Pazyryk is the name given by modern scholars to an ancient people who lived in the Altai Mountains on this plateau who are associated with some spectacular archeological findings, including mummies found frozen in the permafrost. Many ancient Bronze Age tomb mounds have been found in the area and have been associated with the Pazyryk culture which closely resembled that of the legendary Scythian people to the west.[5] The term kurgan is in general usage to describe such log-barrow burials. Excavations of this site have continued to yield notable archaeological finds.[6] One famous finding is known as the Ice Maiden, excavated by Russian archaeologist Natalia Polosmak.[7][8] At least six tattooed mummies dating from the period ca. (c. 2600 BC - AD 402) have been recovered preserved by the permafrost in tombs at sites on the Ukok Plateau including Temrta III, Primorsky I, Ak-Alakha 3, Verkh-Kaldzhin 2, and the Pazyryk burial ground.[9] The Ice Maiden and other archaeological finds were located just within a disputed strip of land between Russia and China.[10] The residents of the Altai Republic are demanding the return of the burial artifacts from their current location in Novosibirsk.[11]
