Research Catalog

Title

Frozen tombs of Siberia : the Pazyryk burials of Iron Age horsemen / by Sergei I. Rudenko ; translated and with a preface by M.W. Thompson.

Author

• Руденко, С. И. (Сергей Иванович), 1885-1969.
• Rudenko, S. I. (Sergeĭ Ivanovich), 1885-1969.

Publication

Berkeley, University of California Press, 1970.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xxxvi, 340, [144] pages illustrations (some color); 26 cm

Summary

Sergei Ivanovich Rudenko was a prominent Russian/Soviet anthropologist and archaeologist who discovered and excavated the most celebrated of Scythian burials, Pazyryk in Siberia. During the excavation of Pazyryk tombs, he discovered the world's most spectacular tattooed mummy said to belong to the Pazyryk Culture which flourished between the 7th and 3rd centuries BC. Herodotus and other ancient writers referred to the Altay as "the golden mountain". It was there that the impregnable citadel of the Scythians (or Sacae) lay hidden for centuries. Rudenko, however, was cautious enough not to assign his findings to the Scythians. He attributed the kurgan finds to the formidable Iron Age horsemen and warriors, whom he dubbed the "Pazyryks." Although they left no written records, Pazyryk artifacts are distinguished by a sophisticated level of artistry and craftsmanship. The Pazyryk tombs discovered by Rudenko were in an almost perfect state of preservation. They contained skeletons and intact bodies of horses and embalmed humans, together with a wealth of artifacts including saddles, riding gear, a chariot, rugs, clothing, jewelry, musical instruments, amulets, tools, and an "apparatus for inhaling hemp smoke." Also found in the tombs were fabrics from Persia and China, which the Pazyryks must have obtained on journeys covering thousands of miles.

Uniform Title

• Культура населения Горного Алтая в скифское время. English
• Kulʹtura naselenii͡a Gornogo Altai͡a v skifskoe vremi͡a. English

Alternative Title

• Культура населения Горного Алтая в скифское время.
• Kulʹtura naselenii͡a Gornogo Altai͡a v skifskoe vremi͡a.

Subjects

• Ethnology
• Mounds
• Altaĭskiĭ kraĭ (Russia) > Antiquities
• Antiquities
• Russia (Federation) > Altaĭskiĭ kraĭ
• Ethnology > Russia (Federation) > Altaĭskiĭ kraĭ
• Mounds > Russia (Federation) > Altaĭskiĭ kraĭ
• Pazyryk culture

Note

• Translation of Kulʹtura naselenii͡a Gornogo Altai͡a v skifskoe vremi͡a.
• Illustrations: [144] p. at end.
• First published in russian, "Kultura Naseleniya Gornogo Altaya v Skifskoe Vremya", 1953.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-332).

Contents

The Valley of Pazyryk and Barrow Congelation -- Barrows of the Pazyryk group -- Physical type of the population -- Economy and way of life -- Clothing and personal adornment -- Means of locomotion -- Techniques employed in working the different materials -- Some evidence about the social structure -- Art -- Religious beliefs and rituals -- The dating and cultural-historical place of the finds from the High Altai.

Call Number

*QFE (Rudenko, S. Frozen tombs of Siberia)

ISBN

• 0520013956
• 9780520013957

LCCN

69020480

OCLC

87559

Author

Rudenko, S. I. (Sergeĭ Ivanovich), 1885-1969.

Alternate Script for Author

Руденко, С. И. (Сергей Иванович), 1885-1969.

Alternate Script for Uniform Title

Культура населения Горного Алтая в скифское время. English

Title

Frozen tombs of Siberia : the Pazyryk burials of Iron Age horsemen / by Sergei I. Rudenko ; translated and with a preface by M.W. Thompson.

Imprint

Berkeley, University of California Press, 1970.

Edition

[1st English ed., with author's revisions].

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-332).

Other Form:

Online version: Rudenko, S.I. (Sergeĭ Ivanovich), 1885- Kulʹtura naselenii͡a Gornogo Altai͡a v skifskoe vremi͡a. English. Frozen tombs of Siberia. [1st English ed., with author's revisions]. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1970 (OCoLC)581183652

Research Call Number

*QFE (Rudenko, S. Frozen tombs of Siberia)