The Embalming And The Body’s Preservation

The Ice Maiden’s body was not simply frozen.

It had also been deliberately embalmed by her community before burial.

This is a detail that complicates the simple “frozen in ice” narrative.

The Pazyryk practiced a form of body preparation that involved the removal of organs and brain, which were replaced with materials including peat and bark.

The internal cavities of the body were packed with these materials to maintain the body’s form after decomposition of the internal organs.

This embalming practice had a specific purpose: the deceased was to remain intact and presentable for a period that could last months after death.