Currently, the study of Pazyryk mummies is entering a new phase. This is due to the development of science in general and the possibility of attracting new methods and approaches to their research. The article is devoted to the results of magnetic resonance imaging of a mummy from mound 1 of the Ak-Alakha-3 burial ground, discovered in 1993 on the Ukok plateau (Gorny Altai). This is the only undisturbed and "frozen" burial of a noble Pazyryk woman in the entire history of studying this culture. According to the results of the tomographic examination, a number of diseases were diagnosed, which made it possible to determine the possible cause of death of the woman, as well as to assess the quality of her life. The data obtained in the course of the study confirms the assumption about her special status - "the chosen one of the spirits".

Key words: magnetic resonance imaging, Pazyryk culture, Ukok plateau, mummy of a woman, causes of death.

Introduction

Applying the principles of computer graphics. 3D reconstruction and morphometric analysis made it possible to use various mapping methods, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in paleoanthropology [Scherf, 2013]. In recent decades, post-mortem MRI has been developed in clinical practice primarily for forensic applications [Ribeiro et al., 2013, p. 659].

At the same time, such pathomorphological changes as pulmonary embolism, brain hemorrhages, tumors, traumatic brain injuries, pericardial tamponade, aortic dissection, myocardial infarction, and even coronary thrombosis in the subacute phase are well visualized by contrast-free MRI, reliably revealing the cause of death [Jackowski, 2012; Jackowski, Grabherr, and Schwendener, 2013]. Modern nondestructive imaging techniques provide fundamentally new opportunities for archaeology. So, with the help of X-ray computed tomography, the prevalence of atherosclerosis during the ancient Egyptian civilization has already been proven [Thompson

The study was funded by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project N 14 - 28 - 00045).

et al., 2013]. Radiological and clinical diagnostic technologies were used in the study of the Similaun Iceman Otzi: the presence of many musculoskeletal injuries and pathologies was shown [Kean et al., 2013].

The need to study the mummy of a woman from mound 1 of the Ak-Alakha-3 burial ground by high-field magnetic resonance imaging was dictated by the fact that soft tissues hide the postcranial skeleton of a woman (the skull, only partially covered with skin, was comprehensively studied)and it is not available for anthropometric research, which would allow assessing the general pathological status of the buried. In addition, and most importantly, MRI provides an opportunity to study preserved soft tissues, which are a source of important information about the state of health and causes of death of a woman.

Material and methods

In 1993, on the Ukok plateau in Gorny Altai, near the border with Mongolia and China, in mound 1 of the Ak-Alakha-3 burial ground, a mummy of a woman was found in a "frozen" burial belonging to the Pazyryk culture, whose carriers inhabited these places in the V-III centuries BC. This find is approx. 2.5 thousand years. Materials from this burial were published in [Polos'mak, 1996, 2000a, b; 2001; Hauri and Blatter, 2000].

Patho-anatomical studies of the studied object were carried out in 1993 at the Institute of Electrotechnical Engineering of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences by Dr. R. Hauri and Dr. W. Blatter from the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Zurich. The degree of preservation of the mummified body, according to pathologists, indicates its frozen state during the entire period of being in the grave, periodic thawing is excluded. The condition of the mummy's skin may indicate that it was preserved from three months to six months before burial. The technique of Pazyryk body dissection was restored (Khauri and Blatter, 2000). The buried woman is 28-30 years old. It should be noted that the average life expectancy of Pazyryk women is estimated at 33.24 years [Chikisheva, 2003b, p. 69].

For the second time, the remains of a woman were preserved in 1993-1994 at the All-Russian Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants by Professor V. L. Kozeltsev and V. I. Semke using a technology developed at the Moscow Research and Training Center for Biomedical Technologies. The rebalming method does not interfere with scientific research and allows you to keep the mummy in conditions where it is accessible for viewing (at room temperature).

