Remains of mysterious Siberian ‘warrior child’ unwrapped

A CHILD warrior from a forgotten medieval world has been unearthed from Siberia’s permafrost, providing a glimpse of a strange new civilisation.

Warrior child ... The mummified remains of a child belonging to a mysterious Siberian culture have been unwrapped. Source: Siberian Times

A CHILD warrior from a forgotten medieval world has been unearthed from Siberia’s permafrost, providing a glimpse of a strange new civilisation.

When archaeologists stumbled upon the tightly wrapped bundle buried among the mysterious Zeleny Yar necropolis on the Yamal Peninsula last month, they didn’t know what to expect.

As the layers wood, fur and metal are gently prised apart, the mummified body of a “noble child warrior” — no older than seven — is coming to light.

According to the Siberian Times, the child had been particularly well interred in a manner very different to other remains recovered at the necropolis since excavations began in 2002.

Lifting the lid ... The birch-bark coffin surrounding the tightly bundled mummy. Source: Siberian Times

Elaborate farewell

The young boy’s body was cocooned in a birch bark casket after being tightly bundled in reindeer hide. Neatly wrapped with him were funerary offering which archaeologists hope will provide new clues to the mysterious culture to which the boy belonged — an unknown people living on the Arctic Circle with distinct ties to Persia.

Alexander Gusev, research fellow at the Centre for the Study of the Arctic, told The Siberian Times that it was just an assumption at this stage that the remains were that of a boy.

First layer ... the copper plates wrapped neatly between the hide bindings. Source: Siberian Times

“We suppose it was a boy because we have found small bronze axe with the body, and some sharp tool, which we cannot identify yet,” he said. Only one female — a young girl — has so far been found among the necropolis’ burials.

“’This was not some poor boy … not from the lower strata of society,” Dr Gusev said.

“We did the MRI scan first and … saw that the body was almost fully mummified, thanks to copper — or bronze — plates.”

As a result, a careful autopsy was undertaken in order to reveal what lay beneath.

Death mask ... The shaped copper plate found resting over the boy’s face. Source: Siberian Times

Unwrapping the ages

“The body was wrapped in two layers of fur, one layer is reindeer hide, with long and stiff hair,” Dr Gusev said. “The other layer is softer, we will be able to say more clearly which animal it was after the analysis.”

A bronze bear-shaped pendant was found between the two layers of fur, along with a child-sized axe and bronze rings.

The metal plates covered the face, chest, abdomen and groin. They had been tied together with leather cords.

The mummified child is carefully removed from its wraps. Source: Siberian Times

It was the copper in these plates — combined with the permafrost — which unintentionally combined to preserve the body. Only the boys’ right hand and his legs escaped the accidental mummification.

“If we compare this with previous child burials on this site, we can see some things in common. For example, all the children were wrapped in fur and had no other clothes,” archeologist Natalia Fyodorova said.

“Still, this burial differs. First of all, other children were buried in a wooden sarcophagus, but here we some oval wooden construction. The other difference is that here we can see many things buried with this child — axe, pendant, bronze rings. It is not typical.”

Preserved ... The remains of the noble boy, accidentally preserved by the copper plates and permafrost. Source: Siberian Times

Necropolis of mysteries

Excavators have so far found 34 shallow graves at the site which dates from 1282 years ago. Eleven of the bodies had smashed or missing skulls.

Five of the bodies had been buried with copper plates and masks. One was the single female child, and three masked male infants.

The only adult buried with copper plates was a red-headed man who was also interred with a hatchet and a head buckle containing the image of a bear.

Some of the artefacts recovered from the necropolis include bronze bowls manufactured in Persia, some 6000km to the south.

Big red ... The remains of the red-headed male warrior and the copper plates he was buried with. Source: Siberian Times