In Pazyryk burial practice, horses were the primary marker of status for the deceased.

The wealthiest and most powerful male Pazyryk chiefs were buried with as many as fifty horses.

The Ice Maiden’s six horses placed her in a category of significant but not supreme status — a person of importance within her community, but not the pinnacle of the hierarchy.

The coffin itself, when it emerged from the ice, was intact.

It had been made from a single larch tree, hollowed out to create the coffin space, with the lid nailed on with copper nails.

The exterior of the coffin was decorated with carved figures of deer.