Natalia Polosmak is a Russian archaeologist. She works for the Department of Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Akademgorodok, Russia. Polosmak's specialty is Eurasian Nomads, specializing in the Pazyryk period conducting many excavations in the Alti mountains.
Polosmak is most famous for her discovery in 1993 of what is commonly referred to as the 'Siberian Ice Maiden.' The Ice Maiden was discovered on the Ukok Plateau, where the four countries of China, Russia, Kazikstan, and Mongolia meet. The mummy is a fifth-century B.C. Ukok priestess.
Her attire included an elaborate head dress, thigh-length riding boots and a long woolen dress colored with red insect dye. She was also adorned with many tattoos which include deer, griffins and mystical animals. "The Scythians had no written culture, so we can only guess at the significance of these beasts," said Polosmak. "The tattoos may contain some kind of code. They may say something about her life."
Most spectacular of all was the extraordinary headgear worn by the woman, who died when she was about 25 years old. On her head was a wooden hair grip supporting a tall plume of felt decorated with abstract patterns and animals. (Campbell) Other things found in the priestesses tomb was a silver mirror, wooden trays and bowls that held koumiss, and a koumiss beater, which according to Polosmak, was the most sacred object associated with female Priestesses. (Lettrick) Lying around the Ice Maiden's ceremonial tomb, were six of her horses sacrificed for the occasion. The Ice Maiden had been laid to rest in the "Pastures of Heaven" high in the Altai mountains of Siberia. The Ice Maiden now resides in Moscow were they are preserving her.
Campbell, Matthew. Ice Maiden Of The Steppes. World Press Review, v41 n6 p40-1, June 1994
Former Link, http://www.csen.org/publications/article%20review.html, (2006)
Polosmak, Natalya. "A Mummy Unearthed From The Pastures Of Heave:" p80-103, National Geographic, October 1994
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