Post by Otagiri Tatsuzou on Jan 8, 2007 19:17:47 GMT -5
Mongol-American Khovd Archaeology Project
Takhilt Xiongnu Cemetery
Summer 2007: July 14th - August 18th
Takhilt Xiongnu Cemetery
Summer 2007: July 14th - August 18th
For the summer of 2007, the Silkroad Foundation, in conjunction with the National Museum of Mongolian History and the University of Pennsylvania, will be sponsoring excavations and survey in the Altai Mountains of Khovd aimag, Mongolia.
This program provides 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." The Chinese historical documents particularly emphasize the emergence of a strong nomadic confederacy, called the Xiongnu, in the late first millennium BCE which held sway over the steppe and mountain regions north of the Chinese realm for several centuries and well into the Common Era (AD). Our understanding between the nomads and their relations with sedentary neighbors has relied heavily on historical narratives, yet within the past few decades this perspective has been transformed by archaeological discoveries not only of royal tombs but of standard- burial graveyards, regional analyses and settlement studies. A wealth of new material is being unearthed, and new methods are being applied to its analysis.
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Schedule and Itinerary:
We will spend three weeks in the field at the Takhilt Xiongnu Cemetery and spend one week to travel and visit some of archaeologic sites on the way back to Ulaan Baatar. We will spend last two days in the laboratory at National Museum for cataloguing.
14 July - arrive Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia
15 July - visit National Museum of Mongolian History
16 July - Fly to Khovd city and meet the team. Museum visit. Drive to Takhilt camp site.
17 July-8 Aug - Excavations at Takhilt: Tomb Complexes #64 and #25
24 July - Trip to Tsenkher Cave and survey sites further up Khoit Tsenkher River
1 Aug - Trip to Uyench Pass, visit Shbuuz Belchir in mountain passes
9 Aug - Wrap up and presentation of excavation results. Dinner party with the locals
10 Aug - Pack up camp. Travel to Khovd and overnight hotel in Khovd
11 Aug - visit Turk and Xiongnu sites near Darvi sum in Khovd (Baishin Uzuur and Doloot). camp near Uliastai and Otgon Tenger (hot springs).
12 Aug - visit Khangai Mountains and camp in Khanuy Valley. Dinner with the archaeologist Jean-Luc Houle and his team
13 Aug - visit Urt Bulagyn khirigsuur site and other Bronze Age monuments in the valley, including deer stones; accompany Houle and his team on settlement archaeology excavations. Visit Gol Mod 2 Xiongnu cemetery (in mountains of Khanuy Valley)
14 Aug - Drive to Tsetserleg for lunch. Drive on to visit Khar Balgas city site and camp for the night.
15 Aug - tour Uighur ritual sites around Khar Balgas, and visit Uighur royal tomb. Drive to visit Khar Khorin and Erdene-zuu monestary. See Orkhon inscriptions and camp in Orkhon valley.
16 Aug - Drive back to Ulaanbaatar and stop at Ongot site outside of city. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar.
17-18 Aug - Laboratory work and cataloguing at National Museum
18 Aug - Farewell Dinner
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Program Fee: A tax deductible donation of $1500. This donation does not include airfare, visas nor incidentals in Ulaan Bataar and Khovd.
Prerequisite: Participants must bring their own camping gear.
Volunteers need no special training, but should be prepared for 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” (Mongolian traditional tent houses), without electricity and plumbing. Access to water, for bathing and drinking, will be a river nearby the campsite, so participants will need to bring water filters (or share with other participants). The diet will be heavy on sheep and rice, and hopefully cheese and yogurt. Vegetarians will have a difficult time with such a diet, and thus will need to come prepared with some of their own additional food options.
Volunteers will be given training on archaeological survey and excavation, including proper methods of unearthing, documenting and (using a total station) mapping the materials. If you have excavation experience, we welcome your assistance, and if you have not, we look forward to the learning process! The most important things you need for this project are: 1) patience and a good sense of humor; 2) the ability to adapt to radically different cultures and climates and environments (without electricity and all the trappings that go with it); and 3) a sense of adventure, for we will be traveling to and seeing some fantastic places!
Application/Deadline: The online application should be submitted to the Silkroad Foundation by 2/15/2007. We will notify those accepted by the end of February. Please contact Silkroad Foundation via email for any questions.
www.silkroadfoundation.org/toc/index.html