The rich woman was buried in a stone tomb with rings, bracelets and many large bronze jewelry.
A woman’s remains have been in a tomb for nearly 3,000 years. Photo: Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology and Ethnography
Scientists discovered the stone tomb of a wealthy woman wearing bronze jewelry made between 2,700 and 2,900 years ago in Khakassia, southern Siberia, Siberian Times reported on September 17. The grave is only about 75 cm deep. The remains were placed on their backs, with their heads facing southeast.
Near the woman’s feet there was a bronze knife along with the shoulder bone and front leg of a large animal. Meanwhile, a ceramic vase is placed right next to the head. The woman’s wrist wears a large copper bracelet with checkered decoration. The four fingers of the left hand also wear large rings, each ring has two pearl-shaped copper decorations.
Each side of the skull has three temple rings (a type of jewelry worn near the temples of women, usually made of base metal) and two triangular decorative copper pieces. Archaeologists also found a round bronze disc 9 cm in diameter and 8 small bronze buttons near the right elbow.
The woman belonged to the Karasuk culture (Kamennolozhsky period), characterized by virtuosic skills that allowed for high-quality bronze making. The group of scientists believes that she did not wear this jewelry when she was alive. They were made by a skilled craftsman to accompany her to the afterlife.
“Typically, we will see minor scratches or other marks on an item being used. We will check further when we return to the lab, but through preliminary research, all page numbers completely new look,” said Dr. Oleg Mitko, head of the Sagaisky archaeological team from the Novosibirsk Institute of Archeology and Ethnography.
“The size of the jewelry also makes us think it would be inconvenient to wear it in real life. Most likely she wore similar things but smaller,” Mitko added. He also determined that the woman buried in the grave was quite wealthy.
