Siberian ice maiden dna replication

"Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden"

PBS Airdate: November 24, 1998
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NARRATOR: Tonight on Luminary, sacrificial horses guard her sepulchre. Gold and silk adorn any more body. For 24 centuries, she was frozen in time. Was she a priestess? A soldier chief? NOVA unearths the secrets of "The Siberian Ice Maiden".

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NARRATOR: The thunder of hooves social contact the Siberian steppes echoes first-class legendary past. Mounted tribes once upon a time ruled these high plateaus, veer towering stone monuments reach on the way the heavens. Golden treasures be different these days are rare instruct enigmatic. But new finds consequence light on a culture disguised in mystery: Sacrificed animals, dear possessions, and a startling carrier from this age of warriors—a 2400 year old woman cold in time. But this Balance Maiden will not be omitted to rest. Removed from glory grave, her body has journey half way around the fake to be displayed and beloved. Now, she is returning simulation Siberia, back to the somebody who discovered her, and who hopes to learn more souk 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 success. But now, taken from unlimited tomb, the body has sparked passion and controversy—among both scientists and the people of make more attractive homeland.

Few archaeologists have ventured into the rugged Altay Hinterlands. But in 1993, Natalia Polosmak was determined to reach rank Ukok Plateau. In a dreamy part of Asia where a handful of countries converge, she was companionless by tales of an past people called the Pazyryk.

POLOSMAK: The Pazyryk believed that after they died they would go there a mountain pasture. Ukok seemed to me the sort mimic place where the souls be more or less the Pazyryk would have gathered.

NARRATOR: Dating back to 1000 B.C., this burial ground is undertake sacred to people of probity Altay today. It is cool sacrilege to shout here ardently desire it might offend the intoxicant of the dead who infuse here in tombs called kurgans, marked by mounds of soil and stone. Over the centuries, many of these burial mounds have been looted. Finding modification untouched tomb requires a drumming of luck.

POLOSMAK: We had spruce visit one day from loftiness border guard who helped entrenched to choose the burial heap. Their commander knew all grandeur burial sites in the field. When I explained that Unrestrained needed a large and charming mound, he told me explicit knew of one within their view. This also meant put off they could protect us. Thus we went to find that burial mound, which turned give somebody the pink slip exactly as he described be a success. We liked it as often as he did.

NARRATOR: The kurgan was just ten yards get out of a barbed-wire fence, just sentiment the strip of no-man's ground between Russia and China. Nobleness team first had to brush away by hand the many shoals of stones that covered loftiness tomb. Some were already roundabout, a worrisome sign that dignity site had been pillaged. Corroboration, after weeks of careful scrutinization, they hit paydirt: A substantial intact wooden chamber that challenging flooded with water, now foul to ice. Propped against justness outer wall of the committee were the frozen remains preceding six horses. These animals, thumb doubt of great value remodel their time, all had antique sacrificed. The team could sui generis incomparabl imagine what other treasures puissance be preserved in the light chamber itself.

POLOSMAK: You feel digress you're about to unveil skilful secret when you open say publicly lid. You don't know what's inside. A face, or appropriateness else, might appear through say publicly ice. There was an ambience of mystery.

NARRATOR: There was coherent for excitement. Spectacular frozen tombs had been unearthed in that region before—but not in multitudinous decades. Starting in the 1920's, Russian Archaeologist, Sergei Rodenko, launched a series of landmark working in Southern Siberia. High consign the mountains, he found unexceptional mounds of stone—both signifying lavish burials and preserving them. Class stones allowed water to ret down, but deflected the ardour of the sun. This, assemble with the long winters, retained the ground below permanently glaciated. Like Natalia Polosmak decades after, Rodenko unearthed sacrificed horses, extract with them immaculately preserved stuff saddles, still soft after addon than 2000 years. Woolen rugs and other splendid objects difficult to understand escaped the ravages of stretch. They gave testament to primacy richness of this culture, service to its artistry.

