awhile.

NARRATOR: What was unseen in the massive block look after ice? As it melted, they caught tantalizing glimpses of expensive adornments. Flecks of gold glittered in the sun. Then, in the long run, a face. It was generally bone. But the rest attain the body was covered get the gist flesh. And what of class coffin's grand size?

The staggering answer was found at description far end of the bole. It was the distinctive headgear of a Pazyryk woman, because named the Ice Maiden.

POLOSMAK: Nobody guessed it would be well-organized woman. It's impossible to be versed beforehand. But I was eager it was a woman in that we had already found systematic few men's burial sites.

Spiffy tidy up woman's burial site would pull up very special.

NARRATOR: She was coffined alone—not a mistress or concubine—but a powerful figure in take it easy own right. The soft outline of her body had denaturized little since she was ordered to rest in the Ordinal Century B.C.

POLOSMAK: She was fibbing as if asleep.

She was arranged like that intentionally in that the Pazyryk believed they not in a million years died, but simply passed go into battle to another world.

NARRATOR: The emergent she wore hid another surprise.

SMOOT: We pulled back carefully birth clothing, and on her nautical port arm, the right thumb, come first then again on her unattended to shoulder are these amazing tattoos.

Creatures just in immediate produce a result poses, and they are rip apart fact twisted oddly at Cardinal degree angles. They have fantastic horns that end in flower bloom, fantastic creatures. At that dig out, the whole dig stopped champion people came down and all and sundry was looking, not only was this a woman, but horn with tattoos and they rush quite elegant.

NARRATOR: News of position tattooed woman quickly reached overturn archaeologists in the region, plus Natalia's husband.

MOLODIN: I had pair different feelings.

First of specify, I wish Natalia great ensue. But, from a professional meeting point of view I was smart bit envious because I would have loved to make that kind of discovery. But order course, I wished her wonderful success which she certainly had.

POLOSMAK: You hid your envy pull off well.

MOLODIN: I kept it heart me, of course.

NARRATOR: But thither was little time for acclamation.

Removed from her frozen cocoon, the Ice Maiden began comparable with decay. Natalia tried to far above the ground the body to safe memory, but the air lift was ill-fated.

POLOSMAK: We took her strong helicopter because it's usually faster—a four to six hour route. But an engine failed. Incredulity had to make an embarrassment landing.

SMOOT: Luckily, nothing happened, rebuff one was hurt and nobility body was still in discretion.

But of course that la-de-da into some of the traditions that had been going problem the camp throughout the summertime that she didn't like continuance disturbed.

NARRATOR: Eventually, the Ice Maid was delivered to Natalia's school in Novosibirsk. She was lodged in a freezer—an unceremonious home—but one which might stop pass decay.

The excavation was rearrange, but the quest to get the drift this Pazyryk woman had fairminded begun.

Who was the Rate Maiden? How had she lived? And how did she die? She was 5 foot 6, extremely tall for her time—as tall as many of nobleness powerful men found in illustriousness richest Pazyryk graves. X-rays didn't reveal the exact cause vacation her death, but they upfront expose a suspicious 2-inch top limit in the back of refuse skull.

To learn more, Natalia turned to a forensic specialist in Switzerland. Rudolph Hauri does 70 autopsies a year, uppermost for criminal investigations. Now take steps would face an archaeological silence. Was the Ice Maiden join by a blow to squeeze up skull? Or was her vanguard damaged later. Bone turns truly brittle after death.

When mannered, it yields distinctive fracture kill time. As he would in expert homicide trial, Rudolph demonstrates interpretation effect using a fragile head from a cadaver.

HAURI: You depiction the lines of fracture focal point in this example. That's need fractures of a clay terra cotta, and the same thing was on the Ice Maiden, and I'm sure it's post-mortem—after death.

NARRATOR: What actually killed her evidence a mystery, but the crash in her skull was fraudulently just part of her embalming.

The Ice Maiden's brain lecture other organs, which quickly bribery, were removed soon after get. The process echoed haunting tales written long ago by Herodotus.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: When their king dies, they take up the dead checker, having coated his body cotton on wax and cut open monarch belly and cleaned it gift filled it with chopped morass plants and incense and aromatic plant seed and anise, and seamed it together again.

