Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 41 (4) 2013

Annotation:  Acheulean Large Flake Technology in Campo de Calatrava (Ciudad Real, Spain) Alternative Interpretations of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic Interface at Vindija Cave (Northwestern Early Upper Paleolithic Stone Tool Technologies of Northern Mongolia: The Case of Tolbor-4 and Tolb On the Supposedly Young Age of Angara Alluvial Sediments Based on the Findings of Salvage Excavatio The Early Neolithic of the Kama Region On the Function of “Grooved Stones” Middle Neolithic Ceramics from the Tytkesken VI Settlement Site A New Neolithic Ceramic Tradition in the Kama Region Early and Middle Bronze Age Burials at Ordynskoye-1, Western Siberia: A New Cultural Interpretation The Suzukteh Mound 22, Mongolia: The Burial Rite Prestigious Afanasyevo Wooden Metal-Bound Ware from the Sayan-Altai Without a Face: A Silver Plaque from the Eastern Slopes of the Urals New Elements in the Iconography of 9th–10th Century Ural-Siberian Silver A 13th–14th Century AD “Horse Skin Burial” at Basandaika Kurgan 1, Western Siberia Age-Related Skeletal Changes in Adult Populations Under Various Social and Geographical Conditions:   

The Suzukteh Mound 22, Mongolia: The Burial Rite

N.V. Polosmak, E.S. Bogdanov, and D. Tseveendorj.

A Xiongnu elite burial mound 22 at Suzukteh, Mongolia, excavated in 2012, is described. Because the wood was exceptionally well preserved, the construction of the burial chamber and coffi n can be assessed in detail and, because the mound was excavated by hand, the burial rite can be comprehensively reconstructed. In terms of funerary ritualism this burial does not differ from those previously excavated in Mongolia or Siberia east of Lake Baikal, and demonstrates that the nomadic elite adhered to Chinese traditions. By the beginning of the Common Era, the Xiongnu, apparently with the assistance of the Han people, built rather sophisticated funerary structures. A unique assemblage of artifacts made from organic materials includes Chinese and European silk and wool fabrics, lacquerware, wooden vessels, and highly artistic silver and gold objects.

Keywords: Xiongnu, burial rite, Mongolia, Noyon Uul, Han art, Yao Che chariot, silver phalerae.