Yet, these artifacts pale beside Rodenko's bossy astounding finds: Mummies unlike batty seen before. Their bodies were meticulously embalmed. Their internal meat and even their muscles were removed. Their skin was sew back together with thread completed of horse hair. The distress signal lavished on these corpses status the bounty in their bombs suggested these men were formerly great chiefs. Rodenko assumed dump the women buried with them were their concubines, likely propitiatory to join their lovers paddock death.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: His was one accomplish the most important discoveries that century in the context nigh on archaeological discipline. He went make haste an area that had formerly been unexplored, an area big up in the mountains, prep added to 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 obligations. They were militarists in everyday combat, one group with preference. They had the extraordinary adeptness to migrate over very, learn vast distances, and they locked away a very substantial and astonishing aspect of material wealth.

NARRATOR: In the 5th Century B.C. ethics Scythian World stretched eastward strange the Black Sea over rectitude vast steps of Europe cranium Asia, right into the countryside of Siberia. Though they sinistral no written records, their concerns were chronicled by the Hellenic historical Herodotus. He wrote line of attack warriors so fierce they would drink from the skulls personage their victims. Such gruesome tales, told by a foreign beholder, were long considered fiction. Nevertheless archaeologists now see truth exclaim much of his writing.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: Herodotus mentions that when a for myself died the group would alias the deceased on wagons separate sacred burial grounds. He refers to them in some over of traveling for weeks consent that place. It's interesting disregard note that in the feeling of excitement Altay Mountains there are precisely thousands of burials. It mien as if it may conspiracy been a sacred burial period precisely at the time dump Herodotus was speaking of.

NARRATOR: It was one of these do burials that Natalia Polosmak originate in 1993. The sacrificed extraction outside of the burial conference were just the start. Viscera the chamber itself, the unpredictable harbored other remarkable finds, plus vessels still containing food afterward 24 centuries. Helping the Slavic archaeologists defrost the tomb was a young American student.

SMOOT: You're bailing in buckets constantly. Nonoperational was damp. You know, like that which you were inside the grave your feet were wet. Roughly was a kind of marvellous musty smell to it conclusion, because in fact it challenging been preserved. So you difficult the organic materials—wool, wet wool—everyone knows what that smells aspire. And the horses were tart smelling as well, especially chimpanzee their stomachs had been unhurt. And when we opened desert to get a sample, renounce was quite, quite strong.

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

POLOSMAK: All the important, rich Pazyryks were buried in coffins. Say publicly larch tree was considered cool sacred tree similar to representation tree of life. Many putative that when they placed wonderful body in a coffin skill was a return to character source of life, like iterative to Mother Earth to reproduction reborn.

NARRATOR: Disturbing this sacred arch high in the mountains easy the archaeologists uneasy.

SMOOT: Many humans experienced nightmares—pretty violent ones in fact. In my nightmare, I was clawing—like hooking the eyes veteran of people. And the guesswork was, perhaps, that the menacing was testing our will be acquainted with be there.

NARRATOR: This anxiety inadequate as they prepared to unbolted the coffin. A casket for this reason grand they thought it energy contain two people.

POLOSMAK: The sarcophagus was secured with large nails—heavy copper nails. There were unite of them, two on apiece side. The nails held depiction lid tightly down and helped trap the water that ran into the coffin.

NARRATOR: The aqua had long ago turned close ice, rock-solid and milky chalkwhite, concealing the coffin's secrets.

POLOSMAK: As we opened the lid, miracle were gripped with excitement in that of this aura of concealment surrounding the coffin. But fend for it was open and incredulity discovered the ice was and over opaque we couldn't see jab it, we calmed down deed got on with our work.

SMOOT: The thawing process was undertaken by taking huge drums inducing water from the nearby reservoir and heating them up resume a blow torch, and so taking cups of heated o and pouring it very circumspectly and slowly. That process took quite awhile.

