Archaeology
Elite pre-Mongol burial uncovered in Mongolia
A Multi-institutional team of archaeologists have uncovered an elite burial belonging to a Khar Nuur steppe nomad from the pre-Mongol period in Dornod Province, Mongolia.
The excavation involved researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the National University of Mongolia, and Yale University, as part of the Mongol-Israeli-American Archaeological Project.
According to a press statement, the discovery provides new insights into the period following the collapse of the Kitan Empire around AD 1125, to the rise of the Mongol Empire under Chinggis Khan in AD 1206 – a period marked by post-imperial destabilisation and intense political competition.
The Khar Nuur burial, as it is now known, was found within the enclosure wall of a Kitan-era frontier fortress. It contains the skeletal remains of an elite individual that postdates the fortress, suggesting that the Khar Nuur steppe nomads likely saw the fortress as a symbol of prestige and power for the deceased.
“The Khar Nuur burial represents a unique window into the complex social and political landscape of 12th century Mongolia,” said Prof. Shelach-Lavi. “It demonstrates how local elites may have used symbolic connections to past empires to legitimise their own power and status, even as they navigated a rapidly changing political environment.”
These theories, though not mutually exclusive, together provide a comprehensive explanation for the social and political dynamics unfolding on the eastern steppe during the post-Kitan era.
As imperial authority weakened and steppe groups struggled for dominance, the Khar Nuur burial emerged as a powerful symbol of identity, memory, and power in a period of significant transition.
As further analysis of the burial and its contents continues, researchers anticipate gaining even more insights into this pivotal period in Mongolian and world history.
Header Image Credit : Dan Golan
Sources : An elite grave of the pre-Mongol period, from Dornod Province, Mongolia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2024.100537
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt have rediscovered the Mallerbach Chapel at the site of the Kaltenborn monastery.
Between 1524 to 1525, a large number of peasants, urban lower classes, and lesser nobles living in the German-speaking areas in Central Europe rebelled against a combination of economic, social, and religious factors. These include:
Economic hardship and inequality: Peasants faced heavy burdens from taxes, dues, and rents imposed by landlords, the church, and secular rulers.
Feudal oppression: Many peasants grew increasingly resentful of the limitations placed on their freedoms by feudal lords, including restrictions on hunting, fishing, and access to communal lands.
Religious influence: The Reformation inspired many peasants who saw in it a call for social and economic reform against a corrupt church.
Legal grievances: Peasants sought greater control over local governance and justice. They were frustrated by the arbitrary decisions made by their lords and demanded more influence over the laws and rules that governed their daily lives.
Image Credit : LDA
Following the outbreak of the Peasants’ War, insurgents from the nearby villages of Riestedt and Emseloh plundered the Kaltenborn monastery near Allstedt in the German district of Mansfeld-Südharz, leading to the monastery’s decline and eventual dissolution in 1538.
According to a press statement by the LDA: “It’s destruction – an act of rebellion against the Cistercian convent of Naundorf, which was in charge of the Chapel of St. Mary and to which the Allstedt residents were subject to taxes – can be seen as the first flare-up and harbinger of the coming uprising of the ‘common man’ against the authorities.”
Recent excavations at the monastery site have located the 12th/13th century Mallerbach chapel, a sacred place of worship for pilgrims who came to witness a weeping image of the Virgin Mary.
Archaeologists have uncovered the original floor plan of the chapel, which measures around 17 metres in length with a rectangular choir and semicircular apse. Excavations have also found the altar foundations, as well as traces of burning from the time of the German Peasants’ War.
Header Image Credit : LDA
Sources : State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA)
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists have excavated the remains of Fregellae, an ancient city in central Italy that revolted against the Roman Republic.
Fregellae was founded during the 4th century BC near the present-day commune of Arce in the province of Frosinone. Due to the strategic location of the city, the Romans established a colony in 328 BC as a bulwark against Samnite incursions.
In 125 BC, the inhabitants of Fregellae revolted against Rome, demanding equal standing as Roman citizens. In response, Rome dispatched a force led by praetor Lucius Opimius, who swiftly suppressed the uprising and razed the city to the ground.
Archaeologists from the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) and the University of Trier have excavated the remains of an agricultural villa which belonged to the local elite within the extent of Fregellae.
Image Credit : Dominik Maschek
Based on archaeological evidence, the villa was constructed around AD 45 and produced wine, fruit and grain in a dedicated production complex.
Prof Dr Dominik Maschek, project manager at LEIZA, said: “The wine was probably not only produced for the local market. It is quite possible that it was traded within Mediterranean exchange networks as far as Spain and France. The cultivation of grain and fruit, on the other hand, was certainly intended for the local market.”
Excavations also revealed traces of the encampment used by the Roman forces that destroyed the city. The camp covered an area of 90 x 143 metres and was surrounded by a defensive rampart and ditch.
Archaeologists suggest that the destruction of Fregellae dealt a severe blow to the region’s economy, leaving the area uninhabited for more than 170 years until the site was reused as a rubbish dump in AD 50.
Header Image Credit : Dominik Maschek
Sources : Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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