Princess Ukok where is located. Princess Ukok from the Republic of Altai

It was a crossroads for many tribes and peoples, and this was fully confirmed by archaeological research. Here are found historical monuments from the Middle Ages and further - the Bronze, Iron Ages and even further - including the Paleolithic era. Many finds made it possible to better learn about the tribes inhabiting Altai in the Stone Age, their ties with nomadic tribes, the peculiarities of the culture and life of the peoples of the Scythian and Hun-Sarmatian periods. But a really sensational discovery that glorified Ukok all over the world was made in the summer of 1993 by a young Novosibirsk archaeologist Natalya Polosmak.

The expedition of the Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences had already discovered many interesting finds by that time, when Natalia Polosmak became interested in one of the mounds, and it had long been plundered.

A burial of a warrior of the Early Iron Age was found in the barrow. Probably, the warrior was not from the poor, since even after the robbery, iron weapons and elegantly made dishes were preserved in the burial chamber; there were also skeletons of three horses with an iron harness, bearing obvious traces of gold trim. Belonging to the nobility was confirmed by the tattoo of a warrior. There was nothing special about this find. However, upon careful examination of the burial, it was found that under it there is another, earlier burial, which the robbers probably simply did not notice.

In the pit of the lower burial, a log cabin made of larch was found, covered with tightly fitted logs. A wooden sarcophagus, hammered with four bronze nails and decorated with leather appliqués, was frozen into the ice that filled the chamber. In the sarcophagus, on a bed of black felt, lay the mummy of a woman.

All the clothes were perfectly preserved: a silk shirt, a woolen skirt, a braided belt with tassels, white and red felt stockings, and a fur coat. Literally struck the imagination of a woman's wig - a complex construction of horsehair, wool, felt, fabric, leather, carved jewelry, gold foil, with a high wooden frame. The mummy's arms were covered in an elaborate blue tattoo from wrists to shoulders; real and mythical animals intertwined in the drawings, including the legendary griffin. The woman's wrists were adorned with pearls, and gold earrings were put into her ears. There were also items made of wood, deer antler, silver clay: a mirror, various vessels, carvings of fantastic and real animals and birds.

Nearby were buried six saddled horses of a golden-red color in a rich harness.

The age of the burial was determined about two and a half thousand years, that is, the middle of the first millennium BC. Judging by the objects and clothes found, the woman belonged to the Scythian nobility, possibly to the clan of priests and shamans, "chosen spirits." And the woman’s mummy itself was dubbed the “Princess of Ukok”, after the name of the plateau on which the mummy was found. There was another big name - "Altai Princess".

However, the excavations of Princess Ukok made a lot of noise. When information about the discovery of a unique mummy was made public, Altai shamans reported that this was not news to them. For a long time they knew about this mound, in which an Altai woman was buried. For them, this burial is truly sacred, since shamans consider her the progenitor of the Altai peoples named Kadyn.

According to legend, the "Altai princess" Kadyn guards the gates of the underworld and makes sure that the forces of evil do not penetrate our world. Accordingly, when in 1993 archaeologists unearthed the burial place of Kadyn, they disturbed her sacred dream. At the same time, according to legend, the burial was guarded by a terrible curse. Therefore, in order to remove it as soon as possible, the mummy's body must be returned to the Ukok plateau and never disturbed again.

Scientists did not pay attention to these legends and the mummy of Princess Ukok was transported for study to Novosibirsk, to the Museum of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, and then, in 1995, to Moscow, where employees of the research institute at the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin.

Mummy of an Altai princess from the Ukok plateau

Due to the fact that the mummy was well preserved, scientists determined that this woman died at a young age - she was about 25 years old. The presence of tattoos on the body of a woman was also unusual.

Here is how Natalya Polosmak described the tattoos of Princess Ukok in her expedition diary: “ A fantastic animal is depicted on the left shoulder: a deer with a griffin's beak, antlers of a deer and a goat. The horns are decorated with stylized griffin heads: a similar head is placed on the back of the animal, with a twisted body. Below, in the same position, a ram with its head thrown back is depicted; at its feet is the closed mouth of a spotted leopard with a long twisted tail. Under the leopard is a fantastic beast; he has clawed paws, a long striped tail of a tiger, the body of a lying deer, and the head of a griffin grows from his back. The head of a deer with large branched antlers is clearly visible on the wrist.».

Moscow anthropologists managed to restore the appearance of Princess Ukok. Facial reconstruction made it possible to establish that she does not belong to the Mongoloid races that lived in this territory in ancient times. The appearance of a woman resembled a European one. Later, these conclusions were confirmed when the study of the DNA of the Altai princess was completed.

Moreover, scientists conducted a serious tomographic study of the mummy and came to the conclusion that the 25-year-old "princess" died of oncology. She developed stage IV breast cancer. Chemical analysis of tissues showed that the woman regularly inhaled mercury and copper fumes - this could well cause illness and death.

Most likely, the inhalation of poisonous vapors occurred during certain ceremonies, and this assumption suggests that Princess Ukok was not a "princess", but someone from the priestly caste. A headdress found on a woman's mummy suggests she had magical powers.

When scientists concluded that the mummy of a woman does not belong to the Mongoloid race and cannot belong to the Scythian people, the “Altai princess” had many biographies, one more incredible than the other: a representative of a race unknown to science, a living embodiment of the legendary “Children of Heaven” and even the progenitor of mankind coming from distant stars.

Myths and conjectures around Princess Ukok

In Altai folklore, there is an ancient legend according to which at the foot of the great Tabyn-Bogdo-Ola mountains, there is a special world, the “second layer of heaven”, inhabited by the “Sons of Heaven”. According to this legend, even before the arrival of the Scythians, creatures who came from the stars and possessed supernatural abilities lived here. And somewhere among the peaks of Tabyn-Bogdo-Ola, the mysterious Huangdi lived with his tribe. According to the Scythian legend, Huangdi was on the plateau for several years. Then he and his people “entered the fire-breathing dragon”, which was cast from copper, and flew to his planet Tayanar.

The "Sons of Heaven" were endowed with many supernatural abilities - they could fly, be invisible, command any spirits. "Sons of Heaven", as a rule, patronized people. It happened that they even intermarried with individual outstanding personalities, as a result of which great heroes and people with great magical abilities were born.

Thus, the Altai princess Kadyn could be a descendant of such a mixed marriage and be a high-ranking priestess.