On June 27, 2010, for the first time in Russia, the International Tomography Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk) examined a mummy using an Achieva Nova magnetic resonance tomograph (Philips, magnetic field induction 1.5 T). She was placed in a CT scanner on a special wooden platform without changing her position under a sealed opaque film and received tomograms of the entire body. We used a modified BFFE sequence (TRIVE HR CLEAR®, Philips): TR/TE 5,6 / 2,7 ms, 6,0/2,9 ms and 6,2/3,0 ms, cut thickness 6,0 mm, cut spacing -3,0 mm. Using Total Body multistation technology in 4-station mode (Philips), the obtained images were "stitched" into a single total tomogram: the initial FOV of 48.0 * 48.0 cm, the final one - 48.0 * 173.7, the initial matrix of 368 * 368 points, the final one - 368 * 1332. To compensate for the low level of the MP signal and conduct a scan without failures, water containers were placed parallel to the mummy's body.

Post-imaging analysis was performed at the laboratory of Scientific and Clinical MRI of the Research Institute of Physiology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The contrast and signal-to-noise ratio of mummy tissues in the tomograms was increased by stepwise software amplification and 3D post-processing based on the iMac N DGKLK088F8JC PC (Intel Core i5; 3.4 GHz; 8Gb DDR3; NVIDIA GeForce GTX775M 2048 Mb) running under OsX. We used programs for radiological analysis of DICOM images - a freely distributed 32-bit version of OsiriX (v.5.9) and E-Film in the 64-bit version of eFilmeLite, v. 3. 4. 0 (Build 10) in the Parallels environment. In the Windows 7 environment, the freely distributed program Radiant Dicom Viewer 1.9.2. (64-bit) was used.

Results and discussion

On MP-tomograms, the mummy's height was estimated at 1,576. 5 mm. The length of the left foot is 217 mm, the length of the right foot is 213 mm, the width of both feet is up to 68 mm (at the level of the metatarsophalangeal joints). It should be noted that during her lifetime, the woman's height was at least 5-6 cm more (all intervertebral discs are dehydrated and reduced to 2-3 mm, which is 2-3 times less than the normal value).

Brain and facial skull. A trepanation hole with a diameter of approx. 40-50 mm was found in the lower half of the occipital part of the skull. The length of the mummy's brain skull is 176.9 mm, the width is 136 mm, which is comparable to the indicators of a modern person.-

eyelids: 177 ± 6.9 and 146 ± 6.6 mm, respectively (Stepanenko, 2010).

In 1993, it was noted that in the bones of the facial skull between the eye sockets, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses (sinus sphenoidalis and both sinus maxillaris) there is a hole with a diameter of ~ 20 mm with jagged edges, through which the eyeballs, nasal mucosa and near-nasal sinuses could be removed. This hole is visualized on tomograms. The asymmetry of the brain skull and the position of the lower jaw (displacement to the left) was revealed. In the cranial cavity, the brain is absent, according to the MP signal, there is air there.

The angle of the lower jaw (angulus mandibulae) is more than straight (103.9°). For comparison: up to 95° in Heidelberg man, 100° in Neanderthal man, and up to 130° in modern man. These changes are well-known and are associated individually with the formation of the bite, and evolutionarily with the development of speech function. Since the mummy's dentition is fairly well preserved (Hauri and Blatter, 2000), our data can be used to confirm the second aspect.

Skin, cellular spaces, and mammary glands. The thickness of subcutaneous fat varied: up to 2-3 mm on the left hand and forearm, up to 6 - 8 on the shoulder of the left arm, up to 8-9 on the back, up to 5 - 7 on the anterior abdominal wall, up to 13-16 on the buttocks and thighs, up to 5-6 mm on the feet, which indicates a state of general exhaustion. The skin of the right hand and part of the forearm proximal to the wrist fold was thicker than on the left-up to 7-8 mm, while sharply swollen. This situation may occur with the development of local lymphedema or an inflammatory process such as phlegmon: due to blocking the outflow of lymph at the level of the axillary lymph nodes. Soft tissues of the proximal part of the forearm and shoulder of the right hand are lost, possibly for this reason (in vivo edematous tissues have low resistance - in the case of both infectious and oncological processes).

