Metallurgical Traditions of a Mongolian Habitation Site

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Steppe by Steppe: Advances in the Archaeology of Eastern Eurasia" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Two models are employed to explain iron objects in assemblages from nomadic peoples of Mongolia. One argument posits that pastoralists imported Chinese iron objects, and when they practiced metallurgy, used methods learned from Chinese craftsmen. Another model, notably argued for by Jang-Sik Park, suggests that nomads practiced small-scale metallurgy to produce unique iron objects relevant for nomadic lifestyles. In this argument, Park emphasizes the difference between the Chinese-style tradition based on large-scale production of cast iron and an alternative based on small-scale production of bloomery iron, which was used in the production of objects excavated from domestic contexts in north-central Mongolia from 400 BC to AD 1300. This presentation supports the unique metallurgy tradition argument by offering further evidence of a metallurgy production features at Tsagaan Ereg, a domestic site in the forest-steppe region of Mongolia. Tsagaan Ereg contains multiple occupation events, including a Mongol-era (AD 1309–1412) multi-year seasonally occupied pit house. Forthcoming radiocarbon dates will place the furnace feature within the timeline of occupation of Tarvagatai Valley. Previous findings from metallurgical research in Mongolia have suggested that iron traditions were flexible and multiscalar; this presentation supports this conclusion by furthering the study of microscale iron acquisition and production.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Steppe by Steppe: Advances in the Archaeology of Eastern Eurasia   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39274.0