2 103 1 A The Pazyryk valley is one of many river valleys in the Altai region, an area of mountainous open steppe with larch, fir and scrub vegetation, with many patches of scree. The seasonal grasses and plants provide excellent pastures.
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40 101 5 A The bodies of nine sacrificed horses were arranged around the burial chamber. Four were draught animals, the rest for riding. Details of their hooves show that most of the horses that were kept periodically experienced food shortages, but that the geldings for riding were always carefully nourished.
41 102 5 B A four-wheeled wooden chariot with a canopy of felt and twigs
45 102 5 C Part of wooden trolley with solid wooden wheels.
46 103 5 D Saddle, bridle and head-dress with decorative crest were placed beside each horse.
43 102 5 E A large felt wall hanging with a repeated design of a goddess on her throne and a rider before her.
44 102 5 F A Chinese embroidered cloth made of silk, depicting phoenixes, used to cover the saddle cloth.
51 104 5 G
50 104 5 H
52 102 5 I Felt cushion stuffed with deer hair.
48 102 5 J A coffin hollowed out from the trunk of a larch tree decorated with cut-out leather pieces in the shape of deer.
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54 101 6 A A burial shaft was cut into the ground during the summer or autumn when the ground was not frozen. @ About 13 ft (4 m) below ground a burial chamber was built of logs, with an outer chamber of massive timbers. Grave offerings occur both in the chamber and in the shaft around it. The shaft above the tomb chamber was filled up with rocks and logs. A stone cairn was erected over the top of the shaft.@ Condensation and rain caused lenses of frozen ground to develop within the mound, preserving some of the organic materials. Holes dug into the chamber by tomb robbers, within about fifty years of the burials, also filled with water and froze. Excavators of these frozen tombs in the mid 19th century used fire to thaw the graves before they could dig into them. More recent archaeologists have poured buckets of hot water over the frozen soil for the same purpose.
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36 105 8 A
59 102 8 B Large felt wall hanging.
61 105 8 C
60 102 8 D Four-wheeled wooden chariot with a canopy of felt and twigs.
57 102 8 E Part of wooden trolley with solid wooden wheels.
58 101 8 F The bodies of nine sacrificed horses were arranged around the burial chamber. Four were draught animals, the rest for riding. Details of their hooves show that most of the horses kept periodically experienced food shortages, but that the geldings for riding were always carefully nourished.
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14 102 10 A A spherical wooden vessel with an iron mount on its handle coated in gold leaf, supported by a felt ring.
16 103 10 B A small wooden mug.
12 103 10 C Wooden pillow.
10 104 10 D
9 102 10 E Embalmed body of a man aged about 60, his arms, legs and torso elaborately tattooed.
7 102 10 F Set of apparatus for inhaling hemp smoke.
17 103 10 G A stone oil lamp on four feet, in which fat was burnt for light.
6 104 10 H
15 102 10 I A large bottle of handmade pottery decorated with cocks cut out of leather. Such vessels probably contained koumiss (fermented mare's milk).
8 102 10 J A small leather pouch sealed by a flap on to which a decoration of little copper birds was sewn. It contained coriander seeds, imported from further south and probably used for medicinal purposes.
19 102 10 K A man's shirt woven of hemp decorated with red woollen braid. This was worn with breeches as can be seen in artwork, but no examples of such breeches have survived.
18 102 10 L A drum made of horn.
13 102 10 M Stool of wood with a leather and cat fur covering.
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28 102 11 A A short female caftan with narrow decorated sleeves, made of squirrel skin with the fur turned in. Part of an accompanying squirrel and sable fur apron trimmed with otter fur survived.
32 102 11 B A female hood of leather from a black colt, decorated with cut-out leather cocks.
27 102 11 C Woman's soft, wavy black hair arranged in pigtails.
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25 104 11 E
30 105 11 F
31 102 11 G Felt stockings for a man, decorated with a felt band.
23 105 11 H
24 102 11 I Low table on which offerings of food - goat and horse meat - were placed. People seated on mats on the ground would have eaten off such tables.
22 102 11 J Cannabis seeds in a flat circular flask of leather decorated with a leather cut-out design showing a griffin attacking a grouse.
29 102 11 K A caftan of sable fur decorated with applied leather cut outs and gold discs.
27 102 11 L Woman's soft, wavy black hair arranged in pigtails.
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34 101 12 A Seven horses, killed with a poleaxe, were arranged in the shaft to the north of the burial chamber. Horse breeding was a key activity in the lives of these people.
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-1 101 1 Z The Pazyryk valley is one of many river valleys in the Altai region, an area of mountainous open steppe with larch, fir and scrub vegetation, with many patches of scree. The seasonal grasses and plants provide excellent pastures.
