Mongolia's Ancient Cities: Archaeological Excavation with the Uyghur Cultural Heritage Project

2 Sessions, 15 days each ◦ 3 Instructors and Support Staff

Dates:

         Session 1: June 14-29, 2025          Session 2: June 28-July 12, 2025

Both Sessions: June 14-July 12, 2025

Tuition and Fees:

One Session: $3,500 (US/International); ₮1`200`000 (Mongolian)
Both Sessions: $6,750 (US/International); ₮2`000`000 (Mongolian)

Archaeological experience and Mongolian language skills not required. All course instruction will be in English.

Questions about this course? Email: rct@sricrm.com
Questions about application or fellowships? Email: mfs@mongoliacenter.org

Delve into Mongolia's fascinating past and gain hands-on experience excavating at a working archaeological site in Central Mongolia. Work alongside prominent American and Mongolian archaeologists on this Field School course led by Dr. Richard Ciolek-Torello, former Vice President of Statistical Research, Incorporated and Director of the Uyghur Cultural Heritage Project, to understand Mongolia's long history of urban settlement. Get acquainted with the powerful Uyghur Empire, one of the precursors of the Great Mongol Empire, while learning real archaeological methods and practices as a participant in this ongoing excavation. No prior experience with archaeology, Mongolia, or field research is required. You may apply to participate in one or both sessions of this course.

Course Overview

Today’s Mongolians are the descendants of nomads, who constructed some of the greatest polities of the Old World. Despite the prominent role of these empires on the world stage, surprisingly little is known of the indigenous organizational traditions from which they arose. These traditions involved mobile pastoral populations living in marginal environments – features commonly associated with egalitarian societies.

How and why states emerged in this unusual context is one of the foremost research questions in the archaeology of Central Asia and Mongolia in particular. Important to addressing this question is the study of the development of urban centers in the nomadic pastoral societies that populated the region. Although many urban centers are known, few have been studied intensively. To address this deficiency, in 2024 Dr. Richard Ciolek-Torello and his team began a long-term program of investigation at Tsagaan Sumiin Balgas, an urban center established by the Uyghur Empire in a tributary of the Orkhon Valley of central Mongolia sometime between the 7th and 8th Centuries CE.

The Uyghurs, who now reside in what is today western China, where they are persecuted, are the descendants of a Turkic group that built an empire in present-day Mongolia predating the better-known Mongol empire of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan. While previous empires in Mongolia built forts and temples, the Uyghurs built Mongolia’s first towns and cities. Dr. Ciolek-Torello and his team, in partnership with ACMS, have developed a comprehensive cultural heritage program to test theories of state development in nomadic societies while elucidating and preserving important Uyghur cultural heritage, including their ancient archaeological sites and monuments.

This unparalleled course offers participants the opportunity to learn archaeological practices and methods from a well-respected expert on a real, working excavation. Join us for one or both sessions of the program to build your archaeological skillset! No previous experience required. 

This course can be taken together with other ACMS Field School courses such as Hustai National Park: Managing Biodiversity in the Home of Mongolia’s Native Horses(June 9-22) and/or The Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Mongolia's National Parks (July 21-August 3).

Research Goals and Learning Objectives

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 7th 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.

Anticipated Course Activities

Day 1

A panoramic view of the Ulaanbaatar city skyline looking out over a large central square.

Arrival and Introductions

Participants will have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with both the course faculty and fellow participants. They will check into their hotel, centrally-located near many of Ulaanbaatar's best museums and other cultural sites, and will have a chance to settle in and purchase any last personal supplies before meeting the course instructors and each other over dinner. 

Day 2

Looking up at a gray stone museum with carvings on the wall and gold images on the facade.

Ulaanbaatar Museum Tours and Course Orientation

After breakfast at the hotel, participants will tour the Mongolian National Museum. After lunch nearby, they will continue on to tour the newly-opened Chinggis Khan Museum, at which they will be immersed in centuries of Mongolian history and become acquainted with exciting archaeological discoveries and stunning artefacts. 

During a brief orientation that evening at the ACMS office, participants will acquire essential insights into Mongolian culture, history, and language.

Day 3

A photo of an archaeological museum display featuring a recreation of an ancient burial site.

Travel to Tsagaan Sumiin Balgas and Introduction to Mongolian Archaeology

After breakfast in Ulaanbaatar, participants will begin their journey to the program site at Tsagaan Sumiin Balgas in the beautiful Orkhon Valley. After settling in at their ger camp near the project site, participants will gather for dinner and an interactive lecture introducing them to Mongolian Archaeology.  

Days 4-7

A person standing at the bottom of an excavated archaeological site surrounded by stones and artefacts.

Field and Laboratory Work

Participants will divide into small, instructor-led groups to dive into different facets of archaeological field- and lab-based work. They will get their hands dirty while learning proper excavation, mapping, surveying, and photographing practices to uncover the secrets of the site's ancient structures.

Day 8

A photo of several buildings of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery.

