The 1993 season was her third consecutive year excavating on the Ukok Plateau.

The plateau is physically demanding as an excavation environment — the remoteness, the altitude, the temperature swings between summer days and nights, the logistical challenges of working far from any support infrastructure.

The team had been digging for more than two months when the Ice Maiden’s tomb was found.

Polosmak has described the discovery in terms that are simultaneously professional and personal.

The sight of the tattoo emerging from the ice — the “brilliant blue” of the griffin-like creature on the shoulder — was something that she has described as genuinely extraordinary, a moment when years of specialized preparation met an unprecedented find.