ISSN 2152-7237 (print)

ISSN 2153-2060 (online)

The

Silk Road
Volume 12 2014

Contents
Silk Road Dress in a Chinese Tomb: Xu Xianxiu and Sixth-Century Cosmopolitanism,
by Kate A. Lingley .......................................................................................................................... 1
Images of the Early Turks in Chinese Murals and Figurines from the
Recently-Discovered Tomb in Mongolia,
by Sergey A. Yatsenko ................................................................................................................... 13
Connections between Central Asia and the Northern Littoral of the Black Sea:
the Evidence from Objects with Tamgas,
by Sergey V. Voroniatov ................................................................................................................. 25

Some Examples of Central Asian Decorative Elements in Ajanta and Bagh Indian Paintings,
by Matteo Compareti ................................................................................................................... 39

The Afrasiab Murals: a Pictorial Narrative Reconsidered,

by Guitty Azarpay ........................................................................................................................ 49

The Performance of Pain and Remembrance in Late Ancient Iran,

by Touraj Daryaee and Soodabeh Malekzadeh ..................................................................... 57
Russo-Polovtsian Dynastic Contacts as Reflected in Genealogy and Onomastics,
by Anna Litvina and Fjodor Uspenskij .............................................................................. 65

Excavation of Rezvan Tepe in Northeastern Iran, an Iron Age I-II Cemetery,

by Mahnaz Sharifi and Abbas Motarjem .............................................................................. 76

The Site of Banbhore (Sindh – Pakistan): a Joint Pakistani-French-Italian Project.

Current Research in Archaeology and History (2010-2014),
by Niccolò Manassero and Valeria Piacentini Fiorani .................................................... 82

Emgentiin Kherem, a Fortress Settlement of the Khitans in Mongolia,

by Nikolai N. Kradin, Aleksandr L. Ivliev, Ayudai Ochir, Sergei Vasiutin,
Svetlana Satantseva, Evgenii V. Kovychev, and Lkhagvasüren Erdenebold ................. 89
The Carpet Index: Rethinking the Oriental Carpet in Early Renaissance Paintings,
by Lauren Arnold ...................................................................................................................... 98

Safavid Carpets of the Tahmasp School and the Tahmasp Shāhnāma,

by Gholamreza Yazdani, Mina Ranjbar, Masume Azarmdel,
and Maryam Rezai Banafshe Deraq ................................................................................ 106
(continued)

“The Bridge between Eastern and Western Cultures”

Huang Wenbi: Pioneer of Chinese Archaeology in Xinjiang,
by Justin M. Jacobs ........................................................................................................................ 122
Featured Museum, I: The David Collection,
by Daniel C. Waugh ...................................................................................................................... 132
Featured Museum, II: The Arts of China in Seattle,
by Daniel C. Waugh ...................................................................................................................... 137
Featured Review: Re-Imagining and Re-Imaging Eurasian Exchange [Wilkinson],
by Daniel C. Waugh ...................................................................................................................... 153
Reviews (by Daniel C. Waugh)

Reconfiguring the Silk Road [ed. Mair and Hickman] ................................................................................... 164
The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction [Millward] ................................................................................... 167
Court and Craft: A Masterpiece from Northern Iraq [ed. Ward] ................................................................. 169
Kochevniki Evrazii na puti k imperii. Iz sobraniia Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha ........................................... 171
Sogdiitsy, ikh predshestvenniki, sovremenniki i nasledniki [Marshak Festschrift] ........................................ 172
Scripta Antiqua, Vols. 1–3 ...................................................................................................................................... 175
Gosudarstvo Bokhai: arkheologiia, istoriia, politika [D’iakova] ....................................................................... 178
CDs and a DVD of traditional Kazakh performance, from Silk Road House ..................................... 180
Book Notices (written/compiled by Daniel C. Waugh) ......................................................................................................... 182