Orkhon Valley Sightseeing Trip: Khar Balgas, Kharkhorin City, Erdene Zuu Monastery

Participants will take a break from excavation to see some of the Orkhon Valley's most famous landmarks. The group will visit Khar Balgas, the ruins of the former capital of the Uyghur Khaganate that is now part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. They will then travel to the nearby town of Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire, to break for lunch and explore the local archaeological museum in this sleepy but charming town. The day will end with a visit to Kharkhorin's Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia's earliest surviving monastery where Buddhist monks have practiced since the 16th century CE.

Day 9

A panoramic photo depicting a pile of rocks with a horse skull on top in the foreground and the green Mongolian steppe in the background.

Half-Day of Field and Laboratory Work, Free Afternoon

Participants will return to the field for a half-day of work, beating the heat by getting out in the morning. After lunch at the ger camp, the afternoon will be free for further sightseeing activities or a trip to the local hot springs, pending interest and availability. 

Days 10-14

DSC_0651

Field and Laboratory Work

Participants will continue to explore this site's storied past as they engage in four more full days of field and lab-based archaeological work. These days will feature further excavation and analysis of artefacts found at the site, including ceramics, animal remains, and other exciting fragments of history waiting to be discovered. 

Day 15

A photo of several city buildings behind an old Buddhist Temple in Ulaanbaatar.

Return to Ulaanbaatar and Course Conclusion

After an early breakfast, the group will make the journey back to Ulaanbaatar, where participants will present their findings from the project, their personal learnings, and any new or remaining archaeological questions that have come to mind. A farewell dinner will be provided at a local restaurant with the program staff, instructors, and participants. Upon the program's conclusion, participants are free to stay in Mongolia or depart the next day.

Instructors

A picture of a man in a hat and an orange shirt smiling at the camera.

Dr. Richard Ciolek-Torello

Statistical Research, Inc.
Dr. Richard Ciolek-Torello has over 45 years of experience in archaeology and cultural heritage management. He has led many major archaeological excavation and research projects in Southern California and the American Southwest, where he primarily studied sedentary hunter-gatherer and neolithic agricultural societies. In 2010, he was involved in developing a cultural heritage management program for the Oyu Tolgoi Copper Mine in Mongolia and 2 years later, learned of Baibalyk, one of several ancient Uyghur towns studied by the UCHP, through the Northern Railways Project. Since 2015, he has traveled throughout Mongolia, participating in excavations and surveying and gathering information about Uyghur towns. He has presented the results of his research at professional archaeological meetings in the U.S. and in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. After years of planning, he initiated the UCHP in the summer of 2024 with explorations at Tsagaan Sumiin Balgas and Baibalyk in association with Institute archaeologists, Drs. Tumor-Ochir Batbayar and Tsend Amgalantugs. Dr. Ciolek-Torello holds a BA in Anthropology from UCLA and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Arizona.
A photo of a man standing in front of a large bronze statue.

Dr. Tsend Amgalantugs

The Mongolian Institute of Archaeology
Dr. Tsend Amgalantugs is an archaeologist in the Division of Collection and Laboratory at the Institute of Archaeology with over 20 years of experience directing archaeological projects in Mongolia. Dr. Amgalantugs recently completed his dissertation on Bronze Age archaeology in Mongolia and is an expert in the study of Mongolian ceramics. He has worked with Dr. Ciolek-Torello in his study of Uyghur towns since 2018.
A photo of a man in a suit standing in front of a Buddhist painting.

Dr. Tumir-Ochir Batbayar

The Mongolian Institute of Archaeology
Dr. Tumur-Ochir Batbayar is a well-known expert on Medieval Age archaeology in Mongolia. He has many years of experience working at ancient Mongolian cities. Between 2004 and 2017, he worked on the Mongolian-German team excavating the Mongol Empire capital of Karakorum (Kharkhorin) and completed his dissertation on the Nestorian monuments at the site in 2021. Since 2017, he has continued to work with the Mongolian-German team on excavations at the Uyghur Empire capital of Khar Balgas. He joined the UCHP team in 2024.

Testimonials

Liz-SQ600

"Attending the renewable energy field school was the best decision I made in 2019! I was already attending a fulltime graduate program in Canada, but the field school added rich value to my learning. As the world is becoming more globalized, looking at how Mongolia is responding to the challenges of supplying cleaner energy was a valuable experience. Our instructors came with a vast amount of knowledge and a passion to teach.’’

Liz B.

Participant of Mongolia Field School 2019
Batkhuu SQ600

"As a sociology major student, this program was very helpful to explore urban issues and migration processes in contemporary Mongolia. Through this program, I sharpened my academic capabilities while refining soft skills essential for my future studies.’’

Batkhuu B.

Participant of Mongolia Field School 2019
Janis-Michael-SQ600

"The ACMS field school is a unique experience that has changed my life and teaching. In most programs, international participants are isolated from the country in which we are studying except for controlled visits to local people and sites. Not so with ACMS! Half of the participants in each field school are from Mongolia, ensuring that local and international participants have a chance to understand each other’s perspectives.’’

Janis M

Participant of Mongolia Field School 2019
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