In the place where the borders of 4 countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China) cross, on the territory of Altai there is a unique Ukok plateau. It is famous for the fact that there are several ancient burial mounds. When studying one of them in 1993, a girl's mummy was discovered, in which the local residents immediately recognized the Princess of Altai. But after the burial was disturbed, the calm life of the Altai ended. The old-timers are sure that this Princess is taking revenge on them for not being able to protect her.
Who is "Princess Ukok"
The approximate age of the girl at the time of death was 25 years old, the cause of death was cancer. The burial is at least 2.5 thousand years old. From the excavations it was clear that she was from a noble family, although it was unlikely that she was actually a princess.
The deck, which contained the body of the buried, was filled with ice, so her remains are well preserved. It turned out to be possible to restore the appearance of the bones of the skull.
An excavated burial ground in which archaeologists found a woman's mummy.
On the hands are tattoos depicting a griffin, a mythological winged creature. Scientists believe that this was not a simple decoration, the tattoos had a sacred meaning. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, wrote about the places where "vultures guarding gold" live. It is possible that he meant the Altai lands.
Tattoo on the shoulder of "Princess Ukok".
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Among the old-timers, there is still a belief that souls who have left this world turn into vultures and fly to heaven. The ancestors of the Altaians, they believe, and during their lifetime knew how to turn into winged creatures. The old people are sure that this is not just a girl, but the patroness of Altai. And shamans say that she is the progenitor of the Altai peoples, and even call her name - Ak-Kadyn.
All tattoos on a woman's body.
How life changed in Altai after excavations
This was a truly significant find for scientists. But the locals did not share the joy of the archaeologists. Indeed, according to them, the old-timers knew very well about the mound, but never even thought of disturbing the ancient spirits and thereby causing their anger.
Artistic reconstruction of the burial.
The old men immediately warned the scientists that it is better not to disturb the peace of the ancestor of the Altaians, Ochi-bala (White Lady), as the locals called her. The name "Princess Ukok" came into use from the hands of journalists. According to the recollections of the archaeologists themselves, the trouble began as soon as the deck with the mummy was discovered. In the middle of a clear sky, thunder struck, and when they began to remove the mummy from the burial ground, an earthquake began. After the delivery of the remains to Novosibirsk, the 1993 putsch broke out in the country, followed by a protracted economic crisis. And even the first war in Chechnya in 1995 is also associated with the curse of the Altai Princess, because it was at this time that the mummy was opened for a public demonstration.
On the Altai lands, which were previously prosperous, many unpleasant events also began to occur. After the earthquake of 1993, a phenomenon quite rare for these places, there was a massive death of livestock, the cause of which could not be determined by either veterinarians or agricultural workers. The animals did not get sick, but literally burned out in one day.
Arrival of the mummy at the Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology.
The Altaians considered themselves to be guilty of what was happening: they did not save, did not interfere with the excavations, allowed interference on their native land. After finding and until 2012, the mummy stayed in the museum of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Siberian branch), located in the Novosibirsk Academgorodok. Having decided to correct the situation as much as possible, the local residents insisted, and the remains were returned to Altai.
Mummy in Gorno-Altaysk at the Museum. Anokhin.
Since September 2012, the remains have been stored in the city of Gorno-Altaysk, in the new hall of the National Museum named after Anokhin, erected for their storage. The mummy was placed in a sarcophagus with special equipment that controls and maintains a special regime of temperature and humidity. A special annex was built for the exhibit, where the climatic conditions necessary for the greater safety of the mummy were prepared.
But the shamans insist that the Princess must be returned back to the mound. Some even claim that she herself says so, that they hear her voice demanding to give her peace. Until she is in her place, where her ancestors left, there will be no rest for the inhabitants of Altai.
Art doll "Princess Ukok" with maximum ethnographic authenticity from Ekaterina Shardakova.
Despite all the efforts of the Altaians, scientists do not agree with their arguments. After all, if you return the mummy to the place where it was found, the remains will not be saved.
