Pazyryk mounds of Altai

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

People have lived in Gorny Altai since time immemorial. They seemed to be attracted by these incredibly beautiful places with special energy. Until now, local residents say that the Altai land does not accept every person. After all, the most hidden traits of character are manifested here, and in some places of power the traveler can even see with his own eyes, as in a mirror, the reflection of his own fears and illusions. Not everyone succeeds in forgetting the experience, so many tourist routes are inaccessible to ordinary people. Even the locals will not take you for any money to some places, behind which the glory of bad lands stretches. This category includes numerous ancient burials, which are of great interest to historians and archaeologists. The fact is that many of the burial mounds and burial grounds have been preserved in very good condition and can give the world a huge number of unique exhibits. One of the most mysterious burial grounds of Altai is the Pazyryk kurgans. Scientists became interested in them back in Soviet times, and until now, the finds extracted from the ground by archaeologists are considered unique and are being studied by various specialists. Today we will tell you in detail about the Pazyryk burial mounds, their location and how you canget to these amazing historical monuments of ancient culture.

Brief information about burial grounds

Scientists and local residents claim that the Pazyryk mounds are the burial places of the ancient tribes of the Scythian period. Historians date the cemeteries to around the fourth or fifth century BC. It was during this period that Gorny Altai was inhabited by a large number of nomadic tribes, whose cultural traditions are still a mystery to specialists, despite the abundance of excavated burial grounds.

Unfortunately, not all finds from the Pazyryk mounds have survived to our times. The Hermitage today stores the most valuable exhibits brought from Siberia, but many of them were lost due to improper storage during excavations, which was “helped” by wild animals and local residents. The purpose and skillful execution of some items impressed archaeologists and historians so much that they even introduced such a special term as "Pazyryk culture", about which very little is known.

Pazyryk mounds are five mounds located near the village of Balyktuyul in the Pazyryk tract. The settlement is separated from the burial grounds by about four and a half kilometers, so local residents are often forced to pass and pass by ancient burial sites. This path does not give them any pleasure, moreover, it is associated with a number of anomalous phenomena, the description of which we will devote one of the sections of the article. It is noteworthy that there are a lot of ancient cultural monuments around the village,time turned into the sights of the tract. In addition to the burial mounds, the Aragola irrigation system is of great interest to tourists and scientists.

We think that even from such a brief description you could understand that the place we are going to tell you about today is truly unusual and has an incredibly strong energy.

Features of mounds

Photos of the Pazyryk mounds, which can be found on the Internet, immediately show that these burials are extremely interesting. Almost all of them are located in pairs in the north of the tract. The fourth burial ground is an exception, it stands apart from all groups and is located at a fairly large distance from them.

Interestingly, the name of the tract in translation from the Tuvan language means "barrow", so the phrase "Pazyryk mounds" is a tautology.

Four years ago, the burial grounds were given under the jurisdiction of the museum-reserve. Ak Cholupsha Natural Park occupies vast territories, which include settlements and historical monuments, many of which have no similarity anywhere else in the world.

For a long time, a project was being developed to build a museum directly near the burial mounds. But all the time, serious obstacles arose in the way of enthusiasts, so it was decided to open a museum in the regional center. The main reason for the abandonment of the original project was the lack of water at the burial grounds and the long distance to large settlements. It is easy to guess that the museum staff would not be able to agree to work and live where they once found their resting place. Pazyryk culture.

Research of burial grounds

Excavations of the Pazyryk mounds began in the twenty-ninth year of the last century. Literally after the first days of work, the burials began to be called “royal”, because the number of objects found simply amazed archaeologists. Despite the fact that the local population was categorically against the excavations and considered it sacrilege, research continued for twenty years.

In the process of work, household items, jewelry, vehicles, mummified bodies of horses and people were brought to light. It is noteworthy that the mummies were in such good condition that the ritual drawings applied during their lifetime perfectly showed through. Scientists managed to sketch almost all unique tattoos. Items brought from Persia, as well as jewelry made from small shells, which cannot be found on the territory of Altai, were found in the Pazyryk burial mounds.

Interestingly, all five mounds were plundered before the start of scientific work, but the archaeologists were lucky. The layer of permafrost hid from marauders a huge number of unique items, which, after the inventory, were almost immediately sent to the Hermitage.

Pazyryk burial mounds are also known for the fact that horse burials were found in them, which were preserved in excellent condition. On some of them, scientists found leather masks with horns and elements of harness. Unfortunately, many mummified animal bodies were eaten by wild animals after being removed from the burial site intact.

Appearancebarrows

At the very beginning of the research work on the Pazyryk mounds, scientists were struck by the fact how thoroughly the ancient tribes approached the burial of their relatives.

Also, archaeologists could not fail to note the truly gigantic size of the burial grounds. The diameter of the embankments, made of large stones, ranges from twenty to fifty meters. Burial grounds rise an average of five meters above the ground, there are mounds and lower ones - up to two meters. The burial ground itself goes seven meters underground, while the burial chamber in some cases reaches fifty square meters. It is hard to even imagine how such monumental structures were built in those distant times.

