Summary of the “Interactions between the Central Plains and the Grasslands: International Symposium on New Discoveries and New Research in Hun Archaeology”

Date Posted: 2024-01-10

On January 9, 2024, the Symposium “Interactions between the Central Plains and the Grasslands: New Discoveries and Research in Hun Archaeology” was held in Zhengzhou City, which was organized by the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology (HPICHA), and co-organized by the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia. Six Mongolian scholars from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia, Institute of Archaeology of Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Mongolian University of Science and Technology and Chinggis Khaan National Museum, and 12 Chinese scholars from Northwest University, Beijing Normal University, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Wuhan University, Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and Luoyang Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and HPICHA’s members of the China-Mongolia Archaeological Project attended the Symposium .

The Symposium Site

Academic Presentations

Moderator of Session One

Professor Pan Ling from the History School of Northwest University and D. Mandakh from the Institute of Archaeology of Mongolian Academy of Sciences

A total of 12 academic presentations were presented at this Symposium, which focused on new discoveries and research findings of China and Mongolia in Hun archaeology recent years.

Lecturer E. Mijiddorj from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia reported the “Excavation and Research of the Hun Tombs at Ikh Santsar Mountain”. According to him, Ikh Santsar Mountain is located 18 Kilometers east of Tsogtsomber in the Gobi-Sümber aimag Province, and the area is home to archaeological remains from different periods, including Bronze Age slab-stone tombs, Kherkhus (stone tombs), Hun tombs, and tombs from the Mongol Yuan Period. In 2023, the Sümber Sum of the Province, the Provincial Bureau of Culture and Arts, and the archaeological team from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia jointly conducted a rescue excavation of four Hun tombs damaged by floods at the Khar Chuluut Site and two slab-stone tombs that had been looted on the northern slope of Khar Vinter Mountain. Although the tombs excavated this time were severely damaged, there were still significant findings, especially the rectangular stone belt plates inlaid with turquoise and red coral, which were mainly found within the territory of the Tyva Republic. This is the first time they have been discovered in Hun tombs within Mongolia, providing important materials for the study of Hun civilian funeral customs.

Assistant Researcher Xin Zemin from Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology presented his “Archaeological Excavation Findings of the Jihulangtu Hun Tomb Cluster in Sonid Right Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region”. The Jihulangtu tomb cluster is located in Jihulangtu Gaqun of Eren Nur Sum, Sonid Youqi Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. From 2020 to 2023, Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with Beijing Normal University School of History, formed a joint archaeological team to conduct trial excavations at the site, unearthing a total of 60 tombs to date. The funerary objects include pottery, bronze ware, ironware, lacquer ware, bone artifacts, and sacrificial animals such as cattle, horses, and sheep. The tombs in the Jihulangtu cluster are primarily circular stone-circled burial mounds, with the tomb pits in a north-south direction, the coffin heads facing north, decorated with persimmon-styled iron flowers, and accompanied by burials of cattle, horses, sheep, and iron arrowheads, which are consistent with the characteristics of Hun tombs in the northern desert region. The tombs also reflect a strong cultural influence of Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), such as the coffin system and bone chopsticks, which were clearly influenced by the culture of Han Dynasty. The unearthed bronze mirrors and lacquer wares all originated from the territories of Han Dynasty. Dating data indicates that the Jihulangtu Hun tomb cluster dated from the 1st Century BC to the 3rd Century AD, coinciding with the historical period when the Huns split into northern and southern bands, with the Southern Huns attaching themselves to the Han Dynasty and gradually integrating into the larger Chinese family. As the first Hun tomb cluster discovered in the grassland area north of the Yinshan Mountain and south of the Gobi in China, the Jihulangtu Hun tomb cluster fills a gap in the distribution of Hun remains in the Inner Mongolian grasslands and is of significant academic importance.

Associate Professor Shan Yueying from Beijing Normal University School of History presented the “Huns Cemetery in SHTR Cemetery and Jihulangtu Cemetery”. She argued that both the SHTR Cemetery in Sümber of the Tuv Province of Mongolia, and the Jihulangtu Cemetery in the Soind Youqi Banner of the Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, belonged to the archaeological relics of the Huns of a relatively late age, which have the typical characteristics of Hun archaeological culture, but there are also obvious differences between these two Huns cemeteries. Shan’s presentation analyzed the consistency and difference of the cultural appearance and connotation of these two Hun cemeteries by comparing the excavated tombs, which is to reveal the reasons for the differences, and then explore the reasons for the division of the Huns, the continuation of Hun burials after the collapse of the empire, and the coexistence of the Huns and Xianbei ethnical cultural elements in a number of archaeological remains of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in northern China.