No internal organs were found, because after the death of the woman, the body was mummified: the skull with several cervical vertebrae was separated from the trunk, the cartilaginous parts of the ribs and sternum were removed, the thoracic and abdominal cavities were opened and "cleaned" of internal organs. When the object was detected, the latter were filled with a homogeneous peat-like matrix of fibrous components (a mixture of grasses, horsehair, wool, sand and clay) [Khauri and Blatter, 2000] (for details on the composition of stuffing and embalming techniques, see [Polos'mak, 2001, pp. 249-251; 2006]). Post-mummification reduction of cavity volumes and almost zero MR signal are recorded on tomograms.

MRI examination revealed that under the skin on the back along the back surface of the trunk (on both sides of the spine) and buttocks, in the right premammary space, the zone of the cervical-thoracic junction (on both sides), the pelvic cavity (on the right), the right armpit and the right inguinal region there is adipose tissue in residual amounts, giving an increased MP signal, which indicates the presence of a diffuse liquid component with a total volume of up to 287.54 ^cm3 (Fig. 1, Table 1).

The asymmetry of the structure of the mammary glands and a different MP signal from them were revealed. The left gland was reconstructed by filling it with peat-like material, while the right gland showed signs of" fat " degeneration (Hauri and Blatter, 2000). The first is homogeneous in the MP signal, the second is heterogeneous: in the upper medial quadrant there is an edematous cellular premammary space up to 14 * 48 * 56 mm, and next to it is a dense spheroid node

Figure 1. Cellular spaces (MPR 3D reconstruction). 1-right mammary gland; 2 - premammary, right; 3-axillary, right; 4 - cervical-thoracic junction, right; 5-same, left; 6-under the skin on the back surface of the chest, right; 7-same, left; 8-under the skin on the back surface abdominal cavity, right; 9-small pelvis, right; 10-inguinal, right.

Table 1. Linear dimensions and volumes of cellular spaces with signs of diffuse edema and the presence of objects with a low MP signal level in them

up to 20 * 17 * 15 mm. In the right armpit, two dense ovoid objects can be seen: in the upper half of the axillary fossa -13 * 9 * 12 mm, at the bottom - 16 * 14 * 15 mm (Table 1). All this indicates the presence of an intravital process that spread centripetally through the cellular spaces. Dense ovoid-spheroid objects ranging in size from 2 - 3 to 13 - 16 mm were clearly identified in them. Pathologically and anatomically, we can assume that we are dealing with tissues with abnormal properties, most likely with a primary tumor in the right mammary gland and lymph nodes affected by tumor metastases, in the right axillary fossa and in the cellular spaces of the cervical-thoracic junction surrounding the bodies of the Th1-Th3 vertebrae, clearly affected by the pathological process. a process (see below) that also results in a total reduction of the MP signal. Increased edema is explained by an increase in the content of free diffuse fluid due to metastatic blocking of the lymphatic pathways of the outflow of tissue fluid. These changes are pathognomonic for neoplastic breast pathology: the right one, with a tumor focus and edema, during life (before death) was larger than the left, healthy one, which, against the background of general weight loss, was clearly smaller, since it mostly consisted of normal adipose tissue. This may have prompted the contemporaries of the deceased to "restore" the size of a healthy (left) gland.

The vertebral column. The number of vertebrae: 7 in the cervical region, 12 in the thoracic region, and 5 in the lumbar region (Figure 2). Cervical lordosis is well expressed, although the C3 - C5 vertebral bodies have a wedge-shaped microdeformation with a decrease in the anterior vertical size, irregularities of the end plates, and elements of spondylosis (sharpened corners). In the cervical-thoracic transition, the sagittal plane of the cervical region is deployed at an angle of almost 90° to the plane of the thoracic region due to the articial dissection of the spine along the intervertebral disc C7-Th1 in connection with the preparation of the body for mummification.