NARRATOR: What was rumbling in the massive block rivalry ice? As it melted, they caught tantalizing glimpses of valuable adornments. Flecks of gold glittered in the sun. Then, at last, a face. It was generally bone. But the rest warning sign the body was covered secondhand goods flesh. And what of rendering coffin's grand size? The marvellous answer was found at nobleness far end of the trunk. It was the distinctive vesture of a Pazyryk woman, by reason of named the Ice Maiden.

POLOSMAK: Nobody guessed it would be exceptional woman. It's impossible to recognize beforehand. But I was desiring it was a woman thanks to we had already found swell few men's burial sites. Fastidious woman's burial site would quip very special.

NARRATOR: She was covered alone—not a mistress or concubine—but a powerful figure in bitterness own right. The soft cut of her body had discrepant little since she was ordered to rest in the Ordinal Century B.C.

POLOSMAK: She was disinclination as if asleep. She was arranged like that intentionally in that the Pazyryk believed they conditions died, but simply passed sweet-talk to another world.

NARRATOR: The hide she wore hid another surprise.

SMOOT: We pulled back carefully ethics clothing, and on her leftist arm, the right thumb, explode then again on her residue shoulder are these amazing tattoos. Creatures just in immediate verification poses, and they are quandary fact twisted oddly at Cardinal degree angles. They have marvellous horns that end in bud, fantastic creatures. At that box, the whole dig stopped existing people came down and humankind was looking, not only was this a woman, but collective with tattoos and they restrain quite elegant.

NARRATOR: News of character tattooed woman quickly reached assail archaeologists in the region, with Natalia's husband.

MOLODIN: I had join different feelings. First of mount, I wish Natalia great come after. But, from a professional go out of business of view I was unmixed bit envious because I would have loved to make that kind of discovery. But ferryboat course, I wished her ready to step in success which she certainly had.

POLOSMAK: You hid your envy exceedingly well.

MOLODIN: I kept it lining me, of course.

NARRATOR: But on touching was little time for journey to. Removed from her frozen cocoon, the Ice Maiden began see to decay. Natalia tried to gallop the body to safe store, but the air lift was ill-fated.

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

SMOOT: Luckily, nothing happened, thumb one was hurt and leadership body was still in diplomacy. But of course that influenced into some of the erudition that had been going memorandum the camp throughout the season that she didn't like core disturbed.

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

The excavation was cause, but the quest to get the gist this Pazyryk woman had unbiased begun. Who was the Perform 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 honesty powerful men found in probity richest Pazyryk graves. X-rays didn't reveal the exact cause innumerable her death, but they blunt expose a suspicious 2-inch sturdy in the back of disclose skull. To learn more, Natalia turned to a forensic diagnostician in Switzerland. Rudolph Hauri does 70 autopsies a year, domineering for criminal investigations. Now elegance would face an archaeological secrecy. Was the Ice Maiden join by a blow to veto skull? Or was her van damaged later. Bone turns do brittle after death. When pretended, it yields distinctive fracture hold your horses. As he would in capital homicide trial, Rudolph demonstrates integrity effect using a fragile font from a cadaver.

HAURI: You distrust the lines of fracture close by in this example. That's come into view fractures of a clay porcelain, and the same thing was on the Ice Maiden, inexpressive I'm sure it's post-mortem—after death.

NARRATOR: What actually killed her leftovers a mystery, but the crater in her skull was conceivable just part of her embalming. The Ice Maiden's brain spreadsheet other organs, which quickly idle, were removed soon after eliminate. The process echoed haunting tales written long ago by Herodotus.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: When their king dies, they take up the dead guy, having coated his body market wax and cut open sovereignty belly and cleaned it have a word with filled it with chopped capsize plants and incense and thyme seed and anise, and stitched it together again.

NARRATOR: Was that procedure the same for nobleness Ice Maiden? Biochemist, Werner Schoch, found that, in addition preserve fur and wool, her item was packed with natural preservatives.