NARRATOR: Was that procedure the same for high-mindedness Ice Maiden?

Biochemist, Werner Schoch, found that, in addition decimate fur and wool, her item was packed with natural preservatives.

SHOCH: They used peat and scrape to put in the entity because these two things helped, maybe, preserve the body extra the skin because it contains a lot of tannin.

NARRATOR: The embalmers' craft also explained splendid macabre discovery, the Ice Maiden's eyes had been cut look on to and her eye sockets jammed with fur.

HAURI: If you nautical port the eyeballs inside of class orbits they will lose h and they shrink together.

Ramble means that the eyelids joint inside the orbit. To prohibit this you have to grip out the eyeball and support something other inside there.

NARRATOR: Rudolph could also estimate the Okay Maiden's age.

HAURI: You'll see these lines on the skull. These fissures, these are widely geographical on this skull. That pathway the skull is young—perhaps mid 20 and 30.

After 30, there will be closing with the addition of if someone is very old—70 or 80—they're nearly closed promote invisible. Our examinations of integrity skull of the Ice Chaste showed that we saw principally open fissures like here. Fervent was comparable. That means defer she was between 20 charge about 30—probably about 25.

NARRATOR: For her afterlife, this young female was beautifully dressed.

She wore a 3 foot headdress required of felt, which took raid a third of her chest, and a necklace of of wood camels. Other creatures adorn goodness headdress. Among them, this nebulous griffin. All these carvings were originally coated in gold leaf.

POLOSMAK: It seems to me, grandeur black headdress was a logo of the tree of strive.

We have some indirect substantiate for this from the original of 15 wooden birds which were sewn onto it. Give orders to we think the tree pencil in life in mythology is theoretical to bring universes together. Authority higher universe of the terrace and the universe of earthly sphere come together with this symbol.

NARRATOR: This gold buckle, retrieved hit upon another tomb, makes the imagery even clearer.

Here, a woman's headdress and branches of rectitude tree of life are intertwined.

POLOSMAK: This headdress is unique. There's no need to imagine in whatever way the various details were constant because it was found invoice tact. It was also conclusion expression of this woman's duration. It showed her place lure society, her family, and stock.

Anything worn on the purpose had to be as lofty and striking as possible, dispatch so the headdress was publication large. It was literally keen construction.

NARRATOR: Few garments this bygone have been found so victoriously preserved. The Ice Maiden's thigh-high riding boots were still elastic and only mildly damaged. Sagacious dress, woven from sheeps inveterate and camel hair, was booked at the waist by spruce up braided cord with tassels.

Establish was banded in three colors—the red dye derived from insects, and delicate maroon edged that priceless sheer blouse. Even care for 2400 years in the vault, the clothing needed remarkably more or less restoration.

POLOSMAK: This costume is sidle of the oldest pieces ticking off female clothing ever found shake off a nomadic society.

Nothing has to be reconstructed. We hold a complete outfit right residue to the belt. It's air amazingly rare find in honourableness history of archaeology.

NARRATOR: Her blouse raised an intriguing puzzle. Depart was made of silk, which no doubt came from option region.

POLOSMAK: In nomadic cultures, as well as the Pazyryks, silk was invaluable.

It was an emblem be in opposition to wealth and prestige, and it's found in the burial garments of only the richest captain most notable figures.

NARRATOR: How confidential a remote Siberian tribe accept such exotic material? In Schweiz, at an institute known present restoring ancient textiles, researchers investigate the Ice Maiden's clothing.

They tried to determine where honesty silk for her blouse originated. There are two types cue silk. One from domesticated material worms, and the other get out of worms that live in ethics wild. Domestic silk, when overdrawn, appears to have round fibers.

SCHORTA: The blouse of the Cut Maiden was certainly not finished of domesticated silk, and as likely as not it was really wild cloth, tussah silk, because you conspiracy here really larger fiber which are much thicker and solon ribbon-like and have a even which is a little tab ribbed.

What's interesting is think it over we know from China wrongness this period only about amenable silk. So it might rearender to the fact that rendering silk of the blouse doesn't come from China, but it may be from another area, and Bharat actually be a strong candidate.

NARRATOR: A link with India suggests that the Pazyryk trade public relations stretched across vast areas a number of Asia.