Two Arabic Travel Books, ed.Mackintosh-Smith and Montgom- Brook. Mr. Selden’s Map of China. Decoding the Secrets of a
ery. Vanished Cartographer.
Uighurskie delovye dokumenty X–XIV vv. iz Vostochnogo Turke- Cities of the Dead. The Ancestral Cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan. Pho-
stana, ed. and tr. Tugusheva. tographs by Morton. Text by Rabbat, Köchümkulova, and
“Novye zakony” Tangutskogo gosudarstva, ed. and tr. Kapalova.
Kychanov. Ming: 50 Years that changed China, ed. Clunas and
Dokumenty i materialy po istorii bashkirskogo naroda. Harrison-Hall.
Leskov et al., Meoty Zakuban’ia IV–III vv. do n. e. Nekropoli u Kessler. Song Blue and White Porcelain on the Silk Road.
aula Uliap. Sviatilishcha i ritual’nye kompleksy.
Publications of the M. A. Usmanov Center for Studies of the
Materialy Tokharistanskoi ekspeditsii, Vyp. 9. Poselenie History of the Golden Horde: 1) Mirgaleev. Zolotaia Orda:
Dabil’kurgan v Severnoi Baktrii. bibliograficheskii ukazatel’; 2) Zolotoordynskaia tsivilizatsiia.
Baipakov. Drevniaia i srednevekovaia urbanizatsiia Kazakhsta- Nauchnyi Ezhegodnik.
na, Vols 1–2. Gorod i step’ v kontaktnoi Evro-Aziatskoi zone [Fëdorov-
Akishev. Drevnie i srednevekovye gosudarstva na territorii Davydov Festschrift].
Kazakhstana.
Ermitazhnye chteniia pamiati V. G. Lukonina (21.01.1932–
Kost. The Practice of Imagery in the Northern Chinese Steppe (5th 10.09.1984).
– 1st Centuries BCE). Bonn Contributions to Asian Archaeol-
ogy, Vol. 6. Bulletin of the Asia Institute. N. S., Vol. 23 (2009) [2013]. Evo
ṣuyadi. Essays in Honor of Richard Salomon’s 65th Birthday.
Grushevoi. Ocherki ekonomicheskoi istorii Sirii in Palestiny v
drevnosti (I v. do n.e.—VI v. n.e.) / Essays on Economic History 西域文史 Literature and History of the Western Regions. Vol. 8
of Ancient Syria and Palestine (1st c. B C—6th c. AD). (2014).
Articulating Indic Ideas in Sixth and Seventh Century Chinese Xiyu yanjiu 西域研究 The Western Regions Studies. A Quar-
Buddhism, ed. Lin and Radich. Hamburg Buddhist Studies, terly.
Vol. 3. Color Plates I – XVI ............................. following page 192

Cover: 1) Decoration on harp buried in tomb of Queen Puabi, with gold, lapis lazuli and shell. Ca. 2500 BCE (Early Dynastic
III). From Grave PG 800, Ur. Collection of the British Museum, ME 121198A; 2) A modern replica of the Ardabil carpet in the
Chini Khaneh at the Ardabil shrine. Photographs by Daniel C. Waugh. 3) Sindukht and Rudabeh, detail of miniature from
Shah Tahmasp’s Shāhnāma. After: Shāhkār’hā-ye Miniyatur-e Īrān [Miniature Masterpieces of Iran] (2005), p. 254.
 EMGENTIIN KHEREM, A FORTRESS SETTLEMENT OF THE
KHITANS IN MONGOLIA

Nikolai N. Kradin, 9ODGLYRVWRN

Aleksandr L. Ivliev, 9ODGLYRVWRN
Ayudai Ochir, 8ODDQEDDWDU
Sergei Vasiutin, .HPHURYR
Svetlana Satantseva, 9ODGLYRVWRN
Evgenii V. Kovychev, &KLWD
Lkhagvasüren Erdenebold, 8ODDQEDDWDU