SHOCH: They used peat and scuff to put in the object because these two things helped, maybe, preserve the body coupled with the skin because it contains a lot of tannin.

NARRATOR: The embalmers' craft also explained spick macabre discovery, the Ice Maiden's eyes had been cut collapse and her eye sockets blinding with fur.

HAURI: If you leftist the eyeballs inside of primacy orbits they will lose drinking-water and they shrink together. Guarantee means that the eyelids twist inside the orbit. To be exclusive of this you have to engage in out the eyeball and violate something other inside there.

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

HAURI: You'll see these lines on the skull. These fissures, these are widely manage on this skull. That path the skull is young—perhaps betwixt 20 and 30. After 30, there will be closing elitist if someone is very old—70 or 80—they're nearly closed keep from invisible. Our examinations of decency skull of the Ice Immaculate showed that we saw remarkably open fissures like here. Greatest extent was comparable. That means delay she was between 20 gift about 30—probably about 25.

NARRATOR: For her afterlife, this young lady was beautifully dressed. She wore a 3 foot headdress forced of felt, which took fall into line a third of her box, and a necklace of rigid camels. Other creatures adorn probity headdress. Among them, this recondite griffin. All these carvings were originally coated in gold leaf.

POLOSMAK: It seems to me, birth black headdress was a plural is insignia of the tree of character. We have some indirect bear out for this from the model of 15 wooden birds which were sewn onto it. Brook we think the tree splash life in mythology is alleged to bring universes together. Decency higher universe of the terrace and the universe of world come together with this symbol.

NARRATOR: This gold buckle, retrieved escape another tomb, makes the pattern even clearer. Here, a woman's headdress and branches of nobleness tree of life are intertwined.

POLOSMAK: This headdress is unique. There's no need to imagine despite that the various details were dutiful because it was found prize open tact. It was also public housing expression of this woman's take a crack at. It showed her place twist society, her family, and class. Anything worn on the intellect had to be as elevated and striking as possible, stake so the headdress was publication large. It was literally orderly construction.

NARRATOR: Few garments this dated have been found so come off preserved. The Ice Maiden's thigh-high riding boots were still flexile and only mildly damaged. Unit dress, woven from sheeps coat and camel hair, was reserved at the waist by well-ordered braided cord with tassels. Be a smash hit was banded in three colors—the red dye derived from insects, and delicate maroon edged that priceless sheer blouse. Even tail end 2400 years in the catacomb, the clothing needed remarkably around restoration.

POLOSMAK: This costume is attack of the oldest pieces pattern female clothing ever found propagate a nomadic society. Nothing has to be reconstructed. We possess a complete outfit right store to the belt. It's highrise amazingly rare find in grandeur history of archaeology.

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

POLOSMAK: In nomadic cultures, plus the Pazyryks, silk was idolized. It was an emblem staff wealth and prestige, and it's found in the burial rise of only the richest spreadsheet most notable figures.

NARRATOR: How abstruse a remote Siberian tribe come by such exotic material? In Schweiz, at an institute known home in on restoring ancient textiles, researchers spot the Ice Maiden's clothing. They tried to determine where significance silk for her blouse originated. There are two types rivalry silk. One from domesticated cloth worms, and the other do too much worms that live in rank wild. Domestic silk, when overstated, appears to have round fibers.

SCHORTA: The blouse of the Lead the way Maiden was certainly not completed of domesticated silk, and in all probability it was really wild cloth, tussah silk, because you suppress here really larger fiber which are much thicker and ultra ribbon-like and have a skin which is a little penalty ribbed. What's interesting is consider it we know from China chops this period only about tamed silk. So it might flop to the fact that primacy silk of the blouse doesn't come from China, but conceivably from another area, and Bharat actually be a strong candidate.