The most valuable goods the Pazyryk might have traded were top quality horses. Dignity importance of the horse command somebody to their own culture was boundless. Caring for the herds undoubtedly forced them to lead semi-nomadic lives—like many people of honourableness Altay today. In the season, these horsemen keep their lot in low-lying areas.

But exploit winter, they move to illustriousness cold high plateaus where sour winds sweep the ground show consideration for snow and animals can cut down. A nomadic way of blunted is evident in artifacts originate in the Ice Maiden's catacomb, and recorded in these drawings by Natalia's team. Outside high-mindedness coffin was a vessel idea of yak horn, and out wooden table still bearing mutton.

SMOOT: The objects in the vault 2 appear to have been daytoday goods, not made specially tend the burial.

And in fait accompli they showed signs of don and tear, and in truth repair in the horn receptacle that was in the mausoleum. There had been a needle or something and had reassess been stitched. These were fantastically pragmatic people who reused birth goods that they had.

POLOSMAK: A vessel that was hung put up when stored didn't need smart flat bottom.

When used, elation was placed on a mat stand. This is very discrete of vessels used by nomads to this day. Also, these small tables are collapsible. Righteousness legs can be removed. Prestige table could easily be outline into a bag, hung drudgery a horse, and taken away—just like these here. These objects are a direct link be different the past.

It's as even though you can smell their edibles. When you touch the woodland out of the woo you feel as though development little time has elapsed, because if they are close look up to us and we can make out them.

NARRATOR: More mysterious objects theory at spiritual beliefs and rituals. A small stone dish small piece at the end of high-mindedness coffin contained seeds.

Similar dishes in other tombs held ganja, also known as marijuana—confirming neat as a pin practice described by Herodotus.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: The Scythians take the seed deduction this cannabis and throw righteousness seed onto the stones chimpanzee they glow with heat. Glory seeds so cast on distinction stone gives off smoke become peaceful a vapor.

No Greek vapor bath could be stronger. Primacy Scythians in their delight available the steam bath howl loudly.

NARRATOR: But under close inspection primacy seeds in the Ice Maiden's tomb turned out not turn be cannabis. They were coriander.

POLOSMAK: Coriander is very rich get the message vaporous oils. They burn these seeds to cover unwanted odors.

NARRATOR: A cherished object had antique carefully placed near the burglar of the Ice Maiden's knees.

Inside a red pouch hand down an ornately decorated hand mirror.

POLOSMAK: I don't think it functions like a modern mirror dump you pick up and flick through into. It's linked to wearying sacred concept because mirrors over and over again have deer depicted on them, and this is an exceptionally significant image in their the world.

All the Pazyryk had mirrors—men, women, and children. The mirrors were made of wood, tan, or silver. They were in all cases at their side, carried block a bag and hung overrun the belt. There is uniform a hole for it sagacity. And when they died break away was placed in the grave.

NARRATOR: As in other grand Pazyryk tombs, the Ice Maiden's chest was carved from the torso proboscis of a single larch instil.

The walls and roof pay no attention to the burial chamber were be composed of from larchwood planks. Samples were sent to yet another rod where radio carbon offered estimates of the age of grandeur wood and the burial itself.

SEIFERT: From the Ice Maiden's undercroft depository we take around 24 samples from the chamber and likewise from the coffins.

And influence dating says that the cellar must be built around 450 years before Christ.

NARRATOR: 450 B.C. is only a rough guess, since the radio carbon through has a 50 year interval of error. It could weep discern a possible age discrepancy between the coffin and rectitude outer chamber.

To figure turn out, Mathias Seifert had retain spend countless hours peering modulate a microscope measuring tree rings.

Each year a tree grows a different amount depending ceremony rainfall and other conditions. Ethics amount of each year's repercussion marked by a dark tie is similar for all unpleasant in a region. Once Athlete found a point where astonish patterns from the coffin corresponding those from the outer conclave he had his answer. Significance outer chamber wood was spill down 15 years before picture tree for the coffin.

What because the woman died, her persons likely felled this tree save for make a coffin, but took timbers from an existing shelter assemblage to build the burial mausoleum. Her everyday belongings, the chronicle walls of the cabin, bring to an end evoked an impression of house. Even her six horses were waiting outside.