In the Th1-Th3 vertebral bodies, a significant decrease in the MP signal and deformity of the external contours were detected (Fig. 2). This may indicate an intravital pathological lesion of the spongy bone tissue of these elements (probably a metastatic oncoprocess), especially since they are "surrounded" on both sides by paravertebral tissue with manifestations of sharp edema. In the remaining vertebrae of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, microdeformations of the bodies (as a consequence of compression microfractures), Schmorl hernias in various stages of formation, spondylosis growths and transforamenal protrusions of intervertebral discs were recorded. Vertebrae L4 and L5 have a significant decrease in the posterior vertical size and dislocation anteriorly by the type of sublisthesis of the underlying vertebra in the L2-L3 transition. Thus, multiple life-time problems were identified.-

2. Mummy's vertebral column. Vertical arrows indicate the vertebrae; dissection 1 - level of articial dissection in the area of the cervical-thoracic junction; dissection 2 - level of dissection in the area of the sacro-lumbar junction (between the sacrum and the L5 vertebra).

traumatic and dystrophic osteochondrosis as a consequence of sufficiently high mechanical vertical lifetime loads, which corresponds to an estimate of the age of the deceased within 30 years, since for Pazyryk residents this is already an advanced age.

At the level of the intervertebral disc L5-S1, i.e. between the last vertebra and the sacral bone, there is a postmortem dissection of the spinal column up to 12 - 15 mm wide (Fig. 2). This was probably performed for ritual purposes: two dissections of the spine (at the level of the cervical-thoracic and lumbosacral junctions) made it easy to manipulate body in the period before burial and during the burial rite [Polos'mak, 2000a].

Bones and joints of the limbs, shoulder and pelvic girdle. We did not detect any pathological changes in the structure of the ribs and bones of the left and right hands. The left elbow joint also looks unchanged, but the structure of the posterior process (olecranon) of the ulna has a swollen focus (up to 9 * 7 * 8 mm). In the structural elements of the left shoulder joint, small subchondral sclerotic changes and some deformation of the contour of the humerus head are observed.

To analyze tomograms of the right shoulder joint, we used the technology of superimposing images from the program Radiant Dicom Viever 1.9.2. Soft tissues are lost. Along the upper contour of the humerus head, a defect up to 3.5 - 4.5 mm deep was detected, in the area of which the edematous structure of the bone up to 4 mm thick can be traced. This indicates a clear intravital traumatic origin of the change. An edematous focus was also detected at the acromeal end of the right clavicle.

The left hip joint has subchondral diffuse edematous-erosive changes up to 2-4 mm deep. The angle of the neck relative to the body of the femur is 129.2° (the current norm is ∼130°). The right hip joint (Fig. 3) was dislocated at the time of the study: the femoral head was "turned out" from the glenoid fossa 17 mm anteriorly, and the trochanter was moved posteriorly from the lateral position (under the right gluteal muscles). Subchondral diffuse sclerotic changes can be noted along the head of the right femur up to 5 mm deep. The angle of the neck relative to the body of the femur is 129.1°. The joint capsule is clearly edematous. There are elements of fluid accumulation inside it and obvious local swelling in the adjacent tissue of the right inguinal region (right femoral triangle), which allows us to talk about intravital traumatic changes in the right hip joint. These changes are in socheta-

3. Fig. Right hip joint with signs of sharp swelling in the neck and intertrochanter zone (an "empty" glenoid cavity is visible inside the joint).

studies with deformities of the head of the right humerus (see above), the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee joint (see below), and the lumbar vertebrae (such as sublisthesis) suggest the presence of significant life-time trauma, possibly due to falling from a height or moving at high speed (for example, when riding).

The sacroiliac joints are narrow, covering only the vertebral bodies S1 and S2, with elements of ossification and closure of the articular fissure as a result of age-related changes and dystrophic process. Since the mummy's lower limb girdle was not in an orthogonal position during tomography, it was necessary to use 3D MPR technology to determine the size of the small pelvis. The distance between the large trochanteria of the femur is ∼19 cm, but taking into account the dislocation of the right hip joint, we can say that during life it was normally 23.0-23.5 cm (the modern norm of distantia intertrochanterica is 30-31 cm). The distance between the anterior upper spines of the iliac bones is 19 cm (the current norm of distantia spinaram is 25-26 cm).

