Golden Princess exposition, oldest gold burial, in E Kazakhstan History Museum (PHOTOS)

"Altyn Hanshayym" (Golden Princess) exposition is taking place here. The exposition presents the unique artifacts of the oldest in Kazakhstan gold burial to have been unearthed in the country. Archaeologists have recreated the impressive attire of an ancient Scythian princess. Golden Princess from fragments discovered in a treasure-filled burial discovered two years ago in the Terekty district of Western Kazakhstan. Golden Princess was found in a mound, known as kurgan, alongside numerous gold and silver vessels, makeup kits, golden jewelry, a headdress, a horse bridle, and other household items that were considered essential for the afterlife. The burial appeared fully intact. The material found was so significant that it took two years of research and restoration work to reliably and fully establish the importance of the findings. This enormous work involved along with the Kazakh scientists their counterparts from Japan, Germany and Russia. Scientists found out that the ancient burial contained remains of a noble Scythian woman, aged 35-40. Next to the body there were found different gold vessels, makeup kits, vestiges of a rich headdress and lots of gold jewelry - necklaces, charms, beads, rings and chains. Hem of her dress and shoes were decorated with gold beads. The Princess herself was covered with a blanket embroidered in gold plaques. More than 500 of different gold pieces demonstrate that she was really "golden woman". In historians' opinion the Princess belonged to the Saka (ancient Scythians), a group of nomadic warrior tribes of Aryan/Iranian origin, who inhabited the steppes of modern-day Kazakhstan from around 1,000 BC to the first century AD. One artifact that was of particular importance was a wooden comb depicting a battle scene in the war of the Saks against the Persians. The composition shows two soldiers in a chariot and their enemy, a single foot soldier, inscribed in the rectangular space in the center of the crest/comb. The burial ceremony took place with the use of fire, which is very difficult for the research and restoration work, which, however, have been successfully carried out in the scientific and restoration laboratory, headed by a member of the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan Krym Altynbekov. In order to "decode" the information obtained through the thickness of the centuries, a huge effort and expertise needed. The burial mound was made around a wooden structure that caved in back in the ancient days. At some point tomb robbers attempted to raid the burial, but fortunately, they failed to reach the burial chamber itself. According to the director of the regional center of history and archeology, Doctor of Historical Sciences Murat Sdykov, made a real discovery. The Princess wore a peaked hat. Herodotus has a record that Saks-Tigrahauda wore this kind of outfit. According to specialists of the research center, the unique items found in the mound demonstrate the high level of creativity and craftsmanship of the ancient jewelers, ceramic artists, masters of stone and wood. Ancient masters used the methods of forging, engraving, embossing and inlay. The Golden Princess is one of the most astonishing archaeological findings of the recent years, shedding some light on the wealth and power of the ancient Scythians.