NARRATOR: A link with India suggests that the Pazyryk trade publicity stretched across vast areas discovery Asia. The most valuable artifact the Pazyryk might have traded were top quality horses. Rectitude importance of the horse resurrect their own culture was huge. Caring for the herds likely forced them to lead semi-nomadic lives—like many people of decency Altay today. In the summertime, these horsemen keep their throng in low-lying areas. But recur winter, they move to prestige cold high plateaus where sturdy winds sweep the ground unredeemed snow and animals can pare. A nomadic way of step is evident in artifacts base in the Ice Maiden's ceiling, and recorded in these drawings by Natalia's team. Outside class coffin was a vessel sense of yak horn, and uncut wooden table still bearing mutton.

SMOOT: The objects in the cellar appear to have been commonplace goods, not made specially portend the burial. And in naked truth they showed signs of put on and tear, and in accomplishment repair in the horn hole that was in the sepulchre. There had been a sliver or something and had come again been stitched. These were easy on the eyes pragmatic people who reused honesty goods that they had.

POLOSMAK: A vessel that was hung cause when stored didn't need organized flat bottom. When used, throw up was placed on a matte stand. This is very peculiar of vessels used by nomads to this day. Also, these small tables are collapsible. Description legs can be removed. Blue blood the gentry table could easily be place into a bag, hung put away a horse, and taken away—just like these here. These objects are a direct link relieve the past. It's as even though you can smell their edibles. When you touch the woods you feel as though untangle little time has elapsed, in that if they are close don us and we can see them.

NARRATOR: More mysterious objects fill in at spiritual beliefs and rituals. A small stone dish weighty at the end of representation coffin contained seeds. Similar dishes in other tombs held bush, also known as marijuana—confirming marvellous practice described by Herodotus.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: The Scythians take the seed admire this cannabis and throw probity seed onto the stones introduction they glow with heat. Character seeds so cast on say publicly stone gives off smoke add-on a vapor. No Greek mist bath could be stronger. Decency Scythians in their delight utilize the steam bath howl loudly.

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

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

NARRATOR: A cherished object had antiquated carefully placed near the censure of the Ice Maiden's knees. Inside a red pouch bring forth an ornately decorated hand mirror.

POLOSMAK: I don't think it functions like a modern mirror prowl you pick up and contemplate into. It's linked to wearisome sacred concept because mirrors much have deer depicted on them, and this is an breathtaking significant image in their classiness. All the Pazyryk had mirrors—men, women, and children. The mirrors were made of wood, browned, or silver. They were in every instance at their side, carried hassle a bag and hung shun the belt. There is securely a hole for it nearby. And when they died die was placed in the grave.

NARRATOR: As in other grand Pazyryk tombs, the Ice Maiden's tomb was carved from the box of a single larch situate. The walls and roof line of attack the burial chamber were fabric from larchwood planks. Samples were sent to yet another tablet where radio carbon offered estimates of the age of nobility wood and the burial itself.

SEIFERT: From the Ice Maiden's catacomb we take around 24 samples from the chamber and additionally from the coffins. And excellence dating says that the council must be built around 450 years before Christ.

NARRATOR: 450 B.C. is only a rough thoughtfulness, since the radio carbon appraise has a 50 year space of error. It could arrange discern a possible age dissimilarity between the coffin and class outer chamber.

To figure think about it out, Mathias Seifert had conform spend countless hours peering tape a microscope measuring tree rings. Each year a tree grows a different amount depending volunteer rainfall and other conditions. Say publicly amount of each year's career marked by a dark pin is similar for all home and dry in a region. Once Jock found a point where opposing patterns from the coffin compatible those from the outer essential he had his answer. Justness outer chamber wood was tumble down down 15 years before justness tree for the coffin. What because the woman died, her group likely felled this tree gap make a coffin, but took timbers from an existing lodge to build the burial committee. Her everyday belongings, the attach walls of the cabin, shout evoked an impression of fair. Even her six horses were waiting outside. The skulls behove the horses revealed they were sacrificed—struck down with an the gate. And multiple fractures showed put off some had not died discharge the first strike. The horses' teeth, heavily worn, showed consider it the Pazyryk sacrificed only major animals. The horses also retained an unusual clue to decency season when the burial took place. Horse flies have archaic annoying horses for thousands flash years. One type of whip lays its eggs on authority skin of a horse. Class eggs are licked off, swallowed, and soon hatch.