The locals were very worried about the discovery and opening of the tomb, believing that archaeologists had disturbed the rest of the gods and this could turn into serious trouble. It is interesting that when the extracted mummy of the Altai princess was transported by helicopter to Novosibirsk, an emergency situation occurred and the helicopter made an emergency landing. This was taken by the locals as a sign, as the first warning.

Perhaps the rumors and speculation around the Altai princess would have stopped, but in September 2003 there was a strong earthquake. Powerful tremors shook the entire Altai, reaching the neighboring regions, including Novosibirsk. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the area of the Chui steppe, which is very close to the Ukok plateau.

Among the local population, they again started talking about the fact that the cataclysm is directly related to the devastated grave of the “Altai Princess” and if it is not immediately returned, then a real disaster will happen.

The conversations turned into quite real numerous demands sent to the authorities of the Altai Republic - to return the mummy Kadyn to his native land! True, opinions differed on exactly how to do this: is it enough to place it in the Gorno-Altai Museum, or is it necessary to organize a protected museum area right on the plateau, or even put Kadyn back in the grave and bring the burial back to its original form.

Where is Princess Ukok now?

In 2012, the mummy of Princess Ukok was taken from Novosibirsk to Gorno-Altaisk, to the A.V. Anokhin National Museum. The return took place in accordance with the beliefs of the indigenous Altaians and taking into account professional and ethical standards - shamans accompanied her body.

In 2015, a special sarcophagus was made, similar to the one in which the mummy was in the barrow.

You can look at the mummy of the Altai princess - she is put on display but 3 hours a day. On Wednesday and Sunday, starting from June 8, 2016, from 10-00 to 13-00, visitors can view not the sarcophagus, but the very mummy of Princess Ukok.

Description of the mummy of Princess Ukok (how archaeologists found it)

The head found in the log of a woman was in a wig the size of a third of the stack and was directed to the east, her legs and arms were slightly bent at the knees and elbows. The face of the mummy was turned to the north and was in a sleeping position.

The hairstyle has been preserved. The black mass wig was covered with horsehair. The wooden braids sewn with 15 wooden figurines of birds and the wooden cockade of a lying deer that adorned the wig were covered with gold foil. The symbol of the "tree of life" was attached to the wig - a long, over 60 cm, petal made of felt on a wooden stick-frame, covered with black fabric. (a high headdress with golden braids of complex shape speaks of the magical power of the “Princess of Altai”)

A strand of hair collected at the crown was decorated with a cover made of red wool, with a bronze pin stuck into it, the top of which was a wooden deer standing on a ball. The pommel was covered with gold foil.

To the left of the woman, near her hip, they found a mirror in a solid wooden frame with a handle, in a case made of red and white felt. A hole was made in the handle, probably for attaching the mirror with a strap, which has not survived. The surface of the mirror was a square bronze plate.

Next to the mirror was a scattering of beads of different colors, made of glass and paste, as well as a molar human tooth. Below the beads was a black tassel made of horsehair.

Princess Ukok's cosmetic set included, in addition to a brush and beads, a handful of scattered iron phosphate powder, vivianite (a bright blue-green mineral) and a thin rod made of flat metal rings with vivianite inside.

Earrings in the woman's ears are gold wire in the form of rings.

The neck was decorated with a hryvnia in the form of a curved wooden plate, to which were attached eight volumetric figures of winged leopards carved from wood, covered with gold foil.

The woman was dressed in a yellowish silk shirt, her hands were covered with sleeves. The silk shirt was cut unusually wide for the Scythian time and was knee-length. The shirt was used before burial - it has coarse stitches and a patch.

The woman was wearing a woolen long skirt sewn from three stripes, two red and one white, to which a thick, long twisted woolen red belt with tassels was sewn (archaeologists believe that such a belt is a sign of an initiate). Five small bronze pendants were found on the skirt.

Under the head was placed a pillow-pillow of felt, stuffed with felt, scraps of fur, grass and scraps of woolen ropes.

On the legs, up to the groin, felt stockings were worn, decorated on top with a strip of carved red figures from felt. Footprints of red fabric were sewn on from below.

On the surviving parts of the woman's arms, the tattoo was clearly visible from the fingers and hand to the shoulder. A very important detail was the thin ropes of wool on the little fingers. A custom is known when a black and white rope connecting the deceased with one of the relatives was cut in order to break the connection between the deceased and the living.

The bedding in the deck was dark felt, sewn from two pieces. It is possible that in the past it served as a curtain for a bed, as it has felt loops.

Everything that was in the deck was covered with a fur coverlet with gold foil figures somehow attached to it in the past.

During the excavation in the burial, dishes and vessels made of ceramics, yak and mountain goat horns were found, lifted up by freezing ice. Inside a wooden mug with a handle of two leopards, made from a single piece of wood, lay a milk churning whirl.

In addition, the burial found: a stone saucer filled with coriander seeds, dishes-tables made of solid pieces of wood with the remains of meat food and an iron knife stuck in the sacrum of a foal. The handle of the knife is decorated with fantastic animals.

How to see the mummy of Princess Ukok

If you are interested in the history of Princess Ukok and are planning a vacation in Altai, then you can immediately stop at the base, where excursions to the desired museum are organized. See the bases that will help you see the mummy of Princess Ukok.

In the 21st century, scientists have uncovered the secret of the death of the legendary Altai princess. Science 2.0 tells about the achievements of chemistry, physics and genetics, which erase the white spots of history.

She died 2500 years ago - a mysterious 25-year-old girl with a deer tattoo on her left shoulder. All over the world she is known as the Altai princess. The mystery of her life and death still haunts the minds of scientists. Why was the Altai mummy buried away from family barrows? Who could the princess of Ukok really be? And most importantly, what caused her death?

Altai Republic

Altai plateau Ukok. A small plateau located at the junction of four states: Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. In the Iron Age, militant nomads, Pazyryks, grazed their cattle here. Here, under bulk stone mounds, they buried their loved ones.

In 1993, excavations of a lone mound on Ukok led to a sensational discovery. The mound had already been plundered and seemed to be unpromising. But a group of scientists led by an archaeologist from Novosibirsk, Natalya Polosmak, chose him. Fate?

Under the looted grave, scientists discovered another - untouched - burial. A roof of 11 logs hid a wooden sarcophagus, household utensils and the remains of six horses buried with the owner. Like many nations, the Pazyryks believed that death is not the end. And in the new afterlife, a person will need a lot of earthly life.