I nterest in the archaeological investigation of

urbanization in the Mongolian steppes began in the
middle of the 20th century (Kiselev 1967, Perlee 1961).
the Turkic qaghanates. For this reason they undertook
DZKROHVHULHVRIPHDVXUHVWRREVWUXFWWKHXQLÀFDWLRQ
of the nomads who moved across the territories of the
+RZHYHU LQ WKH ÀUVW GHFDGH RI WKH QHZ PLOOHQQLXP Mongolian steppes. One of these measures was the
there has been a surge of attention to this topic (Danilov creation of a series of urban centers in the Kerulen and
2004, Rogers et al. 2005, Kyzlasov 2006, Kradin 2008, Tola river basins. For a long time now Mongolian and
Tkachev 2009, Waugh 2010). This interest has been Russian scholars have been studying and excavating
stimulated by new archaeological discoveries as well Khitan settlements in the Tola basin (Ochir et al. 2005;
as the attempt to develop new theoretical paradigms. Kradin et al. 2005, Kradin and Ivliev 2008, 2009; Ochir
et al. 2008, Kradin et al. 2011). A whole series of larger
Among the nomad polities of Inner Asia the Khitan and smaller settlements are located there. In addition,
empire of the Liao (907–1125) occupies an important the Khitans built a wall some 760 km long, which
place. The period of the emergence of the Liao came extends through the territory of Eastern Mongolia,
during a geopolitical crisis in Inner Asia, when in the Russia and China (Lunkov et al. 2011).
interval of several decades, the last steppe empire, the
Uighur qaghanate, perished and the Tang dynasty In 2004-2008 a Russo-Mongolian international
collapsed in China. The Khitans succeeded not expedition carried out excavations on the territory
only in uniting the nomadic chieftains into a strong of the largest town, Chintolgoi Balgas, which was a
confederation but in subduing several states which Khitan administrative center in that territory, the
had been created after the fall of the Tang empire. city of Zhenzhou [Fig. 1, next page]. A substantial
Have conquered agrarian peoples, the Khitans created collection of artefacts of the urban culture of the Liao
a dual system of administration both for the Chinese empire was obtained and results which demonstrated
and for the pastoralists. The northern administration the multi-ethnic composition of the town (Kradin
occupied the higher position; it controlled the nomads and Ivliev 2009; Kradin et al. 2011). In 2010–2012,
and other northern peoples (as the “metropole”). excavations were undertaken in another interesting
The southern administration copied the bureaucratic urban site—Khermen Denzh (Kradin et al. 2012).
system of China, controlling the sedentary agricultural The archaeological materials there differed from the
territories (Wittfogel and Feng 1949). collection made at Chintolgoi Balgas. There were
also many artefacts of an earlier (Uighur) period. We
The Liao government actively promoted urban hypothesized that this archaeological site should be
construction in Manchuria, Northern China and LGHQWLÀHGZLWKWKHFLW\RI.KHGXQ.UDGLQHWDO
Mongolia (Ivliev 1983, Steinhardt 1997, Hu 2009). The ,QDGGLWLRQGXULQJWZRÀHOGVHDVRQVDQG
Khitans could not forget that over a long period of time the settlement of Emgentiin Kherem was excavated.
they had been subjected to raids and exploitation by 7KHJHQHUDOUHVXOWVRIWKHH[FDYDWLRQVIURPÀYH\HDUV

7KH6LON5RDG12 (2014): 89 – 97
89 Copyright © 2014 The Authors
Copyright © 2014 The Silkroad Foundation
)LJ0DSVKRZLQJH[WHQWRI/LDR(PSLUHDQG%RKDLVWDWHZLWKWKH ago have been published. Here we lay out the results of
ORFDWLRQRI&KLQWROJRL%DOJDV the study of the settlement during the two years of the
excavations and also offer some general conclusions
)LJ6LWHSODQGUDZQ$XJXVW concerning the place of the given settlement in the
administrative structure of the
Zhenzhou district.

7he IortiÀcations oI the

settlement
The Emgentiin kherem settlement
is located in Dashinchilen sum,
Bulgan aimag, approximately
200 km west of Ulaanbaatar.
The settlement is located 25
km north of the settlement of
Chintolgoi Balgas on the other
side of a mountain ridge and
sits in a valley between two
ridges of hills. It is among the
settlements of medium size and
LVVLJQLÀFDQWO\VPDOOHUWKDQIRXU
large Khitan settlements in that
region: Chintolgoi Balgas, Khar
Bukhyn Balgas, Khermen Denzh,
and Ulaan Kherem. This suggests
that its population was of lesser
SROLWLFDOVLJQLÀFDQFH
The settlement is close to
rhomboid in shape [Fig. 2]. The
walls are oriented close to the
cardinal points of the compass
with slight deviation: the
deviation of the north-south line
90
 )LJ9LHZWRQRUWKHDVWDORQJWKHZHVWHUQZDOO

