Siberia is huge, it stretches from the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains to the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Its population density is about three people per square kilometer, it is one of the most sparsely populated places on earth. Nevertheless, it seemed to be a treasure trove for archaeologists. Cool, dry air and permafrost create unique conditions for the preservation of the remains of the deep past.
Despite the fact that it seems inhospitable, Siberia was the cradle of mankind.
Shigir idol
Exactly in Siberia, in Western Siberia, during excavations at the end of the XIX century, archaeologists discovered the oldest wooden sculpture in the world. Created about 11,000 years ago, the idol twice as old as the great Egyptian pyramids and 6,000 years older than Stonehenge. Figure is 2.8 meters high and it has been carved out of the barrel of 157-year-old larch, which has been cut down with stone tools.
Marsh, where it was found, helped idol to preserve well. The face of the statue, and patterns through the body of idol also preserved well. Some believe that small furrows and lines contain encrypted information. It has been suggested that they represent different types of terrain. Perhaps that idol, which once stood at 5.2 meters, can be a prototype of a totem.
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In 1990, archaeologists that conducted excavations in the Altai Mountains have decided that they have discovered the remains of a female warrior. 2500-year-old teenager with pigtails, was a part of an elite group of Pazyryk warriors. Buried with shields, battle axes, bows and arrows teenager, according to the physique features, was a rider. Ancient Greek writer Hippocrates wrote that among the Scythians there were warriors called Amazons. Many people have decided that they finally found the body of one of these mythical women warriors. However, DNA analysis has denied this idea.
It turned out that "she" - is "he". At the time of the death the teenager was about 16 years old. "Amazon" was buried in the surrounding of symbols of fertility that were similar to cowrie shells, and amulets. The coffin, wooden pillows and quiver were much smaller than are commonly found in men's graves. The remains of the nine horses, including four with the harness, tell us about the high status of the teenager. The cause of death of a warrior with a pigtail is a mystery.
Many people believe that cancer is a modern disease. For many years, scientists believed that the life of prehistoric humans who were active and ate natural products, lived without cancer. However, the remains of a man from a Bronze Age who died because of a prostate of a cancer found in 2014 in Siberia, denied this. As the oldest discovered benign tumor was about 6,000 years old, this tumor, with the age of 4500 years, became the oldest cancer case.
The man was found in a small grave in the Pribaikalskiy region of Siberia. Most of the men found in the burial, have hunting equipment and fishing gear. However, a man with cancer is different from them. He was found in a fetal position, and had a carved ivory spoon. This gives us the idea that he lived outside normal society. However, there is a possibility that the posture could be related to a slow and agonizing death, which he suffered as a result of the disease.
