T he Altai-Sayan mountain system is a special region at the juncture of the vast Siberian taiga (Russia) and the mountainous-steppe expanses of Inner Asia (Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and northwest China). Geographically and culturally the Altai-Sayan mountain region has always been more connected to its southern neighbors, since it was a part of the so-called Great Steppe Belt or Corridor—a habitat and interaction environment for different nomadic groups since at least the first millennium BCE. The various ancient cultures that inhabited this region left behind an extensive archaeological record and are perhaps best known for their burial rites, rich artistic traditions, and the exceptional preservation of perishable materials. Preserved tattoos have been identified from eight ancient burials in the Altai-Sayan region, and are representative of two cultures spanning the period between approximately 400 BCE and 400 CE (map 5.1). Seven of these burials come from the high valleys of the Altai Mountains and belong to the seminomadic pastoral population of the fourth through third centuries BCE, named Pazyryk after the burial site (Barkova and Pankova 2005; Polosmak 2000; Rudenko 1970: 109− 14). Burials of these horsemen are famous, containing numerous preserved objects made of felt, leather, wood, and horn that are elaborately decorated with mostly zoomorphic images. The Pazyryks are also known for the custom of deliberate mummification (Barkova and Gokhman 2001; Polosmak 2001: 238− 55).