In the permafrost, mummies of representatives of the mysterious Arctic civilization

In the permafrost of Siberia, mummified bodies of an adult person and a baby were covered with copper.

What contributed to the preservation of the remains

The statement of the governor of the Yamal-Nenets district says that recently two mummies wrapped in thick textile material, fur and wood bark were discovered. In addition, the adult mummy was covered with copper plates, and the baby's body - fragments of a copper boiler. It is believed that the representatives of this ancient Arctic civilization could use copper because of its antimicrobial properties in order to better preserve the bodies. Mummies are well preserved also due to natural "cooling" in the permafrost.

What is already known about mummies

The growth of the larger of the two mummies reaches approximately 170 cm. This suggests that it belonged to an adult. The smaller mummy is, most likely, a child no older than 6 months.

The team of scientists has yet to thoroughly study the remains, but there are fears that it can damage the body and worsen the condition of tissues, explains anthropologist Yevgeny Svyatova from the Center for the Protection and Use of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

Where were buried

Archaeologists have discovered mummies near a centuries-old monument in a remote corner of Siberia near Salekhard. This city, located on the coast of the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean, crosses the Arctic Circle, so it is not surprising that the average annual temperature in the region is 1.75 ° C.

Now mummies will be studied in the laboratory. Scientists plan to conduct genetic testing, forensic examination and historical analysis. Researchers of the project hope to present their findings at the conference in Salekhard at the end of this year.

Secrets of the Arctic Civilization

The age of the remains is also to be determined. However, it is already known now that the site where excavations were conducted was most actively used in the middle of the 13th century. These bodies are the last in a long list of mummies found at the archaeological site of Zeleny Yar since 1997. Only from 2013 to 2017 the researchers found 47 graves.

Although the scientists made many discoveries, the people themselves who inhabited this territory centuries ago do not know much. Earlier, archaeologists discovered bronze cups of the 10th century, made in Persia (modern Iran), that is, about 6000 km from this Siberian settlement. Whether the Arctic civilization maintained any connection with Persia, is still unknown, but, perhaps, scientists will ever be able to understand this secret.