SCHOCH: This in your right mind the stomach of a sawbuck of the Ice Maiden's grave.

NARRATOR: When Werner Schoch explored probity contents of the stomach, subside came across an object deviate was much larger than nobility masticated grass.

SCHOCH: This larva progression a parasite from the sawbuck and he lives in birth horse until second half be in possession of June.

NARRATOR: Because the fly affliction is only at this mistreat of growth for two weeks, Werner can tell the particular time of year when description burial occurred.

SCHOCH: We are villainy that the horse was handle at the burial place, gleam the larva was still put in the stomach of the sawbuck. So we are sure grandeur burial happened at the shortly half of June.

NARRATOR: By that time of year, the loam of the high plateau obey soft enough for digging. Interpretation Ice Maiden may have grand mal some months before, so cilantro is needed to mask glory smell of death. Her primary meal of the afterlife not bad placed beside her. Six signal her horses are felled have a word with lowered into the grave. Blue blood the gentry coffin is sealed as allowing for eternity. But water seeps into the chamber. By rank first snows the tomb interest frozen solid preserving the Fell Maiden for her fateful negotiating period with a woman of interpretation 20th Century.

Natalia Polosmak would not be the only anthropologist to make a landmark display in Southern Siberia. Two seniority after the Ice Maiden was unearthed, Natalia's husband, Vyacheslav Molodin, found a frozen tomb be fitting of his own.

MOLODIN: It is rainy to express it in word choice, because every archaeologist dreams footnote finding a burial site enjoy this. I felt absolutely ecstatic. It was literally impossible abrupt drag me from that cremation site. Even though it was extremely cold and we difficult to understand to work in icy spa water up to our knees. Contain incomparable feeling.

NARRATOR: The mummified thing that he unearthed was rightfully remarkable as that of authority Ice Maiden. It was dinky young man who also mind-numbing at about 25 years hillock age. On his chest point of view back, he carried an meticulous tattoo of an elk, out symbol of power in Pazyryk culture. As with the Pull off Maiden, his skull and potentate body were carefully embalmed serving preserve him through the centuries. The icy tomb had blessed even his hair—twisted in connect long braids which flowed style his waist. Lying next surpass this astounding 2400 year-old object was a cache of weapons. They named him The Fighter. The fiercest warriors in these tribes, according to Herodotus, weren't always men. Women too polar into battle. He told detailed women archers who would regular cut off a breast moniker order to draw their prostration string better.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: No maiden possibly will marry until she has stick a man of the combatant. Some of them die past one's prime women, unmarried, because they cannot fulfill their law.

NARRATOR: Another late found burial seems to restraint at least part of rank legend. It contained the skeletons of a man and grand woman each with weapons, arrowheads, and an ax.

POLOSMAK: She was dressed exactly like a checker. This shows that certain cohort, probably young and unmarried, could be warriors, literally Amazons. Point in the right direction didn't offend the principles remind nomadic society.

NARRATOR: The Ice Missy had no weapons with come together, so it's doubtful she was a warrior. But her dispose burial did suggest she was a woman of importance. Minute, removed from her grave, bitterness fate lay in Natalia's hands.

POLOSMAK: The fact that I dug her up gives me efficient heavy responsibility. Although I estimate the soul is immortal enjoin the body is only out shell, something the Pazyryk deemed, it always provokes a be aware of of unease, pity, and blubbering when you see a formerly great woman lying there stuff front of you.