Excavation of the fortress wall

In 2009 a cut was made across the
wall (3LW 1R ) {Fig. 4], its location
selected on the western wall, which
is the best preserved. The excavation
was 121 m from the southwestern
corner of the settlement and 182 m
from the northeastern corner. The
excavation was perpendicular to
the wall and ditch and the trench
measured 25 x 2 m, its total area thus
50 m2. The trench was oriented along
a NNW-SSE line with a declination
of approximately 19–20° from the
east-west line.
is 19–20°, the east-west line 9–11°. The west wall is 305 $V WKH WXUI DQG ÀUVW  FP GHHS OD\HU ZHUH EHLQJ
m in length, the eastern 312 m, the northern 315 m and removed, the iron tip of an arrow was found along with
the southern 316 m, with the total length of the walls a piece of iron (possibly the fragment of a cauldron).
1248 m. The area of the settlement is 9.6 hectares. The In the interior part of the settlement were encountered
height of the walls is from 0.5–0.7 m on the east and fragments of ceramics and bone, one piece of ceramic
up to 1–1.5 m on the north and west. The width of the with Uighur ornament, and a piece of a corroded cast
wall at the top is 3-4 m and at the base up to 15 m. The iron object. The excavation of the third layer turned
eastern wall is the least well preserved and in places up an iron weight with loops for attaching a cord
has largely crumbled. [Fig. 7, p. 95], possibly a plumb-bob. Also in this layer
were a fragment of a leg for a ceramic pot and several
Along the eastern side in the lower part of the valley RWKHU FHUDPLF IUDJPHQWV 7KH PDLQ ÀQGV FHUDPLFV
is the bed of a small river (actually streams, which in and animal bones) were concentrated next to the wall
the rainy season become a rapid river). The settlement on its interior. In the subsequent layers also were
is interesting because both the interior and exterior of found ceramic fragments and bones and a very poorly
its wall were faced in stone [Fig. 3]. This is quite similar preserved piece of a basalt millstone.
to the construction principles of the Bohai people, who
were conquered by the Khitans in 926
and some of whom deported to the
territory of Mongolia (Kradin and
Ivliev 2008, 2009). It was precisely
this circumstance which was the
reason for our studies at the site.
Another feature connecting it with
Bohai settlements is the technical
features of the construction of the
gates. There are two gates in the
settlement, respectively on the north
and south sides. The gates have no
VXSSOHPHQWDU\ IRUWLÀFDWLRQ WKHLU
external appearance is simply that of
gaps in the walls. In addition, on the
southern wall near the southwestern
FRUQHULVDGHSUHVVLRQZKLFKDWÀUVW
was interpreted as yet another gate.

)LJ3LW1RFXWWKURXJKWKHZHVWHUQZDOO
9LHZIURPWKHVRXWKZHVW
91
  )LJ6HFWLRQWKURXJKWKHZHVWHUQZDOORIWKH(PJHQWLLQ.KHUHPVHWWOHPHQWYLHZIURPWKHVRXWK
Key
1 – humus 2 – brown loam 3 – black loam

4 – light brown loam 5 – black loam mixed with brown 6 – brown loam

7 – whitish light brown clay 8 – white clay 9 – light brown clay with a yellowish cast (virgin soil)

10 – dark brown loam 11 – compact whitish gray clay 12 – compact white clay with brown specks

13 – light brown clay 14 – brown clay 15 – whitish light brown clay with small lumps

16 – light brown clay with small lumps 17 – brown clay 18 – dark brown clay (buried turf)

19 – compact gray clay 20A – compact white clay 20B – compact white clay

20C; 20E; 20G; 20I; 20K – gray clay 20D; 20F; 20H – white clay 20J – brown clay

20L – dark gray clay 20M – dark brown clay 21 – brown clay

21A; 21I – gray clay 21B; 21H – light brown clay 21C; 21G – gray clay with gravel

21D; 21K – white clay 21E; 21J – dark brown clay 21F – compact white clay

22 – dark brown clay 23 – lens of gray ashy clay 23A – lens of dark brown clay

24 – light brown loam 25 – light brown loam dotted with gray and reddish color 25A – gray ashy loam

