The Intersection of Heritage Management and Academic Research: Results and Research Implications of Archaeological Survey of the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogobi Province, Mongolia.

Summary

The Cultural Heritage Program at Ikh Nart Nature Reserve is an on-going project sponsored by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (California State Parks). Over the past seven years, the project has focused on developing methods, strategies, and protocols for the management of the rich archaeological landscapes within the reserve. During this period, the project has recorded and assessed over 140 archaeological sites documenting more than 9000 years of cultural history. A random sample pedestrian survey of about 1% of the 66,670 hectare reserve predicts that nearly 5000 cultural heritage sites are present. This paper presents detailed survey findings including an evaluation of a predictive model focused on spatial and temporal relationships between cultural sites, land forms, and environmental features. These data are invaluable to on-going efforts to characterize local socio-economic patterns over time including subsistence, land use, settlement organization, and technological investment. Data will ultimately contribute to broader research concerning the development of pastoralism and the evolution of social and political complexity. The study is especially pertinent to research by the current authors focused on understanding the nature of human-environment interactions and the role of hunter-gathers and low level food production in the development of pastoralism.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16846