Mongol Trappings: Analysis of Archaeological Leather from Northern Mongolia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In this study, we examined leather excavated from the Mongol period (1206-1368) cemetery of Dood Tsakhir located in Khuvsgul province, Mongolia. This cemetery had been looted in the recent past, yet there was quite good preservation. Leather fragments from clothing, footwear, and tools were recovered and analyzed using ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry). Due to their condition (small, fragile fragments), this technique is preferable to traditional morphological analyses used to identify leather to species. Accurately identifying the species of each sample is crucial for our understanding of the site and the kinds of resources that were available in the region. We identify the diversity of species that were used to make leather, and whether there was a preference for leather from particular animals to make certain types of accessories or clothing. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to determine whether wild or domestic species were preferable and whether other properties of the animal hide were factors in selecting it for leather making.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39215.0