The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage releases two Research Publications on Ancient Mongolian Nomadic Culture
- Introducing the Joint Research and the Deer Stone Culture
The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH, Director General Ji Byongmok) under the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (CHA) published the reports The Ancient Tombs site of Shiveet Khairkhan, Mongolian Altai II and Deer Stone Culture of Mongolia and Neighboring Regions I·II, containing the outcome of the joint research with the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS, Director General G.Eregzen).
NRICH and MAS have been active partners since 2009 in carrying out the [Korea·Mongolia Joint Project for Research and Preservation of Cultural Heritage⌋ and NRICH has published two publications as their main results.
The Ancient Tombs site of Shiveet Khairkhan, Mongolian Altai II are the research discoveries made through three investigation expeditions of Shiveet Khairkhan jointly conducted by both institutions since 2016 to 2018.
The issue introduces the valuable cultural artifacts discovered within seven Pazyryk tombs (4th - 2nd century B.C.) and seven Xianbei tombs (1st - 3rd century A.D.). These artifacts such as the burial facilities as well as a clothed mummy and its horse buried with a gag bit, a gilt wooden griffin figurines can shed light on the burial customs and funerary rites of the ancient era. Furthermore, it shows various information on the burial methods, death causes, dietary patterns and trading systems of the Nomads identified though the DNA analyses on skeletal remains, systems genetic analyses on faunal remains and conservation treatment on clothing found from the tombs.
* The Ancient Tombs site of Shiveet Khairkhan I, published in 2018, introduced the first investigation results of two Pazyryk tombs
* Pazyryk Culture is one of the Scytho-Siberain Cultures with its central period of 5th to 3rd century B.C. It was designated after the first tomb found in the Pazyryk area of the Altaic Plate. It owes its name to its well preserved mummies, organic matters and golden artefacts excavated from its permafrost.
* Xianbei is one of the representative nomadic tribes from around 1st - 5th century A.D. They mainly based themselves in the Altai, Baikal, Mongolia and Manchuria.
* Griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle which is known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions
Deer Stone Culture of Mongolia and Neighboring Regions, which was published together with the issue mentioned above, catalogs the Mongolian Deer Stones which are on the tentative list for the UNESCO World Heritage.
* Deer Stones are megalithic monuments with deer-shaped carvings – as found around Siberia and Mongolia – which are thought to be valuable archaeological materials with ideological, religious and artistic information about the ancient nomads.
This publication is the translated version of Deer Stone Culture of Mongolia and Neighboring Regions, published by the MAS in 2018. The purpose was to present the ancient petroglyphic monuments to the academia and the general public in Korea as promptly as possible, for the book is considered to be the most relevant and informative when it comes to Deer Stones.
Each chapter depicts the deer stones distributed in each Aimag (a.k.a Province) with high-resolution images, plans and descriptions.
The published books will be provided in the national and public libraries, research institutes and related institutions in and out of Korea. They are also available online at the website of NRICH, (www.nrich.go.kr, Cultural Heritage Research Knowledge Portal) for the public access.
NRICH and MAS will strive to better the understanding of the mental and material cultures of the ancient Mongolian nomads and provide new basic research material for the studies of Eurasian exchange associations.
Division: The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage Archaeology Division
Contact person: Kang Dongseok(042-860-9171), Nam Sangwon(042-860-9339)