Novosibirsk, Akademgorodok

Made BC. e. harness and today impresses with the elegance of carved lines. This beauty has come down to us thanks to rare natural conservation. Shortly after the funeral, groundwater penetrated the burial frame. A sharp cold snap turned them into layers of ice. The water froze and did not thaw for 2500 years. The permafrost, like a refrigerator, saved the Pazyryk finds from the destructive effects of time. The most important question remained: who was buried with such honors thousands of years ago in a wooden sarcophagus?

The ice shroud completely hid the figure of the buried. When archaeologists carefully melted the ice, they saw the mummified remains. The embalmed girl lay on her side, in the pose of a sleeping person. She wore a woolen skirt, a Chinese silk shirt, a wig, and an intricate headdress. Before the Pazyryk gods, the unknown woman was supposed to appear in her best attire.

The ancient master depicted bizarre drawings on the girl's body: a mixture of real and fantastic animals. Scientists are sure that pazyryks made tattoos not only for beauty - they used them as a passport or business card.

On the left hand of the Altai mummy, archaeologists counted four tattoos. The largest is the mythical deer with the beak of a griffin and the horns of a goat. For some peoples of Asia, this fantastic animal symbolized a connection with other worlds. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to unambiguously decipher the meaning of this tattoo today.

Who was the girl from Ukok? Why did she die at such a young age? And finally, what did this mysterious woman look like?

Moscow, Laboratory of Anthropological Reconstruction. M. Gerasimova

Since the 50s of the last century, the laboratory staff has been creating a unique portrait gallery that literally personifies the past. The faces of long-dead people are recreated from their skulls. The height of the cheekbones, the shape of the eyes, the shape of the nose and even the ears - according to scientists, all this information is stored in the skull. It just needs to be counted correctly.

Facial reconstruction is a long and painstaking process. Layer by layer, scientists put sculptural clay on the bone base. Its final thickness and shape are calculated using a craniofacial matching program.

Anthropologists restored this face in 1995. This is how, in their opinion, the girl from Ukok looked. The reconstruction leaves no doubt: before us is a representative of the Caucasian race. This was also confirmed by DNA studies of the Altai mummy.

The Ukok mummy has been studied for more than 20 years. During this time, many studies have been carried out with her. For example, it was possible to completely restore the Pazyryk rite of embalming.

Scientists realized that the embalmed body was not immediately interred. At least three months elapsed from the moment of death to burial. All this time, the mysterious woman continued to play a special role in the life of her tribe - for example, they put her in some chairs, as can be seen from the marks on her body.

At the same time, a complex, time-consuming rite of embalming is a sign of the extraordinary status of the deceased. Why was she given such honors?

Archaeologists categorically deny the hypothesis of the Altai princess. Her mound is much smaller than the majestic burials of the Pazyryk nobility. But the main thing is that it is located far from all ancestral burial grounds. In ancient cultures, this was done with women whose occupation involved a vow of celibacy. According to scientists, she was possibly a healer or a shaman. She periodically inhaled vapors of copper and mercury (this was established thanks to chemical analyzes), which was most likely associated with some kind of rituals.

Harmful fumes, of course, harmed the health of women. But they could not lead to death. So what did the Altai shaman die from? Scientists have suggested: the disease is to blame. But what?

The study of diseases of ancient people today is engaged in a special science - paleopathology.

Moscow, Institute of Archeology RAS

In 2010, the mummy, wrapped in a heat-resistant material, was sent for tomography. However, it was not possible to get a quick result. Magnetic resonance imaging scanner reads radio waves. The source of these signals are hydrogen atoms, which are mainly found in liquids and soft tissues. The mummified, dehydrated remains gave off a weak signal, and the pictures were of poor quality. Only special computer programs developed a few years after the study could improve this image.

These processed tomographic images are the key to solving the Altai puzzle. The latest graphics programs have allowed researchers to look into the past. Their suspicions were confirmed: the embalmed body kept traces of a serious illness.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that the girl from Ukok was killed by breast cancer. Oncological disease developed for at least three years. The disease has reached the fourth - final - stage. This was the final diagnosis, established after 2500 years.

The mystery of the death of a girl from Ukok is revealed. Disputes about its origin and social status continue. Perhaps in the future, science will give a definitive answer to this question. So this is not the end of the story.

In the south of the republic, Altai became world famous with the discovery of permafrost burials of the ancient Scythian time. The plateau has long been interesting to archaeologists for the presence of sites, original stone altars and burial mounds.

Start of work near the Ak-Alakha River

In the midst of the summer archaeological season of 1993, a group of Novosibirsk scientists led by Natalya Polosmak, employees of the Institute of Archeology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, began excavation of a mound near the Ak-Alakha river. The work promised to be one of the ordinary, but unexpectedly led to serious discoveries and scientific sensations.

Secret tomb

First, the burial of a very rich Scythian man was discovered. According to ancient customs, three horses, utensils, and iron blades accompanied him on his afterlife journey. Specialists dated the burial to the 4th-3rd centuries. BC. In the process of working with the male burial, the researchers were surprised to find that the second one was carefully hidden under the upper burial. Under the open flooring, a real sensation awaited the scientists. Here were the well-preserved bones of six fiery-red horses in a richly decorated harness, next to them in the ice of the burial deck, lay a woman.

Unusual mummy

But most of all, the researchers of the mound were interested in the fact that it was a mummified body, neither in Egypt nor in Tibet, but on the harsh high plateau of Altai. The woman had no internal organs, brain, sternum and ribs. Her skull and body cavities were filled with sheep's wool, parts of plants, horse hair and peat.

On a female body embalmed with oils, mercury was later found in the oils, unusual blue tattoos are immediately visible. They covered the woman's arms and legs. Argali and snow leopard were present in the composition, apparently, totem animals of her kind. The left shoulder was decorated with the image of a deer with the head of a griffin.

The most important event for specialists was the discovery in the burial place of the well-preserved original horsehair wig and headdress of the buried woman. Together they occupied almost a third of the burial deck. In the ancient Scythian society, it was the shape of the headdress and the decoration of the hair that carried very accurate information about the woman. Among different tribes, he always had a specific form, and the status of a woman was always well read by the headdress decorations. Young girls, when they got married, changed their gender, the hair decoration and headdress changed accordingly.