Moderator of Session Two

Research Associate Liu Bin from Luoyang Municipal Cultural Relics and Archaeology Researcher Institute and Lecturer E. Mijiddorj from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia

Lecturer D. Khatanbaatar from the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, reported his “Study on the Yaman Usu Cemetery of the Huns Aristocracy”. In the autumn of 2021, after the first discovery and observation of the Yaman Usu Cemetery within the territory of Da’erhan Sumu in Zhabkhan Province, the archaeological team of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology has carried out two excavations in 2003 and 2004 successively, and made some preliminary achievements. With this, both two noble tombs (No. 58 and No. 61) and one civilian tomb (No. 59) of Huns were excavated. Preliminary research shows that the Yaman Usu Cemetery is the important burial remains of Hun’s aristocracy in Mongolia, which is of great significance for related research. Some of the excavated cultural relics are being restored, protected and scientifically tested in the laboratory. Paleodietary and genetic researches on unearthed human bones and animal bones are being carried out in high-level laboratories abroad. The excavated relics are quite similar to those previously unearthed in large cemeteries including Gol Mod 1 Cemetery, Gol Mod 2 Cemetery, Noin-ula Cemetery, and Duurlig Nars Cemetery. The components of metal carriage excavated in those cemeteries are being analyzed in the laboratory. The analysis of the wooden carriage indicates that the material used is likely to be from a pine tree native to Mongolia. In addition, the unearthed tower-shaped wooden tools and copper smokers are the first to be discovered in Mongolia, and comparative research is currently underway, which proved that the age determination results of human bones and teeth of Yaman Usu 61 Cemetery was from 46 BC to 79 AD, and the cemetery was probably built at the turn of the year after BC.

Saren Bilige, Research Fellow at the School of History and Culture, Inner Mongolia Normal University, reported “The Age of the Khermental City Site in Mongolia”. According to him, the Khermental City Site is located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Ogiinuur in the Arkhangai Province of Mongolia. During 2014 and 2019, a Sino-Mongolian joint archaeological team composed of scholars from Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Inner Mongolia Museum, and Mongolian International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations, carried out archaeological excavations at the Khermental City Site, the largest site with most distinctive shape and structure of the Huns at present. This was also an important position in the history and archaeological research of the Huns. There are a large number of tombs, city sites, sacrificial sites and handicraft relics of the Huns in the Tamir River—Orkhon River basin and its tributary valleys, indicating that the area was the political center of the Huns Empire at a certain stage.

Therefore, to estimate the age of the construction of the Khermental City Site is of great academic value for understanding the historical development of the relocation of the political center and the construction of the Huns, as well as for promoting the study of the archaeological and cultural periodization of the Huns. This presentation analyzes the characteristics of the relics excavated from the Khermental City Site, combined with the radiocarbon dating data and relevant historical documents, which preliminarily speculates that the age of the Site might be between 105 BC and 44 BC.

Moderator of Session Three

Saren Bilige, Research Fellow at the School of History and Culture, Inner Mongolia Normal University and D. Khatanbaatar from Mongolian University of Science and Technology

Research Fellow S. Enkhbold from the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences presented “The Excavation, Research, and Conservation of the Beileheiam Noble Hun Tombs”. Ten sites of noble Hun tombs have been discovered in Mongolia, with the Beileheiam Tomb Site being located in Ulaanbaatar City. Supported by the Embassy of the Hungary in Mongolia, the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and the Capital Department of Culture and Arts conducted excavations at the Beileheiam Tomb Site. The excavation uncovered one small-scale Jiazi-shaped Hun tomb, with the ground covered by stones approximately 18 meters × 18 meters. After cleaning the scattered stones, the frame of the funerary avenues and tomb chambers were unfolded. The artifacts unearthed from the Beileheiam Tomb included components of chariots, copper plates for coffins, ironware, and lacquer ware. This Beileheiam Tomb Site might be part of the noble remains from the central authority’s ruling class of the Hun Period, with a date around the 1st Century BC. Located in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, and within a forest reserve, an archaeological site park was currently being planned and constructed. The largest tomb, known as Tomb No. 1, was scheduled to be excavated and opened for public visits.

Lecturer B. Galbadrakh from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia, reported his “Research on Bronzes Unearthed from the Gol Mod 2”. Since 2001, archaeologists have excavated a total of 5 noble tombs with the funerary avenues and 51 burial tombs. A large number of artifacts of different types have been unearthed among which the bronze ware include bronze fú (cauldrons), iron fú, bronze pouring vessels with spouts, bronze back vessels, bronze basins, and tripod bronze dishes. Some of these artifacts are discovered for the first time, while many are still undergoing restoration. This was the first dedicated study of the bronze ware unearthed at the Gol Mod 2 Ceretery. The types and functions of these artifacts provided us important information for studying the Hun’s society, culture, and lifestyle.