The study of the stratigraphy shows that the wall was an accumulation of stones here, sticking out of
was constructed by the method known as KDQWX — the ground, which we thought could have been the
that is, of rammed earth layers. In addition, both remains of a NDQ— a heating system. In the removal of
inside and out the wall was faced with stone [Fig. WKH WXUI DQG H[FDYDWLRQ RI WKH ÀUVW OD\HU ZHUH IRXQG
5]. The technique of KDQWX was known to the Chinese several small fragments of ceramics and also animal
from ancient times. In Mongolia it was used in the bones. The majority of the stones lay on the old surface
construction of the capital of the Uighur qaghanate, and over time had become covered over with turf. It
Karabalgasun, and the Khitan towns Chintolgoi turned out that this was not a heating system. The
Balgas and Khermen Denzh. This technique also is excavation revealed two pits. One of them extended
encountered in the Jurchen towns of the 12th–14th into the wall of the excavation; a second round pit was
centuries on the territory of the Russian Far East. For approximately in its center with a slight deviation in
Bohai towns on the territory of the Russian Far East the direction of the eastern edge. Its diameter was
different construction techniques were used: a stone DSSUR[LPDWHO\ ² P DQG WKH ÀOO ZDV OLJKW EURZQ
IDFLQJRIXQZRUNHGURFNVWRQHÀOODVWRQHIDFLQJRI loam. This pit contained remains of a large bovine:
the interior, exterior and top of an earthen wall, and a its rib section joined to the spinal column in correct
facing of stone blocks. Stone facings have been found DQDWRPLFDOSRVLWLRQ:KLOHÀQGVLQWKHSLWZHUHIHZ
as well on the walls of the Upper Capital of Bohai in it is interesting that Khitan ceramics were found both
Heilongjiang Province 㯭潁㰇┬ (Ivliev et al. 1998; above and below the animal bones.
Kradin and Nikitin 2003).
3LWQRwas located approximately 20 m southwest
Thus the wall of the Emgentiin Kherem settlement of the northern gate. Initially we supposed that here
somewhat differs from the Far Eastern tradition. Here might have been graves of a somewhat later origin
we have the combination of the KDQWX method and the than the settlement itself. One of the supposed graves
use of stone for facing the exterior and interior. was a round covering approximately 3 x 4 m in size,
slightly stretched along the north-south line or north-
Other excavation areas west to south-east line. In the center was a guardian
In 2013 our expedition continued excavations at the stone leaning in the northeastern direction, its height
settlement. Three small pits were opened with a total 36 cm and rhomboid section measuring approximately
area of 60 m2. 20 x 16 cm. The top of the stone showed evidence of
having been shaped by chipping.
3LW 1R , measuring 4 x 6 m, was located 70 m to
the west of the eastern edge of the section through The excavation of a 5 x 4 m pit revealed no traces of a
the wall which was designated as Pit No. 1. There grave under the stone cover. There were some animal
92
bones and one ceramic fragment, and the excavation of wedge-shaped or rectangular incisions (the so-
exposed a cover of rectangular stones, oriented SW- called comb ornament).
NE and measuring 110 x 80–90 cm. The cover was
At the same time, in this settlement among the
ÀOOHG ZLWK VWRQH UXEEOH )ROORZLQJ WKH UHPRYDO RI
ceramics are some distinct, non-Khitan features.
the stone construction, dark soil was removed and an
These include horizontal corded handles, which are
oval pit opened oriented along the east-west line and
characteristic of Bohai ceramics, and so-called Uighur
measuring about 2 m long, 0.5–1 m wide and 15–20 cm
ornament decorated with rhombs or concentric arcs.
deep. Below the pit was a fragment of a bushing from
The excavations of the Chintolgoi Balgas settlement
the hub of a wheel.
in 2004–2008 showed that such Uighur ornament
The excavation of the rest of this pit revealed a large continued in use there in the Khitan period. Evidence
collection of bones in the northwestern part, ceramics, of this are vessels of Khitan shape with such ornament
and also a partially worked bone object. Underneath and the combination of the Khitan comb stamp with
was a shoulder-blade of some animal, and below it Uighur ornament on one and the same vessel (Kradin
was a layer of ash and ceramic with Khitan decoration. and Ivliev 2009). In the Emgentiin Kherem settlement
Theoretically this could be the remains of a hearth or the excavations likewise uncovered a fragment of a
several hearths of different periods. We can surmise vessel with the combination of the comb and Uighur
that in this part of the site were no surface or dugout ornament.
dwellings. The population lived in yurts, inside of
We can distinguish two groups of vessels according
which were hearths faced with stones.
WR WKH FRPSRVLWLRQ RI WKH FHUDPLF IDEULF ,Q WKH ÀUVW
3LW 1R  was located in the southern part of the group are vase-shaped vessels, basins and tubs of dark
settlement approximately 8 m north of the southern gray clay with a temper of small pieces of white stone.
gate. The excavation was opened so as to study the The second group is distinguished by a porous black
area in front of the gate and if possible to identify the or brown ceramic with sand temper. Vessels of this
remains of a street and other structures. The trench group include clay kettles and cooking pots which as
measured 2 x 8 m, its long dimension oriented along a rule had undergone heating in the process of being
an east-west line. The cultural layer in this part of the used.
settlement is very thin. The stratigraphy of the pit