Since the external dimensions of the small pelvis are much smaller than modern standards, and the size of the brain skull in adult Pazyryk residents did not differ much from those, the question naturally arose about the morphometry of the pelvic cavity (the bone part of the birth canal). In modern obstetrics, the dimensions shown in Table 1 are considered fundamentally important. 2. They were determined by tomograms, and the measurement technology in the framework of the MRI method is quite accurate in geometric terms - the shooting error does not exceed 0.1 mm, morphometry in the OsiriX program - 0.01 mm, i.e. technical measurement errors do not exceed the amplitude of the operator's hand shake. The woman had a so-called narrow pelvis. In modern obstetrics, the following variants of it are distinguished: generally narrowed, simple flat, flat-rachitic, generally narrowed flat. Doctors point to frequent cases of flattening of the sacral cavity and transversely narrowed pelvis, and anatomically narrow pelvis is often found in pregnant women with a height of less than 150 cm. Our subject has a ploskorachitic or generally constricted flat pelvis with a deviation of internal dimensions from the norm by 3 - 4 cm, with an emphasis on the anterior and posterior ones.

In an anatomically narrow pelvis, degrees of narrowing are distinguished depending on the value of the true conjugate (PC). Our object is "missing" 40.3 mm to the norm (PC = 69.7 mm). According to Litzman's classification, there are four degrees of pelvic narrowing: I-PC = 9-11 cm; II - 7.5 - 9.0; III-5.5 - 7.5; IV - PC < 5.5 cm. Thus, our subject has a third degree of pelvic narrowing. With I and II degrees, natural childbirth is possible, and with III and IV, a caesarean section is indicated.

In the distal part of the diaphyseal cavity of the left femur, edematous-sclerotic foci of a total size were found 19 * 16 * 76 mm. Serial edematous foci of total size were found in the metaepiphyseal zone and in the distal part of the diaphyseal cavity of the right femur 13 * 15 * 85 mm. Pathologically and anatomically, these changes can be described as-

Table 2. Dimensions of the mummy's pelvic planes in comparison with modern standards, mm

4. Left foot with foci in the V metatarsal, cuboid, calcaneus, and lateral malleolus.

treat as in vivo, more like osteomyelitis, in the subacute-chronic (left) or acute-subacute (right) phase of development.

Elements of subchondral sclerosis and spheroid edematous foci with a diameter of 4 to 13 mm in the proximal epiphysis of the tibia were found in the left knee joint. The anterior cruciate ligament is fairly intact. In the right knee joint, it is deformed, thickened (probably a condition after intravital traumatization).

In the left shin, a zone of sharp swelling of the spongy substance was found up to 15 * 25 * 10 mm in the lateral malleolus (distal end of the fibula) and the focus up to 12 * 15 * 10 mm in the distal epiphysis of the tibia. The bones of the right tibia look fairly intact, without obvious foci. There are only minor subchondral edematous-sclerotic changes (along the distal condyle of the tibia).

Foci with edematous periphery and dense dark central zones were found in the bones of the left foot (Fig. 4). These changes can be interpreted as manifestations of an intravital infectious or, more likely, metastatic process. Similar foci, but less intense, were found in the bones of the right foot - the right cuboid, I metatarsal, and in the proximal phalanx of the first finger. We can assume two most common variants of the origin of these changes, especially since the detected foci clearly "fall apart" into two groups according to the nature of the MR signal.

The first option is osteomyelitis as a manifestation of a general septic process, which is very likely in the absence of antibiotics. Multiple foci with pronounced edema, clearly in different phases (acute, subacute, chronic), can be a consequence of chronic osteomyelitis with exacerbations that the woman suffered several times, starting from childhood and until her death, but in general in a fairly mild form, since the femur bones are the same length, without shortening and deformities. As for exacerbations, they are associated with unfavorable living conditions and injuries, although remissions also occur. This disease was not related to the causes of death, although it is quite severe, accompanied by both pain and a generalized infectious process. The possibility of tuberculous osteomyelitis is also possible (this may be a subject for further study of the mummy).