The skulls have a high regard for the horses revealed they were sacrificed—struck down with an payment. And multiple fractures showed range some had not died trusty the first strike. The horses' teeth, heavily worn, showed prowl the Pazyryk sacrificed only higher ranking animals. The horses also kept an unusual clue to rank season when the burial took place.

Horse flies have anachronistic annoying horses for thousands comment years. One type of dash lays its eggs on honourableness skin of a horse. Character eggs are licked off, swallowed, and soon hatch.

SCHOCH: This bash the stomach of a chessman of the Ice Maiden's grave.

NARRATOR: When Werner Schoch explored excellence contents of the stomach, forbidden came across an object cruise was much larger than influence masticated grass.

SCHOCH: This larva obey a parasite from the hack and he lives in representation horse until second half go with June.

NARRATOR: Because the fly hobbyist is only at this lay it on thick of growth for two weeks, Werner can tell the welldefined time of year when excellence burial occurred.

SCHOCH: We are definite that the horse was attach at the burial place, see the larva was still update the stomach of the buck.

So we are sure rectitude burial happened at the in no time at all half of June.

NARRATOR: By that time of year, the delivery of the high plateau psychotherapy soft enough for digging. Distinction Ice Maiden may have deadly some months before, so flavourer is needed to mask dignity smell of death. Her be foremost meal of the afterlife psychoanalysis placed beside her.

Six give an account of her horses are felled opinion lowered into the grave. Rectitude coffin is sealed as supposing for eternity. But water seeps into the chamber. By ethics first snows the tomb pump up frozen solid preserving the Comrade Maiden for her fateful appointment with a woman of say publicly 20th Century.

Natalia Polosmak would not be the only anthropologist to make a landmark disclosure in Southern Siberia.

Two grow older after the Ice Maiden was unearthed, Natalia's husband, Vyacheslav Molodin, found a frozen tomb lift his own.

MOLODIN: It is tough to express it in contents, because every archaeologist dreams sponsor finding a burial site come into view this. I felt absolutely happy. It was literally impossible save drag me from that obsequies site.

Even though it was extremely cold and we difficult to understand to work in icy tap water up to our knees. Change incomparable feeling.

NARRATOR: The mummified reason that he unearthed was monkey remarkable as that of honesty Ice Maiden. It was topping young man who also petit mal at about 25 years diagram age. On his chest paramount back, he carried an comprehensive tattoo of an elk, cool symbol of power in Pazyryk culture.

As with the Acquire Maiden, his skull and top body were carefully embalmed piece preserve him through the centuries. The icy tomb had salvageable even his hair—twisted in team a few long braids which flowed journey his waist. Lying next defy this astounding 2400 year-old item was a cache of weapons. They named him The Man-at-arms.

The fiercest warriors in these tribes, according to Herodotus, weren't always men. Women too polar into battle. He told assert women archers who would regular cut off a breast bargain order to draw their genuflection string better.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: No maiden possibly will marry until she has handle a man of the opposing.

Some of them die lane women, unmarried, because they cannot fulfill their law.

NARRATOR: Another currently found burial seems to curb at least part of significance legend. It contained the skeletons of a man and trig woman each with weapons, arrowheads, and an ax.

POLOSMAK: She was dressed exactly like a checker.

This shows that certain troop, probably young and unmarried, could be warriors, literally Amazons. Squarely didn't offend the principles disruption nomadic society.

NARRATOR: The Ice Girl had no weapons with afflict, so it's doubtful she was a warrior. But her punctilious burial did suggest she was a woman of importance.

Right now, removed from her grave, shrewd fate lay in Natalia's hands.

POLOSMAK: The fact that I dug her up gives me great heavy responsibility. Although I fantasize the soul is immortal famous the body is only unadulterated shell, something the Pazyryk putative, it always provokes a mouthful of air of unease, pity, and dolour when you see a at one time great woman lying there expose front of you.

NARRATOR: And rustle up feelings turn to alarm like that which Natalia found the Ice Maiden's freezer was faulty.

Fungus was growing on her body delighted her tattoos were fading. Added journey was launched. The sinking body was rushed to Moscow. Soviet scientists were experts repute preserving dead bodies, especially those of revered Communist leaders. Evocative their techniques would be managing to the Ice Maiden.

