Scythian Culture - Preservation of The Frozen Tombs of The Altai Mountains (UNESCO)

CHAPTER II • UNESCO PROJECT PRESERVATION OF FROZEN TOMBS OF THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS
excavation of a series of large and small burial
mounds, which took place between 1945 and 1949
in Pazyryk and Tuekta. The discovery of frozen
materials in the Pazyryk tombs provided a good
understanding of how the ice had formed within
the tombs, and these early tombs yielded not only
organic material such as carpets and wooden
objects, but also perfectly preserved embalmed
human bodies. Research on the contents of the
frozen funerary chambers considerably broadened
knowledge of nomadic culture of the Altai,
which these mid-century scholars dubbed
“Pazyryk Culture” (Fig. 5 and 6).
However, it was only in the 1990s that multidisciplinary
research using modern techniques
began. Between 1990 and 1995, the Institute of
Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian
Branch of the Russian Academy of Science in
Novosibirisk carried out excavations of kurgans on
the Ukok Plateau in the Altai Mountains, including
excavations at kurgan of Ak-Alakha 3 (N.
Polosmak) and one of the kurgans in the Verkh-
Kaldzhin necropolis (V. Molodin). The former kurgan,
excavated in 1993, was the first barrow found
that contained solely a woman, a beautifully tattooed
corpse later known as the “Ice Maiden”. She
was wearing some of the oldest items of female
attire ever discovered from a nomadic society. In
particular, her blouse, made of imported wild silk,
provided evidence of long-distance trade of
Pazyryk people of the Altai with India.
The French CNRS, led by H.-P. Francfort,
and the Margulan Institute of Kazakhstan, led by
Z. Samashev, in collaboration with the Italian
Ligabue Research Centre, then excavated a rich
frozen burial ground known as Berel’ 11 (4 th -3 rd
centuries bce) between 1998 and 2000. This excavation
yielded two partially decomposed mummified
bodies, along with 13 fully-harnessed horses
that had apparently been sacrificed, thus providing
much material for anthropological and paleopathological
research as well as for research on
DNA. Examination of the organic matter found in
the horses’ stomachs, for example, revealed much
about the history of the flora of the region, and
even indicated in which season the tombs had
been constructed.
The most recent research carried out on the
Altai frozen tombs took place between 2004
and 2006 and was jointly conducted by the
German Archaeological Institute (DAI), led by
H. Parzinger, the Institute of Archaeology and
Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the
Russian Academy of Science, led by V. Molodin,
and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian
Academy of Science, led by D. Zeveendorzh. This
research took place in Bayan Olgy in the southern
part of the Altai Mountains to the northwest of
Mongolia. Kurgan Olon Kurin Gol 10 discovered
during these excavations was of particular scientific
interest, since it contained an intact burial
chamber containing a mummified blond warrior
who was fully dressed and equipped with a
complete set of weapons (Fig. 7).
Through dendro-chronological study of the
wood used for the burial chamber, the findings
were identified as belonging to the Pazyryk
Culture (early 3 rd century bce). The research thus
provided valuable information regarding the
extent of this ancient culture, which up until then
had only been known in the northern part of the
Altai. It also considerably enlarged knowledge of
Fig. 4 Carpet (Detail).
Felt; applique.
640 x 450 cm.
Pazyryk Culture.
5 th -4 th century bce.
1687/94.
© The State Hermitage
Museum, St. Petersburg.
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