The second option is oncogenic origin, since there is a rounded focus in the right mammary gland, ovoid irregularly shaped low-intensity foci corresponding in localization to lymph nodes with pathological (metastatic) "content", foci resembling tumor metastases in spongy bone structures (in vertebral bodies Th1-Th3 with a reduced MR signal), and also with a "dense" center and "bright" peripheral edema in the cuboid bone of the left foot. The tissues of the right arm were lost, which may be associated with the development of lymphedematous and then destructive-inflammatory changes in this area due to the intravital metastatic block of lymph nodes in the right axillary fossa, as a result of which the tissues were less resistant to environmental factors. This variant (cancer) can be a clear cause of the woman's death.

Non-lethal chronic osteochondrosis changes in the spine and joints were discussed above, and their origin and distribution can be explained by physical effects during heavy lifting, horse riding, falls and impacts.

It is noteworthy that on the right side there is a dislocation of the hip joint, deformation of the head of the humerus and damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee joint, as well as an asymmetry of the position of the lower jaw with a shift to the left. Photographs of the skull (Chikisheva, 2000, p. 195, Figures 210-213) show deformity and fracture lines of the right upper jaw, a defect in the right zygomatic bone, and an asymmetric position of the lower jaw due to asymmetry of the temporomandibular joints. From a forensic medical point of view, it can be hypothesized that these changes may well have been traumatic locomotor nature and obtained in vivo. They can be attributed to moderate injuries, but in combination they could well lead to a fatal outcome, especially since the background state of health of the woman was far from normal (detected foci of oncogenic and osteomyelitic nature).

The obtained MPT results indicate the presence of rather severe pathological changes and require further investigation of the mummy's tissues in the pathomorphological aspect to verify the nature of bone foci, the condition of the right breast, cellular spaces, and the probability of the presence of lymph nodes affected by the metastatic process in the latter. If these pathologies find direct (pathomorphological, histological, immunological or genetic) confirmation, then it will be possible to fairly confidently judge the environmental factors that affected the body, about the diseases suffered during the life of the anthropoarchaeological object. Research in this area has already been initiated at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Doktorov et al., 2000).

As for the subsequent work, further processing of tomograms is planned in order to amplify and discriminate the MP signal on them. It is possible that individual features of the shape, structure, and functioning of the bones of the skull, spine, pelvis, and upper and lower extremities will then be evaluated, especially since there are data for comparison and classification in the modern anthropoarchaeological literature [Smith et al., 2012].

Conclusion

A paleopathological study of anthropological materials from the Pazyryk graves of Ukok showed that almost all the bones of the Ukok population show traces of severe physiological stress that the population of this region with an extreme ecology for the human body was subjected to. Pazyryk residents suffered from pathologies of the maxillary apparatus (including early lifetime loss of most teeth), from varieties of chronic polyarthritis, often manifested in the form of deforming arthrosis of large and small joints of the upper and lower extremities, osteochondrosis (deformities of the articular surfaces of vertebral bodies), spondylosis (deformities in the ligamentous apparatus of the spine, sometimes accompanied by vertebral mergers or ankylosing spondylitis). There were also isolated cases of ankylosing spondylitis of the sacroiliac joint ligaments and spondylolysis (violation of the integrity of the vertebral arch) [Chikisheva, 2003a].

