The two children were covered with thousands of ivory beads that had been sewn onto their clothing.

They were accompanied by elaborately decorated spears, ivory carvings, carved discs, and other objects.

The total number of beads associated with the two Sungir children has been estimated at more than 10,000.

The Sungir children’s burial is, by any measure, one of the most elaborate prehistoric burials ever documented.

Its lavish grave goods — even more numerous than those of the Mal’ta child — have been interpreted by researchers as evidence of hereditary status: the children were buried as if they were important members of their community, with resources that required extensive labor to produce.

Some researchers have proposed that the children may have been members of a high-status family or lineage, buried with the kind of grave goods that their social position demanded regardless of their age.