The remains of a fearsome warrior - who towered some 25 centimeters over his peers - were unearthed by archeologists near Omsk in an ancient burial mound.
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Image: inside the grave of 'giant' warlord horseman. Credit:Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences.
Archeologist Mikhail Korusenko who led the expedition to the Muromtsevsky district of Omsk region told The Siberian Times the find came as his team were about to complete fifth season of work.
Nicknamed 'Bogatyr' or 'Great Warrior' who held sway in the 11th century, is believed to have been trained in combat since childhood.
He was buried with the massive fang of a bear embedded in his nose, seen as a sign of his strength and power. A decorated mirror - a bronze plate - lay on his chest, inside a birch bark cover.
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Image: The death mask, with number 4 marking the bear's fang, and numbers 2 and 4 showing metal fish figurines with broken-off heads that were covering the warrior's eye sockets. Credit: Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences.
The mirror was evidently a tool to communicate with the gods and they found 25 arrowheads - armour-piercing and diamond shaped, made from metal and bone,' are still sharp today - and bronze tools.
Our warrior was killed in the battle. His left arm was severed in battle and placed near the body, and his shoulder was broken. But he was buried according to ritual which means he was a respected person.
He is believed to have been around the age of 40 when he died, and was a member of the indigenous Khanty and Mansi peoples.
Image: A reconstruction of how a warrior of that culture and period of time looked like, made by A. Soloviev.
This man belonged to the tribes that were the ancestors of modern Khanty and Mansi peoples; usually small, these tribes had to protect their borders and often had few men of outstanding physical condition. Our man was about 180 cm tall, which was very tall for those times.
There is no doubt that the burial belonged to Ust-Ishim culture, the historical ancestors of modern Khanty and Mansi people,' Mikhail Korusenko said.
Archeologist Mikhail Korusenko who led the expedition to the Muromtsevsky district of Omsk region told The Siberian Times the find came as his team were about to complete fifth season of work.
Nicknamed 'Bogatyr' or 'Great Warrior' who held sway in the 11th century, is believed to have been trained in combat since childhood.
He was buried with the massive fang of a bear embedded in his nose, seen as a sign of his strength and power. A decorated mirror - a bronze plate - lay on his chest, inside a birch bark cover.
The mirror was evidently a tool to communicate with the gods and they found 25 arrowheads - armour-piercing and diamond shaped, made from metal and bone,' are still sharp today - and bronze tools.
Our warrior was killed in the battle. His left arm was severed in battle and placed near the body, and his shoulder was broken. But he was buried according to ritual which means he was a respected person.
He is believed to have been around the age of 40 when he died, and was a member of the indigenous Khanty and Mansi peoples.
This man belonged to the tribes that were the ancestors of modern Khanty and Mansi peoples; usually small, these tribes had to protect their borders and often had few men of outstanding physical condition. Our man was about 180 cm tall, which was very tall for those times.
There is no doubt that the burial belonged to Ust-Ishim culture, the historical ancestors of modern Khanty and Mansi people,' Mikhail Korusenko said.
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