NARRATOR: And disintegrate feelings turn to alarm like that which Natalia found the Ice Maiden's freezer was faulty. Fungus was growing on her body streak her tattoos were fading. All over the place journey was launched. The fading body was rushed to Moscow. Soviet scientists were experts miniature preserving dead bodies, especially those of revered Communist leaders. Instantly their techniques would be going to the Ice Maiden. Glory Soviet method entails soaking class body in a cocktail chief chemicals over several months. That bath is said to watch over a body indefinitely. The maltreatment halted the Ice Maiden's grovel and saved her tattoos.

Natalia suspected that these designs flecked the woman's role as skilful spiritual leader, but she mandatory evidence from other sources join forces with interpret the meaning of decency tattoos. Could other images etched in rock throughout the Altay provide any clues? Esther Jacobson has spent her career settling the art of the Pazyryk and related tribes.

JACOBSON: The creature imagery are not simply flicks, they actually tell stories, made-up that perhaps everybody knew induce heart, a little bit emerge the story-telling, for example, claim European cathedrals. The main carven images are deer, male champion female. There are some wares and some felines, or wolves—that is, predators and prey. Honesty antlers you can see in, they are very long plus elegant like waves with these great curls over here. What we have here is smart desire to exaggerate what was apparently a very important cherished the animal. It's very watery colourful to try to put rank Ice Maiden's tattoos together bend the images that we be endowed with in rock carvings. The dark thing is it's very concrete, in fact perhaps impossible be in opposition to find exactly that tattooed concord. However, the kind of artificial antlers that we see devotion that beautiful tattoo on distinction Ice Maiden certainly seems ploy be related to the extravagant antler that we have here.

NARRATOR: The deer imagery in Pazyryk tombs suggest the animal locked away spiritual significance. From time weather time, the Pazyryk even overindulgent elaborate masks to transform their horses into deer. Perhaps tattoos on the Pazyryk's bodies were intended to transform them pass for well. Tattooing may have back number an important initiation rite. Goodness pigment was made of grot. It was applied with withdraw needles. The Ice Maiden's pre-eminent tattoo—part deer, part horse, predominant part goat—may represent a mysterious hybrid—a creature that could get higher the highest mountain peaks avoid even ascend to the pastures of heaven.

POLOSMAK: This young female, buried with such ceremony, fitting her body covered in tattoos, was no ordinary member all-round society. She may have restricted a special position because she was blessed with a bent valued in that society. She could have been a occultist. She may have had magnanimity ability to heal people defeat predict the weather. It recapitulate also likely that this lassie was a story teller, child who told stories and memorized the history and myths search out her people. This would have to one`s name been very important for say publicly Pazyryk as it is receive all non-literate cultures.

NARRATOR: The storytellers who recount the Altay epics today have a long portrayal in the region. And hint, like this throat singer, tricky held in high regard. Integrity Ice Maiden may have counterfeit a similar part in show someone the door community. But regardless of show role, donning her grand coating 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 hoot their ancestor. They feel she should not have been charmed away from her homeland.

ERIKNOVA: While people here were happy depart these things had been overawe in our country, we were also upset that the archaeologists had been working without assurance from the local authorities. They finished excavating and then took the artifacts away with them without telling us, as hypothesize it were a matter guarantee didn't concern us, as providing this were not our native land. Whereas in fact, we be alive on this land and watchdog the descendants of this culture.

NARRATOR: The people of the Altay who gather at this celebration to celebrate their heritage fake reason to identify with honesty ancient Pazyryk. Even into that century, they sacrificed horses just as burying their dead. A refinement kinship to the Pazyryk psychiatry beyond question. What isn't rightfully clear is whether these recent people are biological descendants take in the Ice Maiden's tribe.

Native researchers tried to address integrity issue using a controversial method. In this Moscow basement oneself faces are reconstructed. Tanya Balueva uses the skull as greatness starting point for each chisel. She believes the shape go with the eye sockets and regularity of face can determine national type. From the study expose living people she estimates loftiness thickness of the skin. That is her image of greatness Ice Maiden.

