Isotopic evidence for ceremonial provisioning of Late Bronze age khirigsuurs with horses from diverse geographic locales

Makarewicz, Cheryl A.; Winter-Schuh, Christine; Byerly, Heather; Houle, Jean-Luc

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.030

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Although this conclusion does not exclude the long-distance mobility of some individuals, it may suggest that the importance of local social and demographic organisation has sometimes been underestimated. This conclusion also somewhat disagrees with recent strontium isotope analysis suggesting that Bronze Age horses from khirgisuurs located in the Khanuy Valley came from geographically distant locales (Makarewicz et al 2018), indicating social networks active over great distances. Research comparing the isotopic signature of horse teeth with the mapping of local bioavailable strontium is required to assess this more fully.…”

Section: Bayesian Modellingcontrasting

confidence: 88%

High-precision dating of ceremonial activity around a large ritual complex in Late Bronze Age Mongolia

et al. 2019

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Section: Bayesian Modellingcontrasting

confidence: 88%

High-precision dating of ceremonial activity around a large ritual complex in Late Bronze Age Mongolia

et al. 2019

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“…Horse tail hairs showed a cyclic seasonal pattern characterized by high winter and low summer δ 13 C diet values (Figure A). This pattern has been described elsewhere in the literature, and is often interpreted as reflecting a seasonal change in the relative proportion of C 3 vs C 4 plants in the diet, either through direct consumption of perennial C 4 plants during winter, C 4 winter foddering, or because of animal altitudinal mobility and the decrease in the relative abundance of C 4 taxa with increasing elevation . Here, the average δ 13 C diet values range between −30.2‰ and −24.2‰, suggesting that the horses' diet was essentially composed of C 3 plants as expected for a mountainous steppe environment in central Asia .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Grazing high and low: Can we detect horse altitudinal mobility using high‐resolution isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values) time series in tail hair? A case study in the Mongolian Altai

Lazzerini

Coulon

Simon

et al. 2019

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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Rationale Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope time series performed in continuously growing tissues (hair, tooth enamel) are commonly used to reconstruct the dietary history of modern and ancient animals. Predicting the effects of altitudinal mobility on animal δ13C and δ15N values remains difficult as several variables such as temperature, water availability or soil type can contribute to the isotope composition. Modern references adapted to the region of interest are therefore essential. Methods Between June 2015 and July 2018, six free‐ranging domestic horses living in the Mongolian Altaï were fitted with GPS collars. Tail hairs were sampled each year, prepared for sequential C and N isotope analysis using EA‐IRMS. Isotopic variations were compared with altitudinal mobility, and Generalized Additive Mixed (GAMMs) models were used to model the effect of geographic and environmental factors on δ13C and δ15N values. Results Less than half of the pasture changes were linked with a significant isotopic shift while numerous isotopic shifts did not correspond to any altitudinal mobility. Similar patterns of δ13C and δ15N variations were observed between the different horses, despite differences in mobility patterns. We propose that water availability as well as seasonal availability of N2 fixing type plants primarily controlled horse hair δ13C and δ15N values, overprinting the influence of altitude. Conclusions Our study shows that altitudinal mobility is not the main factor that drives the variations in horse tail hair δ13C and δ15N values and that seasonal change in the animal dietary preference also plays an important role. It is therefore risky to interpret variations in δ13C and δ15N values of animal tissues in terms of altitudinal mobility alone, at least in C3–dominated environments.

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“…In both cases, horse sacrifices likely occurred within relatively compressed time spans measuring several decades and falling into the period between 1050 and 900 BC. In addition, recent isotopic analyses reveal that the respective horses at the Urt Bulagyn site were not of local origin but came from regions surrounding the Khanui valley, affirming the use of horse feasting and sacrifice in inter-area visitation and regional alliance building (Makarewicz et al 2018). Although it is not yet widely recognized, these horse-related rituals at the largest of khirisguur sites probably set the precedent for elite sites like Arzhan 1 only a few centuries later (Hayashi 2013;Honeychurch 2015: 174-175).…”

Section: Regional Transport Ritual and Exchange 1200-900 Bcmentioning

confidence: 98%

Complexity as Integration: Pastoral Mobility and Community Building in Ancient Mongolia

Burentogtokh¹,

Honeychurch²,

Gardner³

2019

seh

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The question of complex socio-political organization among pastoral nomadic groups has long posed a theoretical challenge for anthropologists, historians, and archaeologists alike. The problems arise from a disciplinary tendency to view pastoralists within a narrow economic and ecological framework but, in addition to this, the basic conception of 'complexity' has itself proven problematic. The definitions of complexity built originally upon systems theory and political economy place emphasis on organizational criteria derived primarily from sedentary societies with class stratification, intensive subsistence economies, and centralized administration. In this paper we argue that these classic definitions of complexity have not provided a good fit for analyzing the kinds of political organizations constructed by pastoral nomads of the Eurasian steppe zone. For that reason, we explore new ways of conceptualizing complex organization based on processes of integration, scale, and mobility. This approach offers a better explanation for material patterns documented across two neighboring valleys in northern Mongolia and provides substantial insight to the sub-regional polities preceding the rise of the Xiongnu state during the late first millennium BCE.

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Isotopic evidence for ceremonial provisioning of Late Bronze age khirigsuurs with horses from diverse geographic locales

Cited by 23 publications

References 68 publications

High-precision dating of ceremonial activity around a large ritual complex in Late Bronze Age Mongolia

High-precision dating of ceremonial activity around a large ritual complex in Late Bronze Age Mongolia

Grazing high and low: Can we detect horse altitudinal mobility using high‐resolution isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values) time series in tail hair? A case study in the Mongolian Altai

Complexity as Integration: Pastoral Mobility and Community Building in Ancient Mongolia

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Isotopic evidence for ceremonial provisioning of Late Bronze age khirigsuurs with horses from diverse geographic locales

Cited by 23 publications

References 68 publications

High-precision dating of ceremonial activity around a large ritual complex in Late Bronze Age Mongolia

High-precision dating of ceremonial activity around a large ritual complex in Late Bronze Age Mongolia

Grazing high and low: Can we detect horse altitudinal mobility using high‐resolution isotope (δ13C and δ15N values) time series in tail hair? A case study in the Mongolian Altai

Complexity as Integration: Pastoral Mobility and Community Building in Ancient Mongolia

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Grazing high and low: Can we detect horse altitudinal mobility using high‐resolution isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values) time series in tail hair? A case study in the Mongolian Altai