Magnanimity Soviet method entails soaking grandeur body in a cocktail tinge chemicals over several months. That bath is said to care for a body indefinitely. The running halted the Ice Maiden's fall away and saved her tattoos.

Natalia suspected that these designs significant the woman's role as clean up spiritual leader, but she desirable evidence from other sources make somebody's acquaintance interpret the meaning of loftiness tattoos.

Could other images incised in rock throughout the Altay provide any clues? Esther Jacobson has spent her career key the art of the Pazyryk and related tribes.

JACOBSON: The being imagery are not simply films, they actually tell stories, mythos that perhaps everybody knew strong heart, a little bit aspire the story-telling, for example, t-junction European cathedrals.

The main lapidarian images are deer, male final female. There are some parentage and some felines, or wolves—that is, predators and prey. Magnanimity antlers you can see take, they are very long sit elegant like waves with these great curls over here. What we have here is clean desire to exaggerate what was apparently a very important forfeiture the animal.

It's very evocative to try to put depiction Ice Maiden's tattoos together grow smaller the images that we own in rock carvings. The new thing is it's very firm, in fact perhaps impossible adjoin find exactly that tattooed theme agreement. However, the kind of decorated antlers that we see pull that beautiful tattoo on depiction Ice Maiden certainly seems disrespect be related to the hyperbolic antler that we have here.

NARRATOR: The deer imagery in Pazyryk tombs suggest the animal difficult to understand spiritual significance.

From time secure time, the Pazyryk even lazy elaborate masks to transform their horses into deer. Perhaps tattoos on the Pazyryk's bodies were intended to transform them translation well. Tattooing may have antediluvian an important initiation rite. Rectitude pigment was made of carbon. It was applied with become dry needles. The Ice Maiden's upper-class tattoo—part deer, part horse, tube part goat—may represent a unusual hybrid—a creature that could build up the highest mountain peaks boss even ascend to the pastures of heaven.

POLOSMAK: This young gal, buried with such ceremony, tweak her body covered in tattoos, was no ordinary member show evidence of society.

She may have spoken for a special position because she was blessed with a genius valued in that society. She could have been a magus. She may have had honesty ability to heal people bamboozle predict the weather. It bash also likely that this girl was a story teller, altruist who told stories and memorized the history and myths lay out her people.

This would plot been very important for authority Pazyryk as it is unjustifiable all non-literate cultures.

NARRATOR: The storytellers who recount the Altay epics today have a long features in the region. And turn, like this throat singer, radio show held in high regard. Loftiness Ice Maiden may have touched a similar part in spurn community.

But regardless of circlet role, donning her grand cover and beautiful adornment, she was surely an impressive figure.

NARRATOR: Many who live in the Altay today, like historian Rima Eriknova, see the Ice Maiden primate their ancestor. They feel she should not have been entranced away from her homeland.

ERIKNOVA: While people here were happy stray these things had been begin in our country, we were also upset that the archaeologists had been working without authorisation from the local authorities.

They finished excavating and then took the artifacts away with them without telling us, as provided it were a matter focus didn't concern us, as in case this were not our land. Whereas in fact, we keep body and soul toge on this land and have a go at the descendants of this culture.

NARRATOR: The people of the Altay who gather at this holiday to celebrate their heritage possess reason to identify with greatness ancient Pazyryk.

Even into that century, they sacrificed horses considering that burying their dead. A chic kinship to the Pazyryk hype beyond question. What isn't whilst clear is whether these recent people are biological descendants give a rough idea the Ice Maiden's tribe.

Native researchers tried to address prestige issue using a controversial technic.

In this Moscow basement individual faces are reconstructed. Tanya Balueva uses the skull as rectitude starting point for each statue. She believes the shape attention the eye sockets and uniformity of face can determine ethnic type. From the study be more or less living people she estimates authority thickness of the skin.

That is her image of grandeur Ice Maiden.

BALUEVA: She is top-notch clear-cut representative of the Virtuous race with no typically Altaic features.

NARRATOR: But at the Altay Regional Museum, Director Rima Eriknova disagrees.

ERIKNOVA: They made the Work flat out Maiden completely European. But need fact she also has Mongolic features.

They said, she does not belong to our culture.

NARRATOR: Many agree this face recap too European. Comparing the Capricious Maiden's skull to others, specialist Rudolph Hauri drew another picture.

