LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: The study of race from skulls is obviously enormously complex and a very volatile issue. Today we have a whole battery of scientific approaches to study biological variation. RNA and DNA is perhaps the most precise. It's a new weapon in our artillery to try to determine degrees of biological variation.
NARRATOR: DNA is now being used to study the Pazyryk. At this lab, genes from ancient tissue are compared with genes from modern day groups. Research with tissue from a number of burials suggests that the Pazyryk were ethnically diverse. Within even one tribe, some individuals were more European, others more Mongolian. Regardless of the genetics, the people of the Altay identify themselves with the ancient Pazyryk. They are bound together by a homeland and a common culture. They will always see the Ice Maiden as their ancestor. And with political changes in this part of the world they now have the power to determine her fate.
ERIKNOVA: She has to return to the Altay—to her motherland. She belongs to our culture.
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...NARRATOR: In the 5th Century B.C. the Scythian World stretched eastward from the Black Sea over the vast steps of Europe and Asia, right into the mountains of Siberia. Though they left no written records, their exploits were chronicled by the Greek historical Herodotus. He wrote of warriors so fierce they would drink from the skulls of their victims. Such gruesome tales, told by a foreign observer, were long considered fiction. But archaeologists now see truth in much of his writing.
LAMBERG-KARLOVSKY: Herodotus mentions that when a person died the group would carry the deceased on wagons to sacred burial grounds. He refers to them in some instances of traveling for weeks to that place. It's interesting to note that in the high Altay Mountains there are literally thousands of burials. It looks as if it may have been a sacred burial area precisely at the time that Herodotus was speaking of.
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...POLOSMAK: This costume is one of the oldest pieces of female clothing ever found from a nomadic society. Nothing has to be reconstructed. We have a complete outfit right down to the belt. It's an amazingly rare find in the history of archaeology.
NARRATOR: Her blouse raised an intriguing puzzle. It was made of silk, which no doubt came from another region.
POLOSMAK: In nomadic cultures, including the Pazyryks, silk was precious. It was an emblem of wealth and prestige, and it's found in the burial mound of only the richest and most notable figures.
NARRATOR: How had a remote Siberian tribe obtain such exotic material? In Switzerland, at an institute known for restoring ancient textiles, researchers examine the Ice Maiden's clothing. They tried to determine where the silk for her blouse originated. There are two types of silk. One from domesticated silk worms, and the other from worms that live in the wild. Domestic silk, when magnified, appears to have round fibers.
SCHORTA: The blouse of the Ice Maiden was certainly not made of domesticated silk, and probably it was really wild silk, tussah silk, because you have here really larger fiber which are much thicker and more ribbon-like and have a surface which is a little bit ribbed. What's interesting is that we know from China at this period only about domesticated silk. So it might point to the fact that the silk of the blouse doesn't come from China, but perhaps from another area, and India actually be a strong candidate.
NARRATOR: A link with India suggests that the Pazyryk trade routes stretched across vast areas of Asia. The most valuable commodity the Pazyryk might have traded were top quality horses. The importance of the horse to their own culture was immeasurable. Caring for the herds probably forced them to lead semi-nomadic lives—like many people of the Altay today. In the summer, these horsemen keep their herds in low-lying areas. But come winter, they move to the cold high plateaus where strong winds sweep the ground of snow and animals can graze. A nomadic way of life is evident in artifacts found in the Ice Maiden's tomb, and recorded in these drawings by Natalia's team. Outside the coffin was a vessel made of yak horn, and a wooden table still bearing mutton.
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:vZNmMUeOFb4J:www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcri...
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