Professor Pan Ling from Northwest University, presented her research “A Comparative Analysis of Animal Patterns Between Hun Cultures and Han Cultures”. During the early and middle periods of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), the proportions of design elements such as fierce beasts in the Pazyryk Culture preying on herbivores, rear hooves flipping, griffins, and large-horned mythical beasts of the Hun animal patterns gradually decreased, while the number of realistic paired domestic animals increased. During the late Western Han Dynasty to the early Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD-220 AD), the main subjects of Hun decorative patterns were new running and standing-shaped divine beasts, many of which had wings or upright horns. Most of these beasts had bodies and heads resembling sheep or horses, while some resembled dragons, similar to the popular divine beast motifs in animal patterns during the same period in the Han Dynasty. During this period, the primary carriers of animal patterns, which were originally belt fittings, were mostly changed to the iron-made. As a result, these animal patterns could not be preserved well. Archaeological discoveries of animal patterns were predominantly found on gold, silver, or bronze chariot and horse decorations in the tombs of high-ranking nobles. These high-end chariot and horse fittings were likely custom-made gifts bestowed by the Han Dynasty to the Huns. Therefore, the animal patterns on these chariot and horse artifacts might not necessarily reflect the prevalent animal patterns within the Hun territory at that time. However, the animal patterns found on gilded copper belt fittings unearthed in the Aimireg Tomb and in the Southern Mongolia indicated that the animal patterns originating from the Han Dynasty were not limited to the aristocracy but were absorbed, adapted, and widely disseminated by the Huns. The animal textures of the Huns shared a similar developmental trajectory with those of the Han Dynasty during the same period, suggesting the mutual influences and exchanges between them.

Research Associate Cheng Pengfei from the Inner Mongolia Museum discussed the “Three Topics on Hun Historical Archaeology: Reflections of the Marriage Alliance between the Han and the Hun in the Late Western Han Dynasty”. This presentation was delivered on behalf of Chang Hai, Director of Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. During the reign of Emperor Xuandi (91 BC-48 BC) of the Western Han Dynasty, Huhanye submitted the state to the emperor of Han Dynasty and subsequently established a marriage alliance with the Han. Since then, Han and the Hun maintained the relationship of peace and stability for nearly six decades. This historical period had direct and significant impacts on both the Han and the Hun. These impacts were reflected in the archaeological records of both Han and Hun Sites, providing tangible evidence of this historical period. In other words, it can be stated that the historical context of the relationship between the Han Dynasty and the Hun in the later Western Han Dynasty is a key area of focus when interpreting and explaining various archaeological issues related to the two cultures.

First, the title of honer on Chanyu. Following Khan Huhanxie, the title of Chanyu was succeeded by the term “Ruodi”, which signified “filial piety” in the Hun language. According to historical records, the Hun called filial piety as “Ruodi”. After Huhanxie, the relationship between the Hun and the Han Dynasty became closer. Seeing that the Posthumous Titles given to Han Emperors often included the character for “filial piety”, they were very admiring of this custom. Therefore, all subsequent Hun Chanyu were also referred to as the “Ruodi”. Second, urban construction. Some inscribed tiles of the Han Dynasty were discovered at the Halanggan Hun Site in the Arkhangai Province of Mongolia. These tiles bear texts such as “Chanyu, will last forever and ever” and “Master lives long; ministers loyal”, which should be the products of a specific historical period. The time period was roughly after the death of Huhanxie, and Chanyu, and during the rule of his sons, but it would not be later than Wang Mang’s establishment of the new regime (9 AD-25 AD). This aligned with the inscriptions on tiles unearthed from the Zhaowan Han Tomb in Wuyuan County of Baotou City, which showed “Hun Chanyu’s marriage alliance in Han Dynasty”, “The Hun Chanyu held a high status,” and “Minority ethnical groups submitted from all directions by Hun Chanyu.” The time periods and content of these inscriptions correspond and echo each other. Third, the construction of the tombs. It was only after the death of Huhanxie that the Han Dynasty introduced the Chinese character “Jiazi-shaped” tomb system as a reward, along with a batch of funeral gifts, to the northern frontier regions. Professors Urszula and Pan Ling argued that although this tomb system was only in the late Western Han period, but it adopted a burial system derived from the tombs of the State of Chu during the Warring States period. There is still much to explore in this area. However, according to the archaeological findings in China, the tombs of feudal lords from the early Western Han Period also adopted this burial system. From the death of Huhanxie in 31 BC, the Jiazi-shaped tombs continued until the early Eastern Han Period (using Tomb M10 at the Gol Mod 2 Site as a reference, which dated to the reigns of Emperor Mingdi [28 AD-75 AD] and Emperor Zhangdi [58AD - 88 AD] of the Han Dynasty), lasting for about 100 years.