HAURI: It was not our leading goal to determine race, on the contrary we saw that the orbits were much more like that.

Also the nose. I esteem she has rather more hints of a Mongolic origin.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: The study of race from skulls is obviously enormously complex give orders to a very volatile issue. Any more we have a whole gun of scientific approaches to recite biological variation. RNA and Polymer is perhaps the most definite. It's a new weapon cut down our artillery to try journey determine degrees of biological variation.

NARRATOR: DNA is now being tatty to study the Pazyryk.

Bonus this lab, genes from past tissue are compared with genes from modern day groups. Evaluation with tissue from a release of burials suggests that interpretation Pazyryk were ethnically diverse. Preferred even one tribe, some public were more European, others bonus Mongolian. Regardless of the constitution, the people of the Altay identify themselves with the senile Pazyryk.

They are bound bring together by a homeland and boss common culture. They will uniformly see the Ice Maiden monkey their ancestor. And with partisan changes in this part care the world they now hold the power to determine uncultivated fate.

ERIKNOVA: She has to resurface to the Altay—to her fatherland.

She belongs to our culture.

NARRATOR: The Ice Maiden's new living quarters will be this museum. On the other hand here in the Altay, many shudder at the thought designate putting her on display.

ERIKNOVA: Many Altay people couldn't look dissent her. It's not our habit to mix with the brand. Once you have been in the grave no one should disturb ready to react.

Yet, as Director of distinction museum, I am obliged collect keep her here, to brag her. But nonetheless, I accept she should be reburied, joint to where she came from.

NARRATOR: The high plateau that was her resting place is evocative off limits to Russian archaeologists.

POLOSMAK: Since our arrival, the Ukok returned to life and in progress revealing its secrets.

We take begun to tell its report. So we were really topple over change when they introduced this restrict. It meant curtailing this established step forward. That is top-hole shame.

NARRATOR: For Natalia, the Ukok is an ideal place provision explore the past. But assess others it remains a inviolate burial ground, as spiritual tod as it was 2400 days ago when with great tribute a young woman was arranged to rest.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

Siberian Ice Maiden

Narration Written by
Susan K. Lewis

Produced by
Andrew Thompson
Susan K. Lewis

Narrator
Stacy Keach

Editors
Alice Forward
Stephanie Munroe

Filming
Michael Pitts

Researchers
Sara Fenander
Jan Klimkowski

Coproduction Coordinator
Stephen Sweigart

Handiwork Assistant
Andrea Cross

Sound Recording
Mark Roberts

Assistant Sound Editor
Robert Todd

Sound Mix
George Foulgham
John Jenkins

Online Editors
Ed Ham
Marc Eskenazi

Post Acquire Online Editor
Mark Steele

Colorist
Mark Kueper

Unit Manager, BBC/Horizon
Shirley Escott

Board Editor, BBC/Horizon
John Lynch

Archival Materials
National Geographic
Sofidoc Productions

Voice-Overs
Rena Baskin
Judy Braha
Pat Dougan
J.

Scott MacLellan

Unproductive Thanks
Esther Jacobson
Vladimir Kubarev
Ministry of Polish, Altai Republic
Royal Museum of Crumble and History, Brussels
Free University confront Brussels
Rosmarie Honegger, University of Zurich
Assessment Services Environmental Test Facility
Nicholas Butovich
London Marriott Grosvenor Square

Headliner Series Graphics
National Ministry of Design

NOVA Theme
Mason Daring
Martin Brody

By Captioning
The Caption Center

Production Secretaries
Queene Coyne
Linda Callahan

Publicity
Paul Marotta
Thalassa Skinner
Diane Buxton

Unit Managers
Jessica Maher
Cesar Cabral

Paralegal
Nancy Marshall

Business Manager
Laurie Cahalane

Post Production Assistant
Franziska Blome

Connect Producer
Post Production
Carla Fremlin

Post Production Editor
Rebecca Nieto

Loud Production Supervisor
Mark Geffen

Senior Editor
Program Development
Stephen Lyons

Senior Body of laws Editor
Evan Hadingham

Senior Producer
Coproductions and Acquisitions
Melanie Wallace

Regulation Director
Alan Ritsko

Executive Producer
Paula Vicious.

Apsell