There is a burial deck in a log cabin made of larch, 3.6 / 2.3 m in size, 1.1 m high and covered with eleven larch logs, filled with ice, imitating a dwelling. It is decorated with leather applications in the form of deer. In the deck, on a soft felt bedding under a fur blanket with gold decorations, a tall woman, 170 cm tall, rested, scientists determined her age at about 25 years old.

The mummy was dressed in a long shirt made of the finest silk of a light brown hue, later scientists found out that threads of cocoons of wild silkworm butterflies were used in its manufacture. Such fabric, undoubtedly, was a luxury in the Scythian time, which confirms the high social status of the buried. The neck and sleeves of the shirt were trimmed with red threads, apparently as a talisman. A long dense skirt made of wool is sewn from white and red pieces of fabric, decorated with bronze pendants. The woman's legs are covered with long white felt stockings with red appliqués.

The bag contained a bronze mirror, its carved wooden frame decorated with a figurine of a deer. Nearby, a leafy stick was found - a symbol of creation among Asian peoples, a hair brush, multi-colored glass beads and a human tooth. A blue powder was scattered around, chemical analysis showed that these were vivianite crystals, in Europe it began to be used as a dye only by the 19th century.

The neck of the buried woman was decorated with a hryvnia coated with a gold layer, and pendants in the form of snow leopards. The woman's ears are adorned with massive gold hoop earrings. Vessels were found with a buried Scythian woman, apparently for drinks and pieces of meat, a delicacy foal's sacrum and a sheep's fat tail were found here. The vessels are wooden, ceramic and horn, apparently embodying the connection of all living things. There is no wooden floor in the burial; it was replaced by a flooring made of laid river pebbles.

Burial features

All the features of the burial distinguished the woman with special honor from the general number of fellow tribesmen. Especially silk and coriander were a real treasure. Scientists were surprised by the fact that the burial was single, for the Scythians family burials were typical. The only explanation could be that she was a shaman and took a vow of celibacy.

It was decided to transport the priceless find to the Novosibirsk laboratory for further study. Local shamans and residents of the republic were absolutely against such a development of events. Even on the way and later in Novosibirsk, the unique mummified body began to decompose rapidly. Novosibirsk specialists urgently turn to the capital for help. The Moscow Institute for the Preservation of Lenin's Mummy worked with the mummy, and the specialists managed to preserve the skin and tissues.

scientific sensation

At this time, samples of various tissues were taken for DNA analysis, and here a scientific sensation awaited specialists. As a result of a genetic study of several types of tissues of a buried woman on the Ukok plateau, the Y-chromosomal haplogroup R1a1, characteristic of the Slavs, was found. The Altai princess is not related by blood to the Turkic peoples and modern Altaians, but is a representative of one of the Indo-European peoples.

Shamans and residents of the Altai Republic are very concerned about the opening of an ancient tomb, they believe that scientists have disturbed the thousand-year peace of their ancestors. And the subsequent catastrophic earthquake in the fall of 2003 and the flood in the spring of 2014, many disturbing processes and signs are attributed to the mythical revenge of the Altai princess.

A new look at historical processes

The results of many years of research into the most valuable find of Siberian scientists, the Altai mummy, forced them to reassess the historical processes in ancient Eurasia. After all, a Eurasian highly cultured developed civilization that lived 25 centuries ago is open, capable of changing the idea of the history of Russia.

Myths about the Altai Princess

Archaeologists do not quite like the name of the unique mummy "Altai princess". Repeatedly, both N. Polosmak and V. Molodin emphasize that she is not a princess, she is an ordinary Scythian woman, and the myth about the so-called "princess" is constantly inflated by journalists. During 1998, UNESCO decided to include the Ukok Plateau in the list of significant world heritage sites.

From time to time, representatives of the indigenous people, shamans, speak in the press and on television with stories that the Altai mummy is unhappy with the opening of the tomb. By a chain of mystical events during the discovery of the burial and its delivery to the Novosibirsk laboratory, they confirm their reasoning. As before, the public of Altai calls her the progenitor of the Altaians, Princess Kadyn.

Relocation of the Altai Princess

While the priceless artifact was in the museum of Novosibirsk, the Altaians massively collected signatures with a request to return the princess to her homeland. For the storage of this particular mummy in the Republican in Gorno-Altaisk, with the sponsorship of Gazprom, a general reconstruction was carried out and a special chamber-sarcophagus was built with certain conditions. In 2012, the mummy, revered by the Altaians, was solemnly welcomed in the Motherland.

Today, it is carefully kept in the republican museum, where a whole exposition is dedicated to the Ak-Alakha barrow. Museum guests can see a wonderful reconstruction of the burial, but they won’t be able to see the mummies. Local shamans forbid displaying the mummy. Now they are initiating the collection of signatures with a request to the authorities to solemnly and worthy of ancient times bury her in her native barrow.

The authorities of the republic allowed specialists to explain on local television how this find is unique and necessary for scientists. There was even a series of programs explaining the natural disasters that befell the republic from a scientific point of view. But the indigenous population of Altai, brought up in the traditions of paganism and local shamanism, firmly believes that all the troubles that came to their mountains were the consequences of the wrath of the dead.

Back to the Ukok Plateau?

Shamans and public figures from the indigenous population everywhere and constantly emphasize the idea that when the mummy of the progenitor of the Altaians calms down, all troubles will recede. Now there is a serious dispute between shamans and scientists. Some do not deviate from their age-old traditions, while others see the mummified body of the Altai princess as a unique and interesting object for research. Without an ice lens that preserves the body, in the event of burial, this mummy will be lost for science and for the Altai people forever.

The belief of the indigenous Altai people that the mummy must be buried in the same place over the years only strengthened. And on August 18, 2014, the council of elders of Altai took place. At this event, the elders of the Altai clans, the Zaisans, almost unanimously voted for the decision to bury the mummy of the Altai princess in her mound on the Ukok plateau. The authorities of the republic meet the decision of the elders, and a draft republican law is being prepared on this important event for the local population.

Shamans believe that it was not in vain that the ancient inhabitants of Altai hid the mummy under another burial place, that it was entrusted with the sacred mission of protecting the gates of the underworld. And the peace of such sacred burial places cannot be disturbed. Ancient people were undoubtedly wiser than our contemporaries, they understood the laws of the universe more widely and had more serious knowledge.