It can be concluded that the Pazyryk residents of Ukok suffered to one degree or another from diseases that limited their physical abilities and forced them to overcome pain on a daily basis. In addition, some had pathologies in which life was possible only with constant help and care. The causes of diseases lie not only in the peculiarities of the natural environment of a high-altitude pasture, but also in the very way of life of pastoralists. The woman buried in mound 1 of the Ak-alakha-3 burial ground was one of them. The special status did not save her from both typical in their environment, and from more serious diseases. By the age of 30, according to MRI data, the woman's body was completely worn out. It should be noted that despite such a total defeat of Pazyryk residents of Ukok with serious diseases, they were able to treat and cope even with surgical problems. Among the Pazyryk anthropological materials, there are examples of successful trepanations and well-healed fractures (Chikisheva et al., 2014). But there were diseases that were attributed to a supernatural origin, perhaps some of them were associated with the chosen one, with a special purpose.

Examination of the mummy's tissues made it possible to determine the possible cause of death of the woman - breast cancer, shortly before death, serious injuries to the right half of the body and skull were added due to injuries caused by a fall, which aggravated her already serious condition. However, since the burial took place sometime in mid-June [Shoh, 2000], and the condition of the mummified body after its removal from the grave indicated that it had been stored for two to three months to six months before burial [Hauri and Blatter, 2000], we can say that even if it was in a stationary position, it was not possible to recover the body from the grave. experiencing extreme pain, the woman could have lived on her last wintering ground for about two to five months, dying either in November or March. Her clansmen cherished her until her last day.

The woman was buried with great honors in a larch block in a free-standing mound, accompanied by six mounted horses and two people, one of whom, a 25 - to 30-year-old man, was killed by a blow to the head [Polos'mak, 2012]. The peculiarities of the funeral rite indicated her unusual status and suggested that she could perform priestly functions in society, be perceived by her fellow tribesmen as a" chosen one of the spirits " (Polos'mak, 2001, pp. 279-283). New data obtained through tomographic examination confirm this point of view. Features of the physical structure indicate that the woman was hardly a mother. Her narrow pelvis would have prevented her from giving birth on her own, and the birth would have ended in death. A separate mound in which a woman was buried indicated her isolation from a certain clan or family, celibacy, which in traditional cultures is attributed to the servants of the cult (priests, shamans). In addition, a number of painful diseases that developed in the wives were diagnosed by tomographic examination-

from the very childhood, he dictated special behavior and behavior. it may have contributed to the development of special properties. Illness and the inability to fully perform the usual female functions of a given society could serve as a catalyst that allowed them to discover some hidden abilities, to become useful and necessary to their fellow tribesmen in another, even more valuable capacity. The features of the woman's physical structure and the course of diseases determined by MRI add new facts to our assumption about her status as a" chosen one of the spirits", who performed some priestly functions and was of undisputed value to society, which was reflected in the funeral rite.

List of literature

Doktorov A. A., Denisov-Nikolsky Yu. I., Matvey chuk I. V., Mikhalev A. P., Zhilkin B. A. Morphological and biomechanical studies of bone tissue of mummies / / Phenomenon of Altai mummies / ed.by A. P. Derevyanko, V. I. Molodin. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2000, pp. 218-221.

Polos'mak N. V. Pogrebenie znatnoy pazyrykskoy zhenshchiny [The burial of a noble Pazyryk woman]. VDI. - 1996. - N 4-pp. 142-168.

Polos'mak N. V. Mummification and embalming of Pazyryk people / / Phenomenon of Altai mummies / ed. by A. P. Derevyanko, V. I. Molodin. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2000a, pp. 120-124.

Polos'mak N. V. Pogrebal'nyj kompleks Ak-Alakha-3 [Ak-Alakha-3 burial complex] / / Fenomen altaiskikh mumiy [Phenomenon of Altai mummies] / ed.by A. P. Derevyanko, V. I. Molodin. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2000b., pp. 57-86.

Polos'mak N. V. The Riders of Ukok. Novosibirsk: INFOLIO-press, 2001, 336 p. (in Russian)

Polos'mak, N. V., Life and Death of the Pazyryk people of Ukok: Interdisciplinary studies of materials from Pazyryk mounds with "frozen" graves on the Ukok plateau, Gorny Altai (late IV-III centuries BC), Vestn. history, literature, and art. 2006, vol. III, pp. 7-17.

