Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Honeychurch, William
Abstract
The Late Bronze Age (LBA) and Early Iron Age (EIA) in Mongolia witnessed significant changes in mortuary practices, particularly the transition from prone burials to the slab grave tradition. This dissertation investigates the complex interplay between socio-cultural, political, and ideological factors that shaped these transformations, focusing on the reuse of burial spaces at the Shiriin Chuluu site in the Gobi Desert. In attempting to better understand the prone burial tradition of the Gobi and eastern Mongolia, I focus specifically on the history and utility of the prone concept as a category; the emergence and spread of these practices as a socio-pastoral phenomenon; possible interregional engagements of prone burial communities; semi-specialized craft production of distinctive artifacts such as beads; and current ideas about the transformation and diminishment of these funerary formats. This dissertation draws upon an extensive, multi-year research project focused on the Shiriin Chuluu site, located in Altanshiree district of Dornogovi province. The fieldwork for this study was conducted between 2018 and 2023, building upon an initial cultural resource management (CRM) project in 2012 that first identified and documented the rich archaeological landscape of the Altanshiree region. Throughout the comprehensive survey, a total of 443 sites were recorded, encompassing habitations, monuments, cemeteries, rock art, cave sites, and ritual complexes dating to key periods of Mongolian prehistory and history. Targeted excavations at Shiriin Chuluu resulted in the documentation of 21 Late Bronze Age monumental burials and 3 Early Iron Age interments The analytical results presented here assess and evaluate three anthropological models describing the emergence of prone burials. Wright and colleagues (2019) have argued that these monumental burial formats represent the beginning of social differentiation, local elites and their leadership, and lineage groups that claimed distinctive status locally. A second model views the interregional circulation of wealth in the form of valued craft production as giving incentive for the initial uptake of herding in the Mongolian south and east by 1600 BCE leading to status differences reflected in funerary treatments. A final hypothesis explains prone burial practices as activity sets that brought dispersed partners together as a way to strengthen pastoral alliances. the evidence from Shiriin Chuluu accords best with the final model of pastoral alliance building commensurate with more intensive investments in pastoralism. This dissertation also explores the history of steatite and carnelian beads in Mongolia during the LBA and EIA, contextualizing the data by comparing their history in eastern Eurasia before and during the LBA to provide new insights into the inter-regional connections that prehistoric communities had across the eastern Eurasian steppe. The chapter reviews what is currently known about steatite and carnelian beads in Mongolia during the LBA and EIA and discusses production techniques, sourcing, and distribution. The study highlights the importance of these artifacts in understanding long-distance trade and exchange networks in prehistoric Mongolia and emphasizes the need for more precise language and sourcing studies in archaeological research. The research on lapidary artifacts from Shiriin Chuluu provides new evidence that the carnelian beads found in the LBA and EIA burials were produced from local sources within Mongolia, rather than imported from distant regions. In the final section my research focuses on the documentation of mortuary reuse and re-ritualization at Shiriin Chuluu and other sites in the region, including Zaraa Uul, Delgerkhaan Uul, and Emeelt Tolgoi. Excavations at Shiriin Chuluu and these other sites have revealed patterns of reopening, manipulation, and the incorporation of new features and artifacts in mortuary contexts. The reuse of older burial spaces, the incorporation of domestic animal remains, and the presence of intrusive burials and repurposed burial features suggest that these sites remained significant and were actively engaged with by subsequent generations, possibly as a means of establishing connections with the past or negotiating social identities. By examining the relationship between socio-cultural, political, and ideological change and shifts in mortuary practices, this research contributes to our understanding of how changes in funerals signal, encourage, support, or initiate changes to the broader social order. The dynamic processes of social transformation observed in the context of mobile pastoralism in the LBA and EIA of Mongolia highlight the importance of considering the complex interplay between ritual practices, social organization, and economic strategies in the development of social complexity. In conclusion, it is my hope that the findings and anthropological perspectives presented here will inspire further research and dialogue, especially among my fellow Mongolian archaeologists, historians, and other scholars of the past. Fostering a greater appreciation for the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Eurasian steppe and the enduring legacy of the ancient pastoral nomadic communities that once inhabited this vast and captivating landscape will benefit archaeology, anthropology and the development of a more repsentative world history.
Recommended Citation
Dashzeveg, Bukhchuluun, "Bronze Age Prone Burials of the Mongolian Gobi Desert: An Anthropological Study of Mortuary Traditions" (2024). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1390.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1390