(ZHUVIn the third layer in sector 6 was a fragment
divides in two parts. In the western part is brown loam
of the base of a ewer, a gray shard with a temper of
(a street?); in the central and eastern part light brown
small pieces of white stone. The surface is dark gray.
loam. The third layer (at a depth of 20–30 cm from the
Starting at the bottom, the vessel is covered by 2 cm-
current surface of the ground) yielded a fragment of
wide horizontal bands of comb ornament impressed
the neck of a gray vessel polished on its interior and
by a wheel. While the clay was still wet, at the very
with two horizontal grooves on the exterior.
bottom in the vessel wall was made a 1.6 cm diameter
The artefacts opening of the type found in other such Liao ewers.
A lot of ceramics, clay objects, iron, and faunal Fragments of vase-shaped vessels include their tops
remains were found during the excavations. The and parts of the neck, extending into the shoulder.
FHUDPLFVFRQVWLWXWHGWKHODUJHVWSDUWRIWKHÀQGVDOORI One of these pieces from the second layer of sector
the ceramics wheel-turned and the majority made of 8 is a cylindrical neck that curves inward on the
JUD\ÀQHWH[WXUHGFOD\ZLWKDWHPSHURIVPDOOSLHFHV exterior and has a thicker upper edge. Polishing on the
of stone, often white in color. The distinctive feature exterior of the neck has added an ornament shaped
of Khitan ceramics observed here as elsewhere is like a vertical zigzag. The interior fabric of the shard is
the concave base of the vessels and the presence on gray, its surface dark, almost black. The top of a vase-
the walls, primarily in the lower part of the body, of shaped vessel from layer 4 in sector 5 is a rounded
ornament made by a stamp wheel in the form of rows convex cylinder whose upper edge widens above
93
the neck. Its upper part is covered with horizontal horizontal polishing. Below the rim on the exterior
polishing. The diameter of the rim is 15.6 cm. Another walls are wide horizontal bands of comb ornament;
variant of decoration, on the neck of a vase-shaped in one instance there is a horizontal raised band with
vessel found in the 5th–6th layers in sector 1, has several triangular incisions. Unlike the bowls, such containers
polished vertical bands. A large fragment of the neck had no polished ornament on the interior of the walls
and shoulders of a vase-shaped vessel from Pit No. and bottom. The diameters of their rims vary from 22
1 in sector B16 has a cylindrical neck covered with to 44 cm. In fact these are storage vessels. From the
horizontal polishing and with a chain of triangular artefacts of other sites, among them Chintolgoi Balgas,
impressions midway in its height. On the shoulders we know that the Khitans had their own bowls with
directly below the neck is a wide band of comb stamp more gently sloping walls and polished ornament on
made with a wheel. This band is separated from the the interior. Two such fragments with ornament of
next band of comb stamp by a band of horizontal curving polished lines on the interior surface were
polishing 3.8 cm. wide. The fabric of the vessel is dark also found in the excavations at Emgentiin Kherem.
gray, almost black, with tiny inclusions of white stone. Seven fragments of the tops of FRRNLQJ SRWV of the
$ VLJQLÀFDQW SDUW RI WKH ZKROH PDVV RI FHUDPLFV ´.KLWDQ W\SHµ ZHUH IRXQG UDWKHU LOOGHÀQHG YHVVHOV
found at the settlement of Emgentiin Kherem consists whose shape varies from pots with a clearly articulated
of fragments of SDLOV or WXEV of similar capacity body, neck and mouth, to vessels of an almost tub-like
which have a thick rim and vertical walls but with cylindrical shape. We label them in this way because
marked inward curvature on the lower exterior. they are among the most characteristic types of
The outer surface of the rim is covered entirely with vessels found in Khitan culture. As a rule, all of them
have traces of burning on the walls. The ceramic fabric
RI FRRNLQJ GLVKHV FRQWDLQV D VLJQLÀFDQW DPRXQW RI
temper of sand and has a black, red or brown color—
HYLGHQFH RI ÀULQJ LQ DQ R[LGL]LQJ DWPRVSKHUH 7KH
tops of such dishes are thicker along the upper edge;
their exterior surface and also the upper border often
are covered with impressions of comb ornament. All
the fragments with one exception come from rather
thick-walled vessels. They differ from ordinary pots of
the “Khitan type” by the absence of clearly delineated
raised bands on the exterior wall below the rim. One
vessel whose rim diameter is approximately 13 cm is
distinguished by walls only 0.35 to 0.55 cm thick. The
raised band on its exterior wall immediately under the
rim was created by applying pressure to the wall, as
evidenced by a groove on the interior.
7KH PRVW LQWHUHVWLQJ RI WKH FHUDPLF ÀQGV DUH
fragments of FOD\ FDXOGURQV which are copies of
analogous iron wares [Fig. 6]. They have a vertical
mouth, decorated with horizontal grooves. The edge
of the rim is turned in. On the main body of the vessel
is a broad horizontal ring. Pendant legs are attached
to the body. On the interior surface can be seen
traces of its having been worked on a potter’s wheel.
Among the fragments of such cauldrons found in the
excavation are tops, legs and part of a horizontal ring.
Two examples are very well preserved, one found
during the collection of scattered artefacts in the area
of the northern wall of the settlement. The fabric of
this cauldron varies in color from bright red-brown to
black. In the clay is temper of stone grains measuring
1-1.5 mm; some individual pieces of stone are as long
as 5 mm. The surface of the cauldron is brown with