Polos'mak, N. V., Twenty years Later, Nauka iz pervykh ruk, 2012, No. 6, pp. 110-123.

Stepanenko A. Y. Influence of the size of the brain skull on the morphometric parameters of the human cerebellum // Український медичний альманах. - 2010. - Vol. 13, N 6. - pp. 151-155.

Hauri R., Blatter U. Pathologo-anatomical studies of the female mummy of the Ak-Alakha-3 monument / / Phenomenon of Altai mummies / ed. by A. P. Derevyanko, V. I. Molodin. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2000, pp. 231-232.

Chikisheva T. A. Antropologicheskaya kharakteristika mumiy [Anthropological characteristics of mummies]. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2000, pp. 188-199.

Chikisheva T. A. Osobennosti patologicheskogo statusa naseleniya pazyrykskoy kul'tury [Features of the pathological status of the population of the Pazyryk culture]. Naselenie Gornogo Altay v epokhu rannego zheleznogo veka kak etnokul'turnyi fenomen: proiskhozhdenie, genezis, istoricheskie sudby (po dannym arkheologii, antropologii, genetiki). Novosibirsk: Publishing House of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2003a, pp. 73-82.

Chikisheva T. A. Paleodemographic characteristics of the population of the Pazyryk culture // Population of Gorny Altai in the Early Iron Age as an ethno-cultural phenomenon: origin, genesis, historical destinies (according to archeology, anthropology, genetics). Novosibirsk: Publishing House of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2003, pp. 69-72.

Chikisheva T. A., Zubova A.V., Krivoshapkin A. L., Kurbatov V. P., Volkov P. V., Titov A. T. Kompleksnoe issledovanie trepanatsii u rannykh kochevnikov Gornogo Altay [A comprehensive study of trepanations among early nomads of the Altai Mountains]. - 2014. - N1. - p. 130-142.

First results of paleobotanical studies / / Phenomenon of Altai mummies / ed. by A. P. Derevyanko, V. I. Molodin. Novosibirsk: IAET SB RAS, 2000, pp. 250-255.

Jackowski Ch. Postmortem MRI-current applications and future developments // Int. J. Pegal Med. - 2012. - Vol. 126, suppl. 1. - P S5-S21.

Jackowski Ch., Grabherr S., Schwendener N. Pulmonary thrombembolism as cause of death on unenhanced postmortem 3T MRI // Eur. Radiol. - 2013. - Vol. 23 - P. 1266 - 1270.

Kean W.F., Tocchio Sh., Kean M., Rainsford K.D. The musculoskeletal abnormalities of the Similaun Iceman ("O" TZI"): clues to chronic pain and possible treatments // Inflammopharmacol. - 2013. - Vol. 21. - P. 11 - 20.

Ribeiro M.M., Martins H., Carreiras M., Pais D., O'Neill J. Brain anatomy characterization through post-mortem structural MR imaging // Surg. Radiol. Anat. - 2013. - Vol. 35, iss. 8. - P. 659.

Scherf H. Computed tomography in paleoanthropology - an overview // Archaeol. Anthropol. Sci. - 2013. - Vol. 5. -P. 205 - 214.

Smith M.J., Kneller P., Elliott D., Young Ch., Manley H., Osselton D. Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim / Archaeol. Anthropol. Sci. - 2012. - Vol. 4. - P. 75 - 89.

Thompson R.C., Allam A.H., Lombardi G.P., Wann L.S., Sutherland M.L., Sutherland J.D., Soliman M.A1-T, Frohlich В., Mininberg D.T., Monge J.M., Vallodolid С. М., Cox S.L., Abd el-Maksoud G., Badr I., Miyamoto M.I., Abd el-Halim Nur el-din, Narula J., Finch C.E., Thomas G.S. Atherosclerosis across 4000 years of human history: the Horus study of four ancient populations // The lancet. 2013. - Vol. 381, iss. 9873. - P. 1211 - 1222. - URT: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140 - 6736(13)60598-X.

The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 05.09.14.

Permanent link to this publication: