This blonde woman, genetically unrelated to the indigenous Altai people, died 25 centuries ago at the age of 25. As legend has it, she took her death voluntarily to cover the gates of evil, and if you disturb her eternal sleep, the world will be in dire straits. Indeed, as soon as archaeologists came across a coffin with a mummy, a thunder blazed out of the clear sky, the body was barely removed from the sarcophagus - the earthquake began.
Unexpected find.
In the summer of 1993, archaeologists excavated a mound on the Altai plateau of Ukok. It was the burial of a Karakobinian warrior, which, however, was plundered in ancient times. Only 2 clay vessels, 2 rusty knives, and 3 horse skeletons remained on the share of scientists. They had already decided to curtail the expedition when suddenly the shovel of one of them stumbled upon something solid. And then there was the most interesting thing - the log cabin, the frozen ground. And it meant that archaeologists found a burial place untouched by robbers. The burial chamber was opened for several days, gradually melting the ice, trying not to damage the contents.
Under the protection of six horses.
When the painstaking work was finished, the scientists saw a larch sarcophagus decorated with leather applications depicting deer. Behind its northern wall lay the remains of 6 horses. In front of the sarcophagus was a dish on which lay a piece of meat with a bronze knife stuck in it, there were also vessels of wood, horns, and ceramics. And in the sarcophagus itself was the body of a woman, almost untouched by smoldering.
She was tall, about 170 centimeters tall, wearing a silk shirt and a red-and-white woolen skirt. On her belt, there was a purse with cosmetic accessories and a silver mirror in a wooden frame. There are high felt boots on the legs and gold earrings in the ears. Her head was decorated with a 90-centimeter wig made of horsehair. Her hands were covered with skillful tattoos, and next to her there was a bowl of coriander seeds. Archaeologists immediately called her a "princess".
The world of spirits next to her - the door was unlocked.
As soon as archaeologists extracted the mummy from the sarcophagus, strange phenomena began to appear in nature. In addition to the thunderstorm and a light earthquake, the engines of the cars, which were at the disposal of scientists, failed. And when the expedition together with the findings were evacuated home on two helicopters, the "iron butterfly" with the "princess" on board had to make an emergency landing - one of the engines was stalled. Researchers had to drive to Novosibirsk.
Having learned about the discovery, some residents of the Altai Mountains began to demand that excavations be banned and the mummy be reburied. They said the scientists found the body of "Princess Kadyn", the ancestor of the Altai people. The stick of larch found in her hands, as the natives said, was a ritual symbol. Such sticks in pre-Buddhist times were considered a tool of "creation of the world" and were put into the hands of the highest divine persons. And the high headdress with gold plaits of complex shapes indicates the magical power, which, according to ancient beliefs, kept the secret of immortality.
Native Altaians are convinced that the princess is their ancestor, and archaeologists, disturbing her ashes, angry powerful spirits. Shortly after the excavation, the Altaians directly associate the earthquake with this fact and call for the return of the mummy, otherwise, new cataclysms will follow. It is said that after it was taken away, forest fires and hurricanes became more frequent, and the incidence of disease began to rise noticeably.
But scientists were completely indifferent to the opinion of the Altaians. They began to study the discovery: determined the approximate age of the mummy - about 2500 years, began its restoration and conducted a genetic analysis. The results of the latter were disappointing: in the veins of the Altai princess was not a drop of blood of Mongoloid race! And the features of her face, which scientists managed to restore, were Caucasoid. This gave the researchers the right to claim that the mummy found had nothing to do with Altai. Its ancestors could have been the European tribes, which lived much north of Altai. The tattoo on the woman's hands was of particular interest. She depicted the so-called Altai griffin: a deer with a beak of a griffin, horns of a deer and a goatee. Rich clothes and this drawing led researchers to the idea that the girl buried in the mound could be a priestess.
to be continued in the next part...