Lifestyle+and+Times+of+the+Pazyryk

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** Lifestyle and Times of the Pazyryk **

The discovery of the preserved Pazyryk bodies and the artefacts with which they were buried has been able to provide an insight into many aspects of the life and times of the people belonging to this ancient nomadic tribe.

**Religious Practices and Beliefs**

The Pazyryk bodies were preserved in part due to the deliberate embalming of them by their fellow tribesmen. This practice not only meant that they were kept in an unchanged state for thousands of years, but in itself it reveals much about the religious practices and beliefs of these people. In this region of the world the ground is covered in permafrost for long durations during the colder months, so burial is impossible until summer. This means that anyone who died in winter would have to wait months to be buried, being carried around with their wandering tribe. Wouldn’t it have been much easier to dispose of the bodies in some other way? Couldn’t the Pazyryks have cremated their dead instead? They could have, however they chose to wait and embalm the deceased nobles (according to Rudenko only those of noble birth were embalmed) and give them a complete burial. The act of embalming suggests a strong belief in some sort of afterlife, as it aims to keep the person in a recognisable, unchanging state. Therefore, this practice/process can be seen as evidence of the Pazyryks belief in life after death and the importance of reaching this new world.

These discoveries have uncovered other evidence of this belief. For example, the position of the Icemaiden’s body was laid to appear like she was sleeping. Also, she was buried with essentials for her life on earth, among them six horses and a final meal, as were the other bodies. This reflects what they believed the nature of the afterlife was – reflecting that on Earth, to some extent. What’s more, the tombs were sealed, ensuring that the soul could not escape and would be able to pass on.



Sacrifice was a significant part of their religious practises, as is evident in the remains of the horses found in the tombs of multiple Pazyryk ice mummies. Their skulls showed that they were killed with an axe. It is also important to note that the teeth of the horses are worn, indicating their older age. This is significant because it indicates that whilst religious practises were a vital part of Pazyryk culture, they were a highly practical society – younger horses were required for travelling and other tasks, whereas older ones would soon become a burden.

**Foreign Contacts**

The artefacts found in the Pazyryk tombs in particular reveal information about the contacts of this tribe with other ancient peoples. A key piece of evidence is the silk blouse of the Icemaiden. Whilst it was generally thought that the Pazyryk obtained their silk from China, recent Swiss scientific research suggests that this may not be the case. The silk that was produced in ancient China came from domesticated silk worms, whereas that of the Icemaiden’s blouse was produced from wild silk worms. India is known to have produced this sort of silk, so a there is the possibility of a link between this society and the Pazyryks. If this is the case, the trading routes of the Pazyryk were evidently quite extensive. A vessel made of yak horn and dishes containing gifts of coriander seeds were found near the Icemaiden's coffin. These suggest that the trade routes of the Pazyryk covered vast expanses across Asia. .



**Time period**

Scientific techniques such as radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology and biological testing have been used to date the Icemaiden's remains and determine time of death. These methods have concluded that she, and her tribe, lived in the area around 2500 years ago. Furthermore, the burial of the Icemaiden can be dated to the second half of June, within a thirty year time bracket. Evidence of this time of year is in the horses she was buried with, whose stomachs were preserved. There is a particular type of horse fly that lays its eggs on the skin of a horse. These eggs are licked off and therefore the larvae hatch inside the horses’ stomach, where it lives usually until the second half of June.

**Lifestyle**

The nomadic, practical nature of the Pazyryk is reflected in the everyday artefacts that were recovered in the discovery of the preserved remains. For example many of the artefacts showed signs of wear, tear, repair and reuse, indicating that they were not crafted specifically for the burial. This may mean that they did not have the time or space to manufacture items that were not essential, instead choosing to use old items as burial goods. Also found in the Icemaiden’s tomb was a small table with removable, collapsible legs – a table that is easily portable, particularly on horseback. This is solid evidence of the nomadic, constantly moving Pazyryk culture. The presence of horses in many of the Pazyryk tombs suggest that these animals were highly valued and an essential item. This tells us that horses were of great importance and often used in the every day lives of the people of this ancient tribe.

**Technologies**

The Pazyryk artefacts that were found also tell us a lot about the technologies, particularly those relating to craftsmanship, of this tribe. They show that materials such as wood (coffin, jug and tables), silk (clothes), bronze, silver (both used for decorated hand mirrors), yak's horn (vessel) etc. were accessible and were used. The shape of the artefacts display their capabilities in terms of cutting and creating different shaped objects. The red dye in the Icemaiden's clothing has been proven to have been created using beetles.

**Roles of Women**

 The discovery of the Ice Maiden and the other Pazyryk bodies can provide some idea of the roles and places of women in Pazyryk society. According to Rudenko (the twentieth century Russian archaeologist) only the nobility/those that were highly respected were given such a burial. By this rule, the Icemaiden was presumably a respected woman in a high position of the social hierarchy. Other evidence to support this conclusion is the metre tall headdress that she was wearing, the impressive size of which is important as it indicates her status. Suggestions for her occupation include priestess, storyteller (which was very important in a society with no written history) or just an elite member of society.



<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The bodies found by Rudenko in the 1920s reflect a different aspect of the roles of women. Alongside the men, women were buried - women who had been sacrificed. Natalia Polosmak calls these women concubines. This shows that women were often not treated as being of equal status to men, as here they have been forced to die simply to accompany a man into the afterlife.