Moderator of Session Four

Associate Professor Shan Yueying from Beijing Normal University School of History and Professor B. Galbadrakh from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia

Research Fellow J. Erdene from the Genghis Khan Museum of Mongolia presented his “Study on the Hun Mythical Creature Kylin”, who systematically introduced the discovery of horse ornaments with unicorn patterns unearthed in the tombs of Hun nobles in Mongolia, and speculated their decorative functions and possible installation positions based on the intact sets of horse ornaments. Then, he made an in-depth analysis of the archetypes and meanings of these patterns. The mythical creature Kylin in Hun cultural relics has gender distinction in image, in which the male image may come from the antelope and the female image comes from the deer. At present, the academia generally does not use unicorn to embody this image, because the term “sole” or “single” have the meanings of isolation and loneliness in Mongolian, so most of them tend to call it “Kylin”. Based on the contrast between the artistic patterns on the objects and the image of the moon surface, he believes that the silver unicorn-patterned horse ornament with a unicorn pattern may symbolize the moon, and another kind of gold unicorn-patterned horse ornament may symbolize the sun. Kylin was innovated during the process of design and production and became one-horned, which may imply unity, with real creature in nature as the model archetype.

Research Associate Lan Wanli from the HPICHA reported his research “Multidisciplinary Archaeological Study on the Gol Mod 2 Cemetery at Arkhangai, Mongolia”. From 2017 to 2019, the staff from HPICHA, Luoyang Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, and Ulaanbaatar State University of Mongolia, carried out joint archaeological research on the Gol Mod 2 Cemetery in Arkhangai Province of Mongolia. In addition to the excavation, the joint archaeological work was also carried out for aerial mapping of the entire cemetery and many archaeological projects with high-technology tools and techniques on the achievements were used in archaeological investigations, such as the dating, analysis of plant remains, pigment and fabric components, metal material, carbon and nitrogen isotopes and strontium isotopes. The findings of this multidisciplinary archaeological study provide people not only reliable data for judging the layout of tombs and the age of burials, but also some important information on the comprehensive exchange of the livelihood mode and population migration of the Huns as well as the interactions of civilization between the grasslands and the Central Plains.

Research Fellow Zhou Ligang from the HPICHA shared his “New Exploration of the Political Center of the Huns: Strontium Isotope Analysis of Human Bones from Gol Mod 2”. This presentation conducted strontium isotope analysis on the bones and teeth of Hun aristocrats and their burial attendants at the Gol Mod 2 Cemetery in Arkhangai Province of Mongolia. The results indicate that two aristocrats of different social status, who were buried in M1 and M189, lived in the Hanuy River basin for a considerable period before their deaths; most of the burial attendants were born elsewhere and moved to this area in the last few years of their lives. The aristocrat buried in M10 did not spend a long time in the Hanuy River basin before his death, but was buried thereafter. This suggests that the highest-ranking aristocrat (certainly a Chanyu, the ruler of Huns) and his subordinates and attendants primarily operated in the Hanuy River basin for several years before their deaths. They may have had long-distance migrations due to wars, but their main activity center should have been in the basin. Archaeological evidence shows that the cemetery was severely damaged, but the low-ranking aristocrat buried in M10 continued to be buried there after his death, further indicating that the cemetery had a special significance in the Hun’s society. Based on these clues, it is argued that the political center of the Northern Hun was likely also in the Hanuy River basin, not far from the Gol Mod 2 Cemetery.

Summary of the Symposium

After the in-house discussion sessions, E. Mijiddorj from the Ulaanbaatar School, National University of Mongolia expressed his thanks, on behalf of Mongolian scholars, to the event organizer the HPICHA, and the Chinese and Mongolian scholars who participated in the Symposium.

E. Mijiddorj delivers a speech on behalf of Mongolian scholars in the Symposium

Liu Haiwang, Director of the HPICHA made the closing remarks for the Symposium. He first expressed his gratitude to the scholars for their excellent reports, which not only provided the latest findings and research findings of the Hun archaeology, but also offered a chance for the scholars from China and Mongolia to learn from each other’s research perspectives and methods, contributing significantly to the advancement of research in this field. By studying the cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and the grassland areas during the Hun period, the research findings can provide references for studying earlier periods of cultural exchanges. In his view, the academic presentations raised more new questions for further research, so he hoped for even closer cooperation in the future and wished everyone greater achievements.

Liu Haiwang, Director of the HPICHA makes the closing remarks in the Symposium