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Elite pre-Mongol burial uncovered in Mongolia

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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

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Archaeology

Guardian statue uncovered at Banteay Prey Nokor

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Archaeologists from the APSARA National Authority have uncovered a guardian statue at the Banteay Prey Nokor temple complex in Kompong Cham, Cambodia.

Known locally as the temple of “Wat Nokor in Khum of Kompong Siem”, or “Wat Angkor”, Banteay Prey Nokor was constructed during the reign of Jayavarman VII (AD 1181–1218), the first king devoted to Buddhism in the Khmer Empire.

The complex covers an area of 37 acres and consists of a central tower surrounded by four laterite wall enclosures made from sandstone and laterite.

In addition to being the largest ancient temple complex in Kampong Cham Province, it has several distinguishing features. One of the most notable is its construction from black sandstone, which sets it apart from other temples of the period, typically built from brick or reddish sandstone.

Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith

Archaeologists from the Department of Preservation and Archaeology at the APSARA Authority recently excavated one of the gateways of Banteay Prey Nokor, clearing away layers of rubble from the collapsed upper structure.

Upon removing the rubble material, a guardian door statue was uncovered to the right of the eastern entrance to the gateway. The statue is broken into six pieces – breaking at the neck, the left forearm, the waist, and below the knees of both legs.

According to the researchers, the statue, which originally stood at a height of around 1.6 metres, is of the Bayon style, in reference to the Bayon state temple of Jayavarman VII at the centre of Jayavarman’s capital, Angkor Thom.

“The sandstone gate guardian will now be stored at the Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum,” Angkor Wat’s heritage police said in a statement. “It will be preserved and studied further.”

Header Image Credit : Phouk Chea / Chea Sarith

Sources : APSARA National Authority

This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily

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Sacred chapel destroyed during German Peasants’ War rediscovered

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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

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