What she actually was — the specific person who wore the blue tattoos and the high headdress and the Chinese silk — remains, after three decades of study, only partially known.

She was a woman who died young — around 25 years old.

She was a member of the Pazyryk elite, whatever that specifically meant for a woman in that culture and that time.

She was probably in significant pain from chronic illness.

She was tattooed with images that connected her to the animal-spirit world of her culture.

She was embalmed and ceremonially used by her community after death.

She was buried with six horses and a feast’s worth of provisions.