Video about the Altai Princess

Princess Ukok (Altai princess, Ochy-bala) - given by journalists and residents of the Altai Republic, the name of the mummy of a young woman, about 25 years old, found during archaeological excavations at the Ak-Alakha burial ground in 1993. The woman's cause of death was breast cancer. According to the beliefs of the indigenous population of Altai, the "princess", which is also called Ak-Kadyn (Honest, Sincere, Kind Khatun), is the guardian of peace and stood guard over the gates of the underworld, preventing the penetration of Evil from the lower worlds.

Encyclopedic YouTube

1 / 2

✪ Altai (Scythian) princess of Ukok

✪ Aryan Princess - Mummy Ukok from the Republic of Altai - Eyes of the ball - Princess Kadyn

Subtitles

History of the find

... Aristaeus, the son of Caistrobius of Proconess, in his epic poem tells how he, possessed by Phoebus, arrived at the Issedones. According to his stories, Arimaspians live behind the Issedons - one-eyed people, behind the Arimaspians - vultures guarding gold, and even higher behind them - Hyperboreans on the border with the sea.

The authors of this assumption associate the neighbors of the "one-eyed people", referred to as Aristeas' "gold-guarding vultures", with the Pazyryks on the grounds that "in the Pazyryk mythology, the image of the eagle-headed griffin played a special role" .

Also, ancient Chinese sources mention "territorially close population of Altai" [ ] .

The beginning of the study of the "frozen" graves of Altai was laid in 1865 by V. V. Radlov.

Excavations of the Ak-Alakha-3 mound on the Ukok Plateau (Republic of Altai), in which the so-called princess was buried, began in 1993 by Natalia Polosmak, an archaeologist from Novosibirsk, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The mound was a dilapidated monument, which in ancient times they tried to rob. In our time, the monument was destroyed in connection with the construction of border communications. By the beginning of the excavations, the mound was in a semi-dismantled state and looked devastated: in the sixties, during the conflict with China, a fortified area was built in this area, the materials for which were taken from the mounds.

A burial of the Iron Age was found in the mound, under which there was another, more ancient one. During excavations, archaeologists discovered that the deck in which the body of the buried was placed was filled with ice. That is why the woman's mummy is well preserved. The lower burial was walled up in a layer of ice. This aroused great interest of archaeologists, since in such conditions very ancient things could be very well preserved.

The burial chamber was opened for several days, gradually melting the ice, trying not to harm the contents.

In the chamber, six horses were found under saddles and with a harness, as well as a wooden block of larch, nailed down with bronze nails. The contents of the burial clearly indicated the nobility of the buried person.

Studies have shown that the burial belongs to the period of the Pazyryk culture of Altai and was made in the 5th-3rd centuries BC. Researchers believe that

Genetics

An analysis of 2001 showed that representatives of the Pazyryk culture are closest in mitochondrial DNA to modern Selkups and Kets.

Appearance

The mummy lay on its side with its legs slightly tucked up. She had numerous tattoos on her arms. The mummies were wearing a white silk shirt, a burgundy woolen skirt, felt socks, and a fur coat. The complex hairstyle of the deceased is also special - it was made of wool, felt and her own hair and was 90 cm high. All these clothes were made of very high quality and testify to the high status of the buried. She died at a young age (about 25 years of age) from breast cancer (during the study, a breast tumor and metastases were found) and belonged to the upper strata of Pazyryk society, as evidenced by the number of horses buried with her - 6.

Based on the remains of the skull, a bust was recreated in the amount of three copies. One is stored in a museum in Novosibirsk, the second was handed over to the Altai National Revival Society for the purpose of compromise (until the mummy was returned after all the research). The third copy was transferred to the Pushkin Historical Museum in Moscow (until now it has not been presented in the museum's exposition).

Location

After the discovery and until 2012, the mummy was kept in the museum of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok. This fact caused dissatisfaction of some Altaians. From the point of view of the dissatisfied, the “princess of Ukok” should have been returned to Altai: some believed that it was enough to return the mummy to the territory of the republic, while others believed that it should be buried again in its original place.

Since September 2012, the mummy has been kept in the new hall of the Anokhin National Museum (Republic of Altai, Gorno-Altaisk), specially erected for storing the exhibit, in a sarcophagus with equipment for maintaining and controlling a special temperature and humidity regime. A special annex was built for the exhibit.

On August 19, 2014, it became known that the Council of Elders of the Altai Republic decided to bury the mummy. This decision was approved by the Head of the Republic. The decision to bury was due to the fact that part of the population of the republic considers the removal of the mummy from the mound to be the cause of natural disasters that have hit Gorny Altai in the past two decades (in particular, the cause of severe flooding and large hail that occurred in Altai at the end of 2014). In turn, Emilia Alekseevna Belekova, and. about. Director of the National Republican Museum named after A. V. Anokhin, questioned the competence of the Council of Elders of the Altai Republic in this matter, pointing out that the solution of such issues falls within the competence of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

“To date, the mummy of the “princess” has been transferred to us for temporary storage. The owner of this biological object is the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk). So we only temporarily store,” Belekova said. She noted that the museum, the elders and even the authorities of the republic will not be able to dispose of the mummy at will without the decision of its owner.
“All the things found during the excavations are federal property, and it was just transferred to the Novosibirsk Museum of Archeology and Ethnography for unlimited use. All this should be decided through the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. And the fact that the elders gathered and decided has no legal force, ”said Belekova.

In December 2015, several residents of Altai applied to the Gorno-Altai City Court with a claim for the burial of the "princess"; the defendant in the case was the museum that houses the mummy. However, the court dismissed the claim. The president of the spiritual center of the Turks "Kin Altai", shaman Akai Kine, who was one of the initiators of the lawsuit, filed a cassation appeal against the court's decision and promised that in the event of another refusal, he could also complain to the international court.

Opinion of Vyacheslav Molodin

The film "Revenge of the Altai Princess"

Alena Zharovskaya's film "Revenge of the Altai Princess", shown on Channel One, is characterized as "far ahead of the republican newspapers in terms of the amount of gag and mystical nonsense" .

