Archaeologists in Mongolia have unearthed an elite grave that sheds light on a little-known era before the rise of the Mongol Empire. This extraordinary find offers a rare glimpse into the lives of powerful individuals navigating political upheaval and shifting alliances on the medieval steppe.
A team of archaeologists led by Professors Gideon Shelach-Lavi from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Amartuvshin Chunaga from the National University of Mongolia, and William Honeychurch from Yale University made the discovery in Dornod Province, the easternmost area of Mongolia. Their findings, published in Archaeological Research in Asia, offers new insights into a lesser-known medieval era on the Mongolian plateau. This period spans the collapse of the Kitan Empire around 1125 CE to the rise of the Mongol Empire under Chinggis Khan in 1206 CE.
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The Khar Nuur burial, as it has been named, was found within the enclosure wall of a Kitan-era frontier fortress. The grave, which likely postdates the use of the fortress, contains the remains of a woman between the age of 40 and 60, suggesting she was a member of an elite lineage with notable political standing. This discovery illuminates the structure and organization of local medieval communities during the 12th century, a time of political fragmentation and intense competition following the collapse of imperial authority.
Archaeological Context and Significance
Since 2018, the Mongol-Israeli-American Archaeological Project has been conducting surveys and excavations along the Kitan frontier ‘long-walls’ in northeastern Mongolia. The Khar Nuur burial is one of the most significant medieval discoveries of the project, providing essential clues about the cultural and political transformations occurring in the lead-up to the Mongol Empire.
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Three theories have been proposed regarding the burial’s location:
The steppe nomads of Khar Nuur may have viewed the abandoned Kitan fortress as part of their own historical landscape, using it to assert local identity and social memory.
The fortress may have retained symbolic prestige, making it a suitable resting place for an elite community member.
The burial could have been a deliberate display of power and territorial claims amid the political rivalries of the time.
These explanations, while not mutually exclusive, collectively highlight the medieval socio-political dynamics of the eastern steppe. As imperial power crumbled and local groups vied for influence, the Khar Nuur burial stands as a powerful reminder of identity, memory, and authority in a period of transition.
Gold Bracelet and Two Earrings. Photo by Tal Rogovsky
Artefacts Found with the Grave
The deceased woman was interred with a number of artefacts, including a yellow silk robe and other silk garments. There was also a silver cup, an iron knife sheathed in a wooden case, a small bronze vessel and beads made from coral and different colours of glass.
They also found that the woman was buried with gold jewellery. In the article they write she had
a gold bracelet on her right wrist and gold earrings presumably in both ears. The bracelet is made of 0.2 cm thick gold wire and is 6.1 × 4.1 cm in size. The terminal ends of the bracelet are joined with a cast silver fastening. The manner in which the two ends of the gold wire are connected to form a bracelet is similar to a silver bracelet found in a Jurchen Jin period (1115–1234 CE) tomb from Heilongjiang province in northeast China. The earrings are not exactly symmetrical but their shapes are very similar. One is made of 2 mm and the other of a 1.4 mm gold wire and their sizes are approximately 29 × 15 mm and 30 × 14 mm respectively.
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Some of the other items discovered are harder to know for certain, but it could have included a quiver or a bow and arrow case, and a type of headgear made from birch bark.
Historical Implications
The discovery enriches our understanding of medieval Mongolian history, revealing the complexities of the communities that shaped the region before the Mongol Empire’s rise. It offers a glimpse into how medieval local elites maintained their networks and asserted their influence in a shifting political landscape.
“The Khar Nuur burial represents a unique window into the complex social and political landscape of 12th century Mongolia,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “It demonstrates how local elites may have used symbolic connections to past empires to legitimize their own power and status, even as they navigated a rapidly changing political environment.”
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This remarkable find underscores the importance of ongoing archaeological research in uncovering the nuanced medieval history of Mongolia. As analysis of the grave and its contents continues, researchers expect to gain further insights into this pivotal period, both in Mongolian history and the broader medieval world.
The article, “An elite grave of the pre-Mongol period, from Dornod Province, Mongolia,” by Amartuvshin Chunag, Gideon Shelach-Lavi b, William Honeychurch, Batdalai Byambatseren, Orit Shamir, Uuriintuya Munkhtur, Daniela Wolin, Shuzhi Wang and Nofar Shamir, is published in Archaeological Research in Asia.Click here to read it.
