The preserved tissues, already stabilized by the embalming process, could withstand the exposure to air better than an unembalmed body would have.

After the archaeologists removed the body from the permafrost and the burial chamber, it was transported to Novosibirsk — a journey that required careful management to prevent deterioration.

The body was kept cold and treated to prevent the microbial activity that would otherwise begin breaking it down rapidly once removed from the preserving conditions of the permafrost.

In Novosibirsk, at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography where Polosmak worked, the body received the technical treatment needed to stabilize it for long-term storage and study.

What The Grave Goods Say About Her World