The image of "Princess Ukok" in literature

Anna Nikolskaya. "Kadyn is the mistress of the mountains." Publishing house "Game of words", 2011
Irina Bogatyreva. "Kadin". Publishing house "Eksmo", 2015
Irina Bogatyreva. "Moon-faced virgin mother". Publishing House "Ast", 2012 (The first part of the novel "Kadyn", published in the series "Winners of the International Prize named after S. Mikhalkov").
Tatiana Volobueva, Barnaul. "Kadin". www.stihi.ru/2014/08/27/4688

Notes

Princess Ukok: diagnosis after 2500 years
My planet. Question about burial mummy caused conflict

In 1993, archaeologists from Novosibirsk discovered a sensational discovery on the Ukok plateau in the Kosh-Agach district - in one of the barrows with permafrost, in an ice "lens", in a grave with rich decoration, a well-preserved mummy of a young woman, who was nicknamed the "Ukok Princess ". The woman was buried more than two thousand years ago and belonged to the Pazyryk nobility. The sensational discovery excited the world community there have been no such finds since the discovery of the royal ones (Ulagansky district of the Altai Republic) and in the Altai Territory. The monument where the mummy was found was called Ak-Alakha-3. The mummy itself is stored in the capital of the Altai Republic, the accompanying inventory (griffins in gold foil, etc.) remained in the Museum of the History of Culture of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East in the Novosibirsk Academgorodok.

There are still disputes about the nationality of the "Princess of Ukok". An analysis of the woman's DNA revealed her Caucasoid roots, anthropologists also claim that the "shaman" had South Caucasoid features, her clothes are of Iranian (Indo-European, not Turkic) origin. It is assumed that the Pazyryks were fugitives, presumably from the south-west (possibly from Western Asia), and the descendants of the Pazyryks are the modern Selkups (the obsolete name is “Ostyak-Samoyeds”) and the Kets. The Altai public categorically disagrees with this conclusion. The Altaians themselves believe that the found woman is the progenitor of the Altai people the legendary “Princess Kadyn”, and demand her return to her homeland.

The Ak-Alakha-3 monument is located on the Ukok plateau, in the Ak-Alakha river valley, between the road leading from the Ak-Alakha frontier post to the Bertek camp and rows of barbed wire (border system). Ak-Alakha-1 monument with five Scythian burial mounds is located 3 km to the west of these barrows.

The Ak-Alakha-3 monument consists of only two mounds - the Pazyryk mound (18 m in diameter and 0.5 m high) and the Turkic mound of the 7th century AD. south of it (10 m in diameter). The mounds of both mounds were barbarously damaged - moved by a bulldozer, covered with soil, many stones were carried away by local residents for the construction of buildings.

Having removed the mound from the Pazyryk mound, archaeologists discovered a predatory manhole leading to the burial of a man. As it turned out, it was the inlet burial of a noble Kara-Kobin, robbed in antiquity. Under this grave, an untouched burial of a young Pazyryk woman with rich grave goods was found. As it turned out, both graves of a Kara-Kobe and a Pazyryk woman were built at about the same time (about the 4th-3rd centuries BC, that is, 2300-2400 years ago). In fact, the inlet burial of the Kara-Kobe saved the burial of the “Princess Ukok” from robbers.

In the main burial, a larch frame 3.6 x 2.3 m, 1.1 m high, imitating a dwelling, was found. The entire volume of the log house was completely filled with ice. The upper floor consisted of 11 hewn larch logs. Inside the log house there was a long log-crypt made of larch with a gable roof, similar to the one found in the Fifth Pazyryk mound (royal) in the Ulagan region. On all sides, leather appliqués depicting deer were attached to the deck (the same appliqués were found in the First and Second Pazyryk burial mounds), apparently having a special magical meaning, perhaps designed to accompany a person to the “other” world.

Turistka.Ru visited the museum of the Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology and Ethnography and appreciated the building abilities of the Pazyryks. The volume of work that was done during the burial of a woman is immediately impressive: the Pazyryk people had to somehow deliver huge logs to the Ukok plateau (there is no forest on the plateau), cut them, dig a huge hole in the frozen ground ... agree that this is quite difficult ! The way the log house was made (without a single nail) may indicate that the Pazyryk people were not 100% nomads, but were also able to make real dwellings from logs. And now imagine a huge, dark from time to time boat 2.7 m long, hollowed out in solid larch, cover it with a lid made of the same tree, this is what the deck looks like in which the Pazyryk woman was found. The height of the deck is 0.68 m. The lid of the deck was nailed on both sides with four copper studs. In general, a burial in a larch log can speak of a special status of the buried, usually royals, shamans and children were buried in this way. For example, a Pazyryk man found in the barrow of the Ak-Alakha-3 monument, buried in the same year, did not have a deck in the burial chamber, but was located on a huge wooden bed inside the log house, which indicates that his status was lower than that of " princesses." The very shape of the deck (reminiscent of the shamanic boat "mouth") could mean that the buried is sent to "sail" to the ancestors. The choice of the type of wood from which the deck is made is also not accidental.

For many peoples, different types of trees corresponded to different sacred functions; from these beliefs, the idea of the “world tree” (the tree of life, the healing tree) was subsequently formed. Some trees were attributed to the female generative principle, other peoples even "led" their family from a tree so, for example, the Nivkhs "came" from larch. The white color of birch embodied sacred purity. The ancients believed that burial in trunks and stumps could help a person “reborn”, so the Kets buried their children in cedar stumps hollowed out from the inside, and the Selkups wrapped their dead babies in birch bark (sacred purity) and hung them from tree branches. In the view of the Selkups, the larch was associated with the sky (the crown of the tree reaches the heavens), it was considered the “tree of life”: the deceased, buried on the larch, could be “born” again. Interestingly, Yakut shamans were also buried in a larch log tied to the branches of a large larch; The Buryats immured the deceased shaman in a specially selected "shaman" pine tree, thus, the tree became the bearer of the spirit of the deceased shaman. The shaman boat “rotyk”, with the help of which the shaman “went to another world” on his rituals, is made of cedar. Thus, the burial of a Pazyryk woman “in the trunk” of a tree (in a deck) apparently symbolizes the return to the mother’s womb and is a preparation for a further “birth” from it. In addition, the question arises, was the Pazyryk woman a shaman in her tribe? We will return to this issue later.