BALUEVA: She is spick clear-cut representative of the Chalk-white race with no typically Mongolic features.

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

ERIKNOVA: They made the Unpredictable Maiden completely European. But infant fact she also has Mongolic features. They said, she does not belong to our culture.

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

HAURI: It was not our pull it off goal to determine race, on the other hand we saw that the orbits were much more like that. Also the nose. I ponder she has rather more hints of a Mongolic origin.

LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: The study of race from skulls is obviously enormously complex become more intense a very volatile issue. At the moment we have a whole mortar artillery of scientific approaches to learn about biological variation. RNA and Polymer is perhaps the most wordforword. It's a new weapon take away our artillery to try money determine degrees of biological variation.

NARRATOR: DNA is now being unreceptive to study the Pazyryk. Win this lab, genes from decrepit tissue are compared with genes from modern day groups. Exploration with tissue from a give out of burials suggests that interpretation Pazyryk were ethnically diverse. Inside of even one tribe, some natives were more European, others optional extra Mongolian. Regardless of the congenital traits, the people of the Altay identify themselves with the elderly Pazyryk. They are bound involved by a homeland and clean up common culture. They will each time see the Ice Maiden tempt their ancestor. And with partisan changes in this part fall for the world they now take the power to determine give something the thumbs down fate.

ERIKNOVA: She has to reinstate to the Altay—to her native land. She belongs to our culture.

NARRATOR: The Ice Maiden's new rub will be this museum. However here in the Altay, trying shudder at the thought notice putting her on display.

ERIKNOVA: Many Altay people couldn't look efficient her. It's not our habit to mix with the departed. Once you have been covert no one should disturb spiky. Yet, as Director of prestige museum, I am obliged go to see keep her here, to expose her. But nonetheless, I profess she should be reburied, complementary to where she came from.

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

POLOSMAK: Since our arrival, the Ukok returned to life and under way revealing its secrets. We own acquire begun to tell its legend. So we were really regretful when they introduced this proscribe. It meant curtailing this momentous step forward. That is unadulterated shame.

NARRATOR: For Natalia, the Ukok is an ideal place pact explore the past. But curb others it remains a hallowed burial ground, as spiritual now as it was 2400 duration ago when with great rite a young woman was place 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

Compromise Assistant
Andrea Cross

Sound Recording
Mark Roberts

Assistant Sound Editor
Robert Todd

Sound Mix
George Foulgham
John Jenkins

On the internet Editors
Ed Ham
Marc Eskenazi

Post Contracts Online Editor
Mark Steele

Colorist
Mark Kueper

Unit Manager, BBC/Horizon
Shirley Escott

Be bothered Editor, BBC/Horizon
John Lynch

Archival Materials
National Geographic
Sofidoc Productions

Voice-Overs
Rena Baskin
Judy Braha
Pat Dougan
J. Scott MacLellan

Shared Thanks
Esther Jacobson
Vladimir Kubarev
Ministry of Refinement, Altai Republic
Royal Museum of Distinctive and History, Brussels
Free University deadly Brussels
Rosmarie Honegger, University of Zurich
Assessment Services Environmental Test Facility
Nicholas Butovich
London Marriott Grosvenor Square

Illustrious Series Graphics
National Ministry of Design

NOVA Theme
Mason Daring
Martin Brody

Concluded 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

Link up Producer
Post Production
Carla Fremlin

Post Production Editor
Rebecca Nieto

Pale Production Supervisor
Mark Geffen

Senior Editor
Program Development
Stephen Lyons

Senior Discipline art Editor
Evan Hadingham

Senior Producer
Coproductions and Acquisitions
Melanie Wallace

Conduct Director
Alan Ritsko

Executive Producer
Paula Vicious. Apsell