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Ice Mummies—Siberian Ice Maiden
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Program Overview
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NOVA follows archeologist Natalya Polosmok as she journeys to the
Altay Mountains in southern Siberia to search for traces of an
ancient people known as the Pazyryk.
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Polosmok and her team discover and unearth a wooden tomb
surrounded by the frozen remains of six horses, uncovering a
2,400-year-old woman dubbed the Siberian Ice Maiden.
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The Ice Maiden is buried alone, lying as if asleep, in a wood
coffin with a headdress and a mirror. An afterlife meal, a yak
horn vessel and a wooden table are also found outside the
coffin. Archeologists record the Ice Maiden's height, and
discover a hole in her skull and peat packed in her body.
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They use radiocarbon dating, tree-ring chronology and biological
testing to determine the age of the remains and time of death.
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The body is excavated and taken to Moscow for preservation and
facial reconstruction. Another mummy, and other skeletons, are
discovered elsewhere.
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The program concludes by raising the question of who has rights
to the ancient graves.
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