Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 34 (2) 2008

Annotation:  New Insights into the Archaeological Record at Chikhen Agui Rockshelter (Mongolia) A Paleolithic Bracelet from Denisova Cave Principal Excavation Techniques under Permafrost Conditions (Based on Zhokhov and Yana Sites, Northe Late Pleistocene Bison (Bison p. priscus Bojanis, 1827) from the Southeastern Part of Western Siberi Infant Burials in Dwellings at Chicha-1, in the Baraba Forest-Steppe: Results of DNA Analysis Burial Assemblages of Boisman-2 – a Stratifi ed Site in Southern Primorye The Burial Construction of Noin Ula Mound 20, Mongolia Ornamental Traditions of the Lower Amur Neolithic Horseman Image on an Ostrich Eggshell Fragment Gamma-shaped Artifacts from Western and Southern Siberia, the Urals, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia Destiny in the Traditional Beliefs of the Aginsk Buryats A Historical and Ethnological Analysis of Intellectual Play in the Japanese Art of Incense Blending: Gypsy Easter The Paleodemography of Western Siberia in the Middle and Late Bronze Age The Origins of the Koreans: Evidence of Physical Anthropology   

The Burial Construction of Noin Ula Mound 20, Mongolia

N.V. Polosmak, E.S. Bogdanov, D. Tseveendorj, and N. Erdene-Ochir.

In 2006, a joint Russian-Mongolian archaeological expedition excavated one of the last remaining mounds left by the Hunnu elite at Noin Ula, northern Mongolia. Because excavations were conducted by hand, a detailed analysis of the burial structure was possible. Its layout followed one of the most common Chinese (Han) prototypes and included: a rectangular earthen platform with a stone enclosure; a long corridor, with the entrance to the grave being oriented to the south; a deep pit (18.35 m) narrowing to the bottom in a stepwise manner; a Chinese chariot above the burial chamber; charcoal and clay placed between the walls of the chamber and those of the frame; a double frame made of pine blocks; numerous artifacts in corridors; and a laquered coffi n. Four stone roofs matching four descending steps secured a dense backfi ll. A similar technique (multilayered backfi ll interspersed with stone roofs) was practiced for building foundations during the Hellenistic epoch. A distinctive feature of the Noin Ula burial rite is the presence of numerous artifacts made from organic substances.