Altai or Pazyryk rug

The oldest surviving rug is the Altai or Pazyryk rug. It was found in a mountainous region of Siberia, in the grave of a Scythian prince who died five hundred years before the birth of Christ. Grave robbers soon disturbed the grave but chose not to take his rug, leaving the entrance to the burial chamber open, the next heavy rains flooded the grave which soon turned to ice. The rug was found by the Russian archaeologist S.I.Rudenko, who was exploring the region in 1947-1949. The Altai rug is also known as the Pazyryk rug, as that is the name of the valley in which it was discovered. It is now on view in the Hermitage Museum St Petersburg.