Inside the coffin, the Ice Maiden lay on her side, facing east, positioned as if sleeping.

Her body had been wrapped in fur — sable fur, which would have been among the most valuable pelts available in the Altai region.

Her clothing was intact, preserved by the same cold that had frozen her.

And as the ice melted away from her shoulder, the tattoo that would make her famous came into view.

The Woman Herself

The Ice Maiden was approximately 25 years old when she died.

This age estimate comes from analysis of her skeletal development — the state of her teeth, the fusion of her growth plates, the overall assessment of a skeleton that had not yet developed the degenerative changes of middle age but had passed the growing stage of adolescence.