Investigating reindeer pastoralism and exploitation of high mountain zones in northern Mongolia through ice patch archaeology

Abstract

In interior Eurasia, high mountain zones are crucial to pastoral subsistence, providing seasonally productive pastures and abundant wild resources. In some areas of northern Mongolia, mountainous tundra zones also support a low-latitude population of domestic reindeer herders–a lifestyle whose origins are poorly characterized in the archaeological record of early Mongolia. Traditionally, reindeer pastoralists make significant seasonal use of munkh mus (eternal ice) for their domestic herds, using these features to cool heat-stressed animals and provide respite from insect harassment. In recent years, many of these features have begun to melt entirely for the first time, producing urgent threats to traditional management techniques, the viability of summer pastures, and reindeer health. The melting ice is also exposing fragile organic archaeological materials that had previously been contained in the patch. We present the results of horseback survey of ice patches in Baruun Taiga special protected area, providing the first archaeological insights from the region. Results reveal new evidence of historic tool production and wild resource use for fishing or other activities, and indicate that ice patches are likely to contain one of the few material records of premodern domestic reindeer use in Mongolia and lower Central Asia. The area’s ancient ice appears to be rapidly melting due to changing climate and warming summer temperatures, putting both cultural heritage and traditional reindeer herding at extreme risk in the years to come.

High altitude hunting, climate change, and pastoral resilience in eastern Eurasia

“…S10 ), but modern data make it clear that ice loss poses a severe threat to contemporary herding lifeways. In northern Mongolia, our preliminary study of ice patches in the Ulaan Taiga protected region of the Sayan Mountain range along the Russian-Mongolian border found domestic reindeer herders were struggling to cope with drying pastures and health impacts to reindeer from the loss of ice patches 28 . Similarly, the Altai region appears to be experiencing pronounced levels of summer melting contributing to retreating glacial ice 44 .…”

“…4 B), and a second fragment with a smooth, even shape and a wide diameter of roughly 18 mm. The spear/javelin or dart– which was found wedged between two large rocks—has been narrowed at one end, while the other terminates at a beveled scarf joint, a traditional means of attaching willow shafts in Mongolia 28 , which may have originally joined to a foreshaft. Radiocarbon dating fixes these two specimens in the late Iron Age, between 20 cal.…”

Tracing the Palaeolithic settlement patterns in the Western Tian Shan piedmont: an example of predictive GIS modelling use

“…The development of spatial analysis methods and the increased availability of the corresponding equipment (Stirn, 2014) have led to a continuous increase in the number of studies conducted in high mountain areas. These often produce results that significantly increase understanding of the use of these areas in both the Palaeolithic (Avni et al ., 2021; Efstratiou et al ., 2014; Gasparyan et al ., 2014; Gassiot et al ., 2017; Chen et al ., 2019; Ossendorf et al ., 2019) and in other periods (Caracausi et al ., 2018; Taylor et al ., 2019). The peculiar nature of high‐mountain areas has repeatedly led researchers to use spatial analyses, whether based on easily accessible routes (Kondo et al ., 2018; Li et al ., 2019), geology (Iovita et al ., 2020), march range (Loyola et al ., 2019), the course of palaeochannels (Breeze et al ., 2015), or conclusions drawn mainly on slope parameters and hydrology (Caracausi et al ., 2018).…”

Intergenerational Inequity: Stealing the Joy and Benefits of Nature From Our Children

“…For instance, the eternal ice (munch) in Mongolia was used by pastoralists to cool heat-stressed animals and provide respite from insect harassment. However, climate change is melting the ice such that this cultural practise is rapidly being lost (Taylor et al, 2019). The Mayan people once performed traditional fishing in ephemeral ponds in the Calakmul region of Mexico, but many of these ponds have desiccated due to prolonged droughts.…”