It is not known whether unique objects from these burial grounds would have survived to our times, if not for thieves. Having opened the mound, they started the processes that led to the formation of vast layers of permafrost. Thanks to this, scientists were even able to prove that the geometric ornaments in the objects of the Pazyryk burial mounds are very similar to the patterns found on the Ukok plateau. Some experts believe that they were made by the same master, despite the fact that the mounds are separated by a distance of one hundred and fifty kilometers.

Device of the grave pit

After excavations in all five burial grounds, the scientists came to the conclusion that the representatives of the Pazyryk culture paid special attention to the construction and arrangement of the grave chamber. At a depth of at least five meters, they erected log cabins from thick logs. Sometimesthe burial chamber even had double walls and a ceiling covered with lots of dried plants.

The inner chamber usually had a height of no more than one and a half meters, in which archaeologists discovered sarcophagi. They were carved from a single piece of wood. This was done with a small bronze hatchet. The sarcophagus was usually richly decorated with images of animals, most often roosters and deer.

Mystical significance of plants in burials

Usually builders put Kuril tea, larch and birch bark on the roof of the funeral "house". Scientists have found that they had a sacred meaning for the nomadic tribes of Altai. For example, the birch symbolized eternal purity, but the larch was considered a special tree that connects two worlds - the light heavenly and the dark underground. Thanks to the bark of this tree, the dead could easily pass to another world.

The Mystery of the Fifth Mound

The fifth Pazyryk burial mound, the last discovered by archaeologists, is considered one of the most unique. Two mummies were found in his burial chamber. A man and a woman were buried, the approximate age of the deceased does not exceed forty years.

The bodies of noble members of the tribe are very well preserved, not only thanks to the permafrost, but also due to careful processing after death. Presumably, the man was a noble warrior during his lifetime and his skin is almost completely covered with tattoos. The woman could be his wife or concubine. This is evidenced by the rich decoration of the sarcophagus and the remains of clothes sewn from cotton fabric and fur.

Method of mummification

Thanks to the found bodies, scientists were able to figure out how shamans and ancient doctors mummified the bodies of the nobility. First of all, they made a small hole in the skull of the deceased and removed the brain from it with special tools. Instead, dried fragrant herbs were placed in the skull.

The body was cut open, it was completely deprived of internal organs, tendons and muscles. After these manipulations, the empty space was filled with herbs and sewn up with horsehair.

In order to prevent the smell of rotting flesh from spreading around the mounds, a large dish filled with hemp seeds was placed next to the sarcophagi. They absorbed all the unpleasant odors. In the fifth barrow, this dish was found covered with a thin silk cloth.

The most unique finds of the barrow

The burial ground, discovered last, is known not only for two well-preserved human mummies, but also for other unique finds that reveal the culture of the nomadic tribes of the Scythian period.

Behind the walls of the log house, archaeologists were able to discover the burial places of several horses. According to some reports, there were originally fourteen of them. Surprisingly, in addition to the well-preserved harness, scientists found harness, leather masks, drags and a chariot intact. Some horse carcasses were classified as a short Mongolian breed.

Historians were of great interest to two carpets, which were well preserved until the discovery of the barrow. The first presumablymade by Pazyryk craftsmen. It covered the walls of the burial chamber and was made of white felt. It was notable for bright appliqués, on one of the fragments a fairy-tale character, which combines the features of a person and several animals (some of them were not found in the Altai Mountains), fought with a Phoenix.

Another carpet is piled and is considered one of the most ancient and valuable exhibits. It is made in the knotted form of knitting and brought from Persia. Such finds have not yet been made in Altai.

Pazyryk culture

Surprisingly, scientists still do not know how this culture appeared, where it came from and how long it lasted. Some historians believe that the Pazyryks came to Altai from Western Asia and maintained strong trade relations with various tribes.

According to some data, they existed as a single people for no more than fifty years and then completely dissolved among the locals. Other scientists claim that the Pazyryk culture lasted in Altai for more than two hundred years.

Where are the finds from the Pazyryk kurgans (Altai)?

If you find yourself in the Hermitage, be sure to look into the department of primitive culture. It is here that the most valuable specimens brought from burial grounds are exhibited.

Also, several items are in the local history museums of two cities: Biysk and Gorno-Altaisk. Of course, there is no too rich exposition here, but nevertheless the exhibits will give an opportunity to appreciate the uniqueness of a civilization that has sunk into oblivion.

Road tobarrows

Those who plan to go next summer to inspect the burial grounds, it is best to start their journey from Biysk. From here you need to go along the Chuisky tract, the distance is just over five hundred kilometers.

At Aktash village, travelers should turn left to Ulagan. Then the road goes to Balyktuyul, and from there it is no more than fifty kilometers to go to the Pazyryk burial mounds. Tourists can navigate by signs.

Anomalies of mounds

Of course, a lot of people come here, but do not forget that the locals always warn about the anomaly of the mounds. Often, cars stall in front of them, and the horses refuse to go further, marking time, sometimes for several hours. It is impossible to make an animal or a car move at such moments. After a while, everything passes, and the travelers continue their journey as if nothing had happened.

Often locals see a tall and sad woman in rich robes wandering around mounds lamenting their destruction. And sometimes, before the eyes of eyewitnesses, a red-haired beauty appears, emerging directly from the burial ground. It flies easily over the graves and disappears in a flash of bright light.

Who knows what these ghosts are. Perhaps it was their bodies that were once buried here, and modern historians and archaeologists are still trying to uncover their secrets.