Research Goals

To address our research goals, we seek to gather information concerning the role Tsagaan Sumiin Balgas played in the nomadic Uyghur society—specifically who built the town, who resided there, and what activities took place there. Was it a center for political, religious, or commercial activities? Chronological considerations are also important. Based on a limited earlier investigation, some scholars believe that Tsagaan Sumiin Balgas was the first Uyghur urban center, built in the 7^th Century before the establishment of the Uyghur empire. Other scholars disagree, arguing that the Uyghurs would not have built an urban center before they had established their empire. There is also limited evidence to support this view. Thus, one of this program's primary goals is to gather chronometric data to establish the dates of construction and occupation of the site. To this end, the program will conduct excavations and pedestrian surface survey to collect datable material such as wood, bone, ceramics, roof tiles, and coins. Bone and wood can be dated by radiocarbon dating, while some wood specimens may be dated through dendrochronological analyses. Pottery and roof tile styles can provide relative dates. Many of these artifacts, along with the documentation of construction methods and materials, also provide clues as to who might have built the town and resided there as well as relationships with both surrounding populations and more distant people. Participants will also employ conventional and drone digital photography in combination with state-of-the-art computer software to document their investigations and to create 3-models of the site and its environs. These digital models preserve the site in its present state and act as a baseline to identify deterioration over time caused by climate and human activities.

Learning Objectives: 

Participants will gain an understanding of Medieval archaeology in Mongolia, from the time of the Uyghur Empire to Genghis Khan. They will have hands-on experience in basic archaeological methods of pedestrian survey, hand-excavation, artifact processing and recording, and digital mapping and photography. To place their archaeological learning in a broader context, students will also visit museums in Ulaanbataar and the World Heritage sites of the Orkhon Valley: Khar Balgas, the capital of the Uyghur Empire; Kharkhorin, the capital of the Mongol Empire; the great monastery of Erdene Zuu; and other nearby sites. Students will come away from this experience with a broad understanding of Mongolian archaeology from the Paleolithic Age to the historical period while helping preserve important, endangered cultural heritage.