Perfect
Lake Kucherla, Altai Mountains
Photograph: Dmitry A. Mottl
Golden Earrring - Pazyryk Burial Mound
Princess Ukok
Siberian Ice Maiden Shoulder Tattoo
'Princess Ukok'
500 years before 'Christ'
tattoos
face-brush of horse hair
eye-liner pencil
long, wide woollen skirt (three horizontal sections)
colours of skirt sections:
- crimson (top)
- pinkish-yellowish (middle)
- rich Bordeaux (base)
woollen braided skirt belt
long, almost knee-length light over-shirt
round neck
red lace braid decoration
shirt garments made of silk
& almost identically to those found (now) Xinjiang province of China
design Chinese
but silk used not Chinese
silk possibly Indian or somewhere south of China
light fur kaftan-style coat
long narrow sleeves
shorter at the front
tail from behind
decorated with leather and fur patterns
patterns = images of animals
animals as symbolic guards
& to identify ethnic group membership
traditional Pazyryk patterns: lion & deer
on clothing & on decorative wall carpets
'Princess Ukok'
had a shaved head, with no hair
wore high, elaborate wig
that remains intact
base of the wig was a felt 'hat'
two layers of women's hair were sewn into felt
other black substance between layers
red braided decoration made from threads
bronze pin with a deer, standing on a sphere
deer was made from wood, and was covered in golden foil
giant feather, 68.5 cm long
made from felt and covered with black woollen fabric
with a stick inside, to stand upright
headdress worn at burial & accommodated by coffin
Pazyryk women - both of royal & lower status
shaved their heads, but not always entirely
therefore this is not a death ritual
women kept plaits of own shaved hair with horse hair extensions
linked to a universal understanding about hair
long hair contains magical powers
hypothesis: hair style changes linked to marriage or children or death
hair cutting symbolises the end of the previous life
Siberian peoples shaved women's hair to mark end of childbearing age
Such women were ready to travel to another world
Boots
high, above the knee, white felt 'tight' boots
decorated with patterns also made from felt
such boots worn by both Pazyryk men & women
as protection against the fierce cold
Coffin
made of hollowed out tree
Pazyryks were horsemen and women
dominated Altai region of southern Siberia, esp. 6th & 3rd Centuries BC
Ukok and her clan were fashion-conscious
clothing not merely utilitarian
Textiles
woollen textiles imported to Altai
source unknown
source of dyes is 3,000 km from Altai
Eastern Mediterranean
third dyeing ingredient: Iran, Mediterranean, China & India
second dyeing ingredient: Eastern Mediterranean
use of combinations of tree colourants
= very high culture of fabrics colouring by craftsmen
shades of red & purple
Ancient China
influenced Northern Barbarians
teaching them to use things eg. silk or massive bronze mirrors
contacts between Pazyryks & Chinese kingdoms well established
exchange or capture what they did not make themselves
example of early bridge b/w great ancient cultural fiefdoms
Pazyryks accepted & blended experiences & traditions
of two great ancient civilisations
fusion seen in clothes
Pazyryk example synthesis b/w east and west, several hundred years
before Alexander the Great's push for east-west melding
small scale synthesis mixing of cultures
mixing of Caucasian and Mongoloid
synthesis, on a small scale, fruitful
result: Gorniy Altai Pazyryk culture
Pazyryk burial horsemen costume = trousers
trousers considered by Greeks & Romans as 'barbaric'
Greeks & Romans did not accept or wear trousers
[lol ... I love trousers & hate skirts]
Pazyryk Warrior's Trousers
Pazyryk trousers: made of thick fabric / mixture of sheep & camel wool
trousers: red
Pazyryk Warrior's Coat
short sheepskin coat with no collar, with 'tail'
tailcoat mirrors the female dress
decorated with:
leather patterns
sable fur
black foal's hair
red coloured tufts of horse hair
coat had no buckles
x2 leather belts which held it together
- belt 1 = for bow case
- belt 2 = for warrior's knife & chisel
long sleeves, which could be tied up with a cord
became pockets to carry little things
source
http://siberiantimes.com/culture/others/features/fashion-and-beauty-secrets-of-a-2500-year-old-siberian-princess-from-her-permafrost-burial-chamber/
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