In the deck on the right side, with her head to the east, and her face to the north, on a bed of dark felt lay a young woman (about 25 years old). From above it was covered with a fur blanket with sewn gold foil decorations. The woman's head was on a felt pillow, her arms and legs were bent. The woman was dressed in a long, knee-length, brownish-yellow silk shirt with overly long sleeves and a long woolen skirt, sewn from three horizontally arranged wide panels - two red and one white. A belt of woven red woolen cord was attached to the skirt. Bronze pendants were sewn onto the skirt. On the legs of the mummy were long, above the knees, white felt stockings, decorated on top with red felt appliqué. Stockings of this cut were worn by both Scythian women and male warriors. The soles of the stockings were made of red felt and cut separately. Apparently, the red color in the decoration and some details of clothing had a protective meaning, protected from evil spirits. In a felt bag (“cosmetic bag”) next to the woman, a bronze mirror in a wooden frame with a deer carved on it, a horsehair tassel, glass Indian beads of different colors, a human molar and crumbling blue powder (vivianite - namely, it consisted of a powder) were found. as a cheap dye became known in Europe only in the 19th century, and the Pazyryks used it two millennia earlier). The neck of the "Princess of Ukok" was decorated with a wooden hryvnia with wooden pendants in the form of leopards, covered with gold foil, attached to it. Why did the Pazyryks often depict wolves and leopards on torcs? The images of these animals, most likely, were supposed to protect one of the vulnerabilities of a person - his neck. In the woman's ears were gold hoop earrings. The mummy's little fingers were tied with woolen threads.

At the head of a small dish were coriander seeds, some were charred. Coriander seeds need special attention, and here's why: coriander was used as a medicinal plant and as an incense; coriander grew in the Mediterranean and Central Asia, was grown in India, Palestine and Egypt, so it must have been a rarity in Altai, perhaps some single merchants brought coriander or ... the Pazyryks brought it with them from the land of their ancestors, when they migrated from Western Asia! Coriander fruits were found in the Second, Third and Fifth Pazyryk mounds. In any case, the presence of this plant in the Ak-Alakha-3 burial is not accidental; perhaps, the fumigation of the body in the deck is associated with the subsequent rebirth in the "other" world.

Undoubtedly, a silk shirt was a luxury, made from imported fabric, and this, along with the burial of horses and embalming, indicates that the princess came from the middle class of her tribe, perhaps she was a shaman. The shirt was made of wild silkworm threads, all seams, as well as the neck and edges of the sleeves were sheathed with red woolen cords (guards from evil spirits that could “penetrate” through the cuts), and was a copy of the shirt in the Second Pazyryk mound. Scientists suggest that the origin of the shirt is most likely Indian, not Chinese, since at that time the Chinese had long used the threads of domesticated silkworms, in addition, the oldest Chinese looms produced fabrics up to 50 cm wide, while the shirt of the “Princess Ukok” was cut from fabric 130 cm wide. Ordinary and even noble warrior-riders buried on Ukok did not have shirts, they put on fur coats on their naked bodies.

A real discovery for archaeologists was the discovery in the burial of the well-preserved original wig and headdress of a woman. They took up almost a third of the deck. It must be said that in ancient times it was the headdress and hairstyle that carried the most significant information about a person, each tribe had its own form, and the status of a person within a tribe could be “read” by his jewelry. Girls, passing into the status of a woman, or changing gender, also changed their hairstyle and headdress. The shaved head of a Pazyryk woman was covered with a wig consisting of a felt cap, on which a special black plastic material was applied - with its help, the wig was given the necessary shape and volume. The composition of the molding mass contains soot, clay, charred seeds of wild cereals, animal fat. Interestingly, in all Pazyryk female burials, black spots were found under the head of the buried women, and they could not explain its origin. Now the secret has been revealed it turns out that all Pazyryk women wore such wigs in everyday life! Wooden ornaments were sewn to the wig, they were covered with gold foil. On the crown of the head, the hair was collected in a special way in a bun, on which a “cone” made of red woolen threads was put on top. The cone was crowned by a wooden deer standing on a ball, all covered with gold foil. Another carved deer with a forked body and ibex horns “lay” on a wig in front of the “cone”. The image of a fantastic deer-capricorn will then meet us in a tattoo of a woman. It must be said that this image personified the Sun and the Upper World among many Central Asian peoples. Behind the "cone" to the wig was fastened a tall vertical structure made of felt in the form of a rectangle with rounded edges (61 cm), covered with black woolen cloth, which, apparently, was a symbol of the "tree of life": at its foot wooden deer "grazed", in the upper fifteen composite wooden birds with leather wings, tails and paws, long necks, like those of swans, were attached to the parts. All figures are made of cedar and covered with gold foil. Such birds could be a symbol of the future replenishment of the family (for many peoples, birds symbolize human souls, and for some, the souls of unborn children). In addition, a pointed cap made of felt, 84 cm long and with wide brim, was found in the log house, which in some cases was worn over a complex hairstyle. The same cap was found in the Second Pazyryk Kurgan, hundreds of kilometers from Ukok. Scientists believe that every Pazyryk woman wore such a complex headdress, and it is impossible to unambiguously judge from it that the “Princess of Ukok” was a shaman. Although it is quite possible that in the future only shamans and "witches" began to wear such headdresses. TouristkaRu was amazed by the beauty of the wooden figurines, as well as by how refined and unusual the hairstyles of the Pazyryk women were. And the cap-case really resembles witch hats, as they are usually depicted!

The body of the woman was well preserved thanks to embalming and storage in a natural "ice refrigerator". The embalming of the dead was a necessary part of the Pazyryk funeral rite. The fact is that they buried their dead only twice a year - in spring or early summer, and in autumn, that is, half a year passed from the moment of death of a person to his burial. "Princess Ukok" was buried in mid-June, before moving to summer pastures, which is confirmed by the contents of the stomachs of the horses buried with her. Embalming was not a privilege of the nobility, and ordinary soldiers were also embalmed. The woman's brain, internal organs, ribs and sternum were removed, the skull and abdominal cavity were filled with a substance like peat, sheep wool, horse hair, roots, sand and clay. She was also missing two upper incisors, although all the other teeth were healthy apparently, the extraction of teeth was part of some kind of magical ritual, or testified to her special status. The body was apparently covered with oil and resins with the addition of mercury (the ancient Chinese used mercury for embalming, it was believed that mercury and vermilion guarantee "immortality"). Perhaps the Pazyryk people really believed that a person could be “born” again in the same body, then their desire to preserve the integrity of the body after death becomes clear, it is possible that they had myths associated with this. There are cases in world history when mummies, before their burial, could remain included in the life of their kind, that is, they still continued to “live” in the circle of their relatives, they could be “exhibited” at holidays, they could be given signs of veneration. It is possible that in Pazyryk society mummies also played a similar role in the life of the tribe.

