The Siberian Ice Maiden

The Siberian Ice Maiden

Whenever you think of mummies, the chances are you imagine the bandage wrapped Egyptian variety that Hollywood has been so enamored with since the 1930s. That is not the case with the Siberian Ice Maiden.

The Siberian Ice Maiden, however, is from the icy wastelands of Siberia.  She was discovered in 1993 by a team of Russian archaeologists led by Dr. Natalya Polosmak of Novosibirk’s Institute of Archeology and Ethnography.

Who was the Siberian Ice Maiden?

She was a high ranking member of the Pazyryk  people who lived roughly 2,500 years ago.  She would have been in her mid to late twenties when she died and was buried on the Ukok plateau, near the Chinese/Russian border

The Pazyryk people lived on the steppes of South Siberia.  They were a nomadic horsemen who spent their lives traveling with their families and herds.

They were a relatively advanced iron age people.  We know from their burial sites that they could build mechanically complex carts and were skilled metal workers and artists as is shown by many of the relics found in their tombs.  Many fine fabrics and cloths have been found woven with intricate designs.

We know from her tomb that this lady was one of the social elite, either a princess or a shamen.  She was buried wearing a fine silk blouse and a striped woolen skirt.  Silk was worn only by the elite of Pazyryk society.  She also wore a wig of human hair with an ornate golden decoration.

Another striking feature were the intricate tattoos of mythical creatures visible on her arm and shoulder.

How did she die?

When she was first discovered, no one was able to tell how she died as her brain and internal organs had been removed.

Technology improved as the years went on, and the remains were re-examined in 2010 by the Russian Academy of Sciences.  They used MRI images to discover that she had breast cancer, which had likely been the cause of her death.

She also had many broken bones and injuries associated with falling from a horse.  This probably happened in the last few months of her life as the cancer ravaged her leaving her frail and weak.

What was her burial like?

The Siberian Ice Princess had a burial to suite her social standing as a princess or priestess. She was buried alongside six horses who had been decked out with ornate gold bridals and sacrificed by a blow to the head with a pickaxe.

The photograph below is a reconstruction of the Ice Maiden’s tomb at the National Museum of the Altai Republic in Russia.

She had a satchel of makeup tied to her waist.  This contained pieces of a blue-green eyeliner pencil made of vivianite, a type of iron phosphate.

There was a table set for a feast, with plates of mutton which had been preserved by the ice.  The archeologists reported that the mutton was rotten and smelled bad.

Cannabis as medicine

She was buried with a quantity of cannabis, which many suspect she consumed as a pain relief for the cancer which took her life.

However, other cultures from the Russian steppes were known to consume cannabis either ceremonially or recreationally.  So this cannot be ruled out either.  She was a person of high social standing in her community, and may have been called upon to perform ceremonies or the like.

Cannabis and it’s derivatives are used today in the treatment of cancer.  From pain relief and restoring appetite, to compounds which have shown genuine promise in fighting tumors.  Research into this field is hindered by the illegality of cannabis in many countries still.