Social and historical sciences have long examined political economies, especially those in transition. Of particular concern is how changes to subsistence practices (food production, acquisition, and distribution) are related to the fabrication and maintenance of new political structures. Today, political and economic issues are inescapably global; with peoples, regions, and countries consistently in transition (re)making and (re)stating their position within this complex milieu. These transitional periods can cause "tensions" which manifest on the landscape, on identities, within familial ties or larger power structures, and upon the simple routines that are grounded in a peoples' struggle to be heard, to be recognized, and to survive. Archaeology is well-positioned to investigate the dynamics of shifting political economies, because these transitions occur over long periods of time and leave imprints on the material world. Following this line of thinking, this project will examine social, economic, and political transformations associated with the shift to pastoralism in Mongolia approximately 3,500 years ago. Although ancient pastoralists cannot be equated with their modern counterparts, an archaeological investigation of these topics will not only expand knowledge of Eurasian history, but broaden our theoretical framework for contextualizing change in the present where pastoralism is a central mode of subsistence. The field research will be conducted by Mr. Kevin Lowry, a graduate student at the University of Chicago and will provide the data for his doctoral dissertation thesis. He will work closely with a Mongolian counterpart and will organize lectures and tutorials for Mongolian students. This will sensitize them to the importance of their archaeological heritage and over the long run strengthen scientific ties with the US.
During the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age (1500-500 BC) transition in Mongolia, mounted mobile pastoralism was adopted as the main economic strategy, with scholars suggesting that a strong centralization of power took place simultaneously. Although this period is a critical prelude to some of the most (in)famous empires of East Asia, most of what is known is derived from mortuary contexts. However, burials provide limited information about political economic organization and change. This prompts specific questions: How did the adoption of pastoralism alter economic practices upon the landscape, and how did shifts in economic strategies reinforce or transform political organization? And what social processes were employed in the production and enforcement of authority? To address these questions researchers will describe, link, and analyze occupational landscapes. As a complementary perspective to previous burial studies, occupational landscapes include a wider range of sites associated with pastoralist settlements and activities, including: 1) sites of frequented or permanent habitation, such as pithouses, ger (felt tent) platforms, or corrals; 2) features associated with domestic activity such as hearths, storage pits, caches, or middens; 3) activity areas related to the raw material procurement and production of metals, lithics, and ceramic; and 4) places designated for the seasonal herding or culling of fauna. Research concentrates on two sites in Bayan-Khongor province located during preliminary survey completed in 2011 and 2012. Pastoralist activity areas will be identified through a variety of archaeological techniques: pedestrian survey, excavation, and geophysical prospection using electromagnetometry equipment. These techniques, in combination with an occupational landscape perspective, encourage a simultaneous look at household, local, and regional scales. This spatial flexibility will offer a variety of empirical and theoretical detail about pastoralist economic production, political processes, and social trajectories in Mongolia, with broader applications to historical and contemporary societies elsewhere.