Top Image: Drone photo of Cluster 27 in northeastern Mongolia. A red circle marks the location of the excavated burial. The inset map shows the location of Cluster 27 in red and two other enclosure sites along the long wall (Clusters 23 and 24) in black. Photo by Dan Golan
Archaeologists in Mongolia have unearthed an elite grave that sheds light on a little-known era before the rise of the Mongol Empire. This extraordinary find offers a rare glimpse into the lives of powerful individuals navigating political upheaval and shifting alliances on the medieval steppe.
A team of archaeologists led by Professors Gideon Shelach-Lavi from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Amartuvshin Chunaga from the National University of Mongolia, and William Honeychurch from Yale University made the discovery in Dornod Province, the easternmost area of Mongolia. Their findings, published in Archaeological Research in Asia, offers new insights into a lesser-known medieval era on the Mongolian plateau. This period spans the collapse of the Kitan Empire around 1125 CE to the rise of the Mongol Empire under Chinggis Khan in 1206 CE.
The Khar Nuur burial, as it has been named, was found within the enclosure wall of a Kitan-era frontier fortress. The grave, which likely postdates the use of the fortress, contains the remains of a woman between the age of 40 and 60, suggesting she was a member of an elite lineage with notable political standing. This discovery illuminates the structure and organization of local medieval communities during the 12th century, a time of political fragmentation and intense competition following the collapse of imperial authority.
Archaeological Context and Significance
Since 2018, the Mongol-Israeli-American Archaeological Project has been conducting surveys and excavations along the Kitan frontier ‘long-walls’ in northeastern Mongolia. The Khar Nuur burial is one of the most significant medieval discoveries of the project, providing essential clues about the cultural and political transformations occurring in the lead-up to the Mongol Empire.
Three theories have been proposed regarding the burial’s location:
These explanations, while not mutually exclusive, collectively highlight the medieval socio-political dynamics of the eastern steppe. As imperial power crumbled and local groups vied for influence, the Khar Nuur burial stands as a powerful reminder of identity, memory, and authority in a period of transition.
Artefacts Found with the Grave
The deceased woman was interred with a number of artefacts, including a yellow silk robe and other silk garments. There was also a silver cup, an iron knife sheathed in a wooden case, a small bronze vessel and beads made from coral and different colours of glass.
They also found that the woman was buried with gold jewellery. In the article they write she had
a gold bracelet on her right wrist and gold earrings presumably in both ears. The bracelet is made of 0.2 cm thick gold wire and is 6.1 × 4.1 cm in size. The terminal ends of the bracelet are joined with a cast silver fastening. The manner in which the two ends of the gold wire are connected to form a bracelet is similar to a silver bracelet found in a Jurchen Jin period (1115–1234 CE) tomb from Heilongjiang province in northeast China. The earrings are not exactly symmetrical but their shapes are very similar. One is made of 2 mm and the other of a 1.4 mm gold wire and their sizes are approximately 29 × 15 mm and 30 × 14 mm respectively.
Some of the other items discovered are harder to know for certain, but it could have included a quiver or a bow and arrow case, and a type of headgear made from birch bark.
Historical Implications
The discovery enriches our understanding of medieval Mongolian history, revealing the complexities of the communities that shaped the region before the Mongol Empire’s rise. It offers a glimpse into how medieval local elites maintained their networks and asserted their influence in a shifting political landscape.
“The Khar Nuur burial represents a unique window into the complex social and political landscape of 12th century Mongolia,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “It demonstrates how local elites may have used symbolic connections to past empires to legitimize their own power and status, even as they navigated a rapidly changing political environment.”
This remarkable find underscores the importance of ongoing archaeological research in uncovering the nuanced medieval history of Mongolia. As analysis of the grave and its contents continues, researchers expect to gain further insights into this pivotal period, both in Mongolian history and the broader medieval world.
The article, “An elite grave of the pre-Mongol period, from Dornod Province, Mongolia,” by Amartuvshin Chunag, Gideon Shelach-Lavi b, William Honeychurch, Batdalai Byambatseren, Orit Shamir, Uuriintuya Munkhtur, Daniela Wolin, Shuzhi Wang and Nofar Shamir, is published in Archaeological Research in Asia. Click here to read it.
Top Image: Drone photo of Cluster 27 in northeastern Mongolia. A red circle marks the location of the excavated burial. The inset map shows the location of Cluster 27 in red and two other enclosure sites along the long wall (Clusters 23 and 24) in black. Photo by Dan Golan
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