Excavation and Survey in
Arkhangai and Bulgan Aimaqs,
Mongolia July 20-August 17, 2005
F
or the summer of 2005, the
Silkroad Foundation, in conjunction
with the Department of
Archaeology at the Mongolian
National University, will be
sponsoring excavation and
survey in Arkhangai and Bulgan
aimaqs, Mongolia. You are invited
to join in the first season of this
collaborative project.
The field directors for this
project are Dr. Mark Hall (Archaeological
Research Facility,
University of California, Berkeley)
and Dr. Zagd Batsaihan (Department
of Archaeology, Mongolian
National University). Dr. Hall has
excavated in Bulgan aimaq in
1996 and 1998, while Dr.
Batsaihan has worked in these
aimaqs since the early 1990s.
The main focus of the research
will be looking at Xiongnu
cemeteries and possible Xiongnu
settlements in these two
aimaqs. For the past several
years, both Dr. Hall and Dr.
Batsaihan have been working on
Xiongnu material in an attempt
to look at: 1) trade and exchange
relationships within the Xiongnu
confederacy; 2) trade and
exchange between the Xiongnu
and Han; and 3) developing an
absolute chronology of the Xiongnu.
Excavations are being done
in order to gather more data to
look at these issues.
This program is an exciting
opportunity for participants with
a wide range of interests. The
early nomadic societies of Eurasia
played a critical role in the
development of economic and
cultural exchange along the “Silk
Roads.” As the Han Dynasty
histories emphasize, of particular
importance was the Xiongnu
confederacy in the last centuries
BCE and beginning of the
Common Era (AD). Our
understanding of the nomads
themselves and their relations
with sedentary centers has been
transformed by the archaeological
work of recent decades.
A wealth of new material is being
unearthed, and new methods are
being applied to its analysis. In
addition to enhancing your
understanding of the origin of the
Silk Roads and offering hands-on
experience in archaeological field
work, the program will be an
excellent introduction to the
broader cultural world of the
steppe nomads and to the
history and culture of Mongolia.
The Xiongnu were only one of
several important nomadic
confederacies which were
centered there, the best known
being that of the empire which
would encompass much of
Eurasia under Chingis Khan and
his successors in the 13th
century. To spend significant time
in the grasslands of Mongolia’s
spectacular landscapes, where
many aspects of traditional
herding culture are still alive
(although by no means
uninfluenced by the modern
world), can greatly enhance
one’s understanding of this
region’s importance in world
history. This is a program which
should appeal to anyone eager
to learn about Eurasian history
and experience first-hand rich
cultural traditions which are very
different from one’s own.
Language
The official language of the
seminar is English. Lectures by
local Mongolian scholars will be
translated.
Dates/Sites
Part of the field season will be
spent excavating at Tamaryn
Ulaan Khoshuu, a Xiongnu
cemetery containing over 300
burials and a series of banked
and ditched enclosures believed
to date to the Xiongnu era. The
other part of the field season will
be spent doing survey and test
excavations of Bronze Age and
later period sites and monuments.
Session 1
— July 20th- August 3rd, 2005
Session 2
— August 4th-
August 18th, 2005
Program Fee
A tax deductible donation of
$1000 for one session, or $1500
for both sessions. This donation
does not include airfare, visas nor
incidentals in Ulaan Bataar. We
are currently investigating the
possibility of a homestay with a
Mongolian family upon arrival in
Ulaan Bataar, but you should also
considering budgeting for staying
2-3 days in a hotel in Ulaan
Bataar.
Schedule
Survey and excavation will run six
days a week once we are out in
the field. The typical day will
probably be as follows:
8:30 AM — Everyone goes
to his/her excavation or
survey units.
12:30 PM — Return to
camp for lunch.
2:30 PM — Everyone goes
back out for survey and
excavation.
6:30 PM — Return to camp
for the evening meal.
In the evenings, we will have
some group discussions about
the finds from the excavation
and/or we will be cleaning
artifacts. Other evenings may involve inviting the local herders
to the camp, or visiting them.
Some evenings will be free with
no organized activities.
List of Lectures
Several lectures will be given
during the session. The tentative
schedule is as follows:
- “Archaeology,” by Dr. Mark
Hall, Archaeological Research
Facility, UC Berkeley.
- “Archaeology in Mongolia,” by
Dr. Zagd Batsaihan, National
University of Mongolia.
- “Nomadic Culture,” by Dr.
Daniel Waugh, University of
Washington.
- “The Xiongnu,” by Dr. Albert
Dien, Stanford University.
- “History of the Mongol
Empire,” by Dr. Dien or Dr.
Waugh.
- “Mongolia Today,” by Oyungerel
Tsedevdamba, Personal
assistant to the Prime
Minister of Mongolia.
Prerequisite
Participants must bring their own
camping gear. If you want to buy
(possible range from $300-500)
a ger in Ulaan Bataar and live in
that while on expedition, we’ll
help you do that.
Volunteers need no special
training, but should be used to
physical activity and wilderness
camping for extended periods of time. We are going out on the
Mongolian steppe and will be
anywhere from 50 km. to 150 km.
from any sizable towns. We will
live in tents and gers, without
electricity and plumbing. Hot
water will almost be a luxury. The
diet will be heavy on sheep and
rice, and, hopefully, cheese and
yogurt. Vegetarians will not do
very well with the diet.
Volunteers will be given
training on how to do
archaeological survey and
excavation. If you have been on
an excavation before, that is
great; but if not, do not worry
about it. The most important
things you need for this project
are: 1) a good sense of humor;
2) the ability to cope with rapidly
changing conditions; 3) a sense
of adventure; and 4) the ability
to live without electricity, a cellphone,
a television and a
computer.
Academic credit is not
provided for this project.
Application/Deadline
The online application (
http://www.silkroadfoundation.org/excavation/excform005.html)
should be submitted to the Silkroad Foundation by March 15, 2005. We will notify
those accepted by early April. For more information, please contact program
director Dr. Mark Hall (
mhall@berkeley.edu)
or contact the Silkroad Foundation via email (
excavation@silkroadfoundation.org).