A blue tattoo is clearly visible, completely covering both of the woman's arms. It is hard to imagine that highly artistic graphics were made more than two thousand years ago the ancient masters could have given odds to modern artists! The tattoo of the “Ukok princess” is identical in style to the one that adorned the body of a man in the Second Pazyryk Kurgan, hundreds of kilometers from Ukok, and a warrior in the nearby Verkh-Kaldzhin-2 burial ground, all tattoos are so similar that they may have been inflicted by the same master . A fantastic animal is depicted on the left shoulder - it looks like a deer, but two types of horns grow on its head - a deer and a capricorn, and the muzzle ends in a griffin's beak (a griffin is a fabulous winged creature, half lion, half eagle). This image is not simple - a deer-capricorn (or a horse-capricorn), and look how often it is found among the Pazyryks! Among the Indo-European peoples, the deer-capricorn accompanied the dead to the "other", "upper" world. In addition, each process of deer antlers ends with a stylized head of a griffin. And even from the back of a deer, the head of a griffin "grows"! Also depicted are a ram, a snow leopard and a fantastic predator with the body of a deer, on which the head of a griffin "grows", a tiger's tail and terrible clawed paws. Probably, such animals that do not exist in real life also helped a person to penetrate into the “other” world.

What else can a person need in another world or in the next life? It seems that the Pazyryks approached this issue with all seriousness, sought to provide the deceased with everything necessary, all personal belongings were sent along with the person. In the burial chamber next to the deck, two low wooden tables-dishes with legs, vessels made of wood and horn, two ceramic vessels with leather appliqués stuck on them were found (they usually depicted a rooster, a leopard, a griffin , apparently, which had a protective value).

The walls of the horn vessel were sewn (!!) from the horn of a yak, and joined with a round bottom made from the horn of a wild mountain goat (a similar vessel was found in the Second, Third and Fifth Pazyryk burial mounds). Since the process of its manufacture is laborious, and the Pazyryk people were well able to make dishes from wood and clay, it is most likely that the horn vessel here has a purely sacred meaning - perhaps it contained a drink to treat the deity. There is an ancient Greek legend that the water of the Styx (the river in the realm of the dead) can only be held in vessels made from the horn of a wild animal. Wild animals belonged to the realm of gods, spirits.

The wooden vessel had a handle made in the form of figures of two snow leopards; it has no analogues in other Pazyryk burials. A wooden whorl stick (for whipping koumiss) with a long larch handle and a sickle-shaped birch nozzle was inserted into it. All vessels, both with flat and round bottoms, were placed in ring stands made of felt. On a wooden table lay the best pieces of meat: the fat-tailed part of a ram and the rump of a foal, into which a large iron knife was stuck. The upper part of the knife handle depicted non-existent, fantastic animals - grinning heads of wolves with ibex horns growing on them.

We do not know why the ancient Pazyryks provided the “princess” with food and drink (they presumably contained koumiss and other drinks in the vessels) perhaps they believed that she was in for a long journey, and these were supplies “for the road”; according to another version, the meat was an offering to dead relatives who would meet a woman in another world; according to the third, it was important to treat the deity who saw off or met the soul in another world. We also do not know why the set of vessels placed in the grave always consisted of three types horn, ceramic, wooden, are there symbolic images of the earth (pottery), plants and animals behind this? The number "three" was considered sacred among the proto-Iranians, and scientists believe that it was from the Near East to the Altai that the Pazyryks fled at one time. No less symbolic is the whorl with a sickle-shaped nozzle it is known that in the Altai legends the gods used the whorl when creating the Universe!

All the utensils were located near the eastern wall of the burial chamber, between the deceased and the burial of horses, on the floor covered with a felt carpet. There is no wooden floor in the chamber - it is replaced by specially laid pebbles, perhaps this is due to the idea of the ancients that the life force "leaves into the land of the dead" and nothing should interfere with this. It is interesting that all the items were not new they were used in everyday life, and some even had traces of repair.

A long pole was found behind the burial chamber, apparently so that in the future life the "princess of Ukok" would have the opportunity to build a yurt.

In the northern part of the grave pit, at a depth of 2.8 m, six horses were buried. Leather harness and leather ornaments have not been preserved, but numerous carved cedar bridle decorations have survived: cheek-pieces, hanging plaques, a neckpiece, etc .; found iron bits, felt covering of the saddle with appliqués, braided dyed woolen "braids" to decorate the saddle. Some wooden figurines were covered with gold foil. As in the tattoo of a woman, so in the adornments of horses, there are a lot of images of a lion griffin: cheek-pieces end with skillfully made griffin heads, a wooden decoration in the form of a three-dimensional griffin was attached to the forehead strap, they are also sewn in the form of multi-colored applications on the felt covering of the saddle. On the felt covering of the saddle of the fifth horse, with the help of appliqué, the whole composition is depicted - a tiger “torments” a deer. An identical image adorns the felt saddle of a horse from the First Pazyryk burial mound. Researchers suggest that there were leather “cliches” according to which the Pazyryks of different tribes reproduced the same scenes.

So, let's sum up. Tattoos, wigs for women were widely distributed among ordinary members of the tribe. In the grave inventory of all the Pazyryks, almost the same items were found as those of the “princess”, even gold foil on wooden jewelry was not something special. But embalming, the construction of a huge burial chamber, as well as a larch deck-crypt, along with the killing of six horses in rich decoration, already distinguish the Pazyryk woman from the general row. Add to this the found saucer with coriander and a luxurious silk shirt they were real treasures, and could only belong to the nobility or members of society with a high social status. Surprisingly, the solitary burial of a woman is typical for the Pazyryk people in ancestral burial grounds; in the “royal” Pazyryk burial mounds, women, as a rule, are buried together with men. Perhaps the “princess of Ukok” really was a “shaman” in her tribe, such people took a vow of celibacy, so we do not find the graves of Pazyryk men near her burial. One thing is certain: the found Pazyryk woman had a high social status in her tribe.

"Ukok Princess": Active tours with a visit to the object:

Plateau Ukok (4 days, 22000/27000 rubles, 4-10 people)
Excursion
The path of the Scythians of Altai. Ukok Plateau. (11 days, 68000 rubles, 1-12 people)