The quality and complexity of his tattoos suggest that they accumulated over a longer life — consistent with Polosmak’s hypothesis that the extent of tattooing in Pazyryk culture correlated with age and experience.

Earlier excavations at Pazyryk sites in the 1940s and 1950s by Rudenko had also produced preserved bodies, though in generally worse condition than the Ice Maiden and the Warrior.

Rudenko’s excavations at the main Pazyryk site — in the Ulagan district, distinct from the Ukok Plateau — had found male burials of very high status with larger numbers of sacrificed horses.

Rudenko had found female bodies in his excavations, but their status within the burial complexes was interpreted as subordinate to the males — as servants or concubines sacrificed to accompany the primary deceased.

The Ice Maiden’s burial, in contrast, was her own: she was the primary occupant, not a sacrificed attendant.