)LJ)UDJPHQWRIDFOD\FDXOGURQ

94
traces of soot; the interior surface black. The horizontal textured cream-colored fabric. The transparent shiny
ring which goes around the middle of the body of the glaze was applied over a thin layer of underglaze.
cauldron is 3 cm wide; its diameter is 36.6 cm. Above On the surface of the walls is only a dribble of glaze
the ring, the walls of the vessel have not survived; without the white underglaze. The diameter of the
only one of the three feet has been preserved. ring-shaped base is approximately 9 cm.
A second example of a cauldron has preserved a 6WRQH ZDUHV. A fragment of a basalt millstone was
VLJQLÀFDQWSDUWRIWKHERG\IURPWKHULPWRWKHEDVH found, shaped like a slice from a cone with lightly
The clay fabric of this vessel is analogous to that of marked depressions on the narrow side. The entire
the one described above. Right above the horizontal surface was carefully worked, but the sides are
ring the vessel has angled shoulders which transition chipped; yet there are no traces of abrasion. The
toward the vertical, still somewhat tilted walls of the diameter is 17.8 cm. at the bottom and 21 cm at the top
PRXWK7KHERWWRPLVÁDWVPRRWKO\WUDQVLWLRQLQJLQWR and the thickness 9.5 cm.
the walls. On the exterior of the walls and to a degree
Among the FOD\ ZDUHV in the excavation were a
on the ring is soot and a layer of remains from burning.
spindle whorl and two chips. The spindle-whorl,
On the lower part of the body is a remnant of where
carved from the wall of a vessel, is 7.1 cm in diameter.
one of the three feet was attached. This example of
In the center is a drilled opening 0.7 cm in diameter.
a cauldron differs in its unusual décor in the form of
The chips are round pieces, 4.1 and 4.7 cm in diameter,
wavy incised lines. Two such lines are on the upper
which were used either in table games or ones whose
surface of the horizontal ring and three on the exterior
playing board was laid out on the ground. They are
of the vertical wall of the neck. Furthermore, the
rather crudely formed out of fragments of the walls
corrugation typical for such cauldrons on the surface
RIFOD\YHVVHOV6XFKFKLSVDUHFRPPRQÀQGVDW%RKDL
of the neck is inscribed in the shape of three horizontal
sites in the Russian Far East. They are also known
grooves above a wave-like ornament at the edge of
from the Khitan settlements at Chintolgoi Balagas and
the lip and along the shoulders. The diameter of the
Khermen Denzh.
cauldron at the ring is 40.4 cm.
The LURQDQGFDVWLURQZDUHV in the excavation included
*OD]HG FHUDPLFV are represented by two fragments.
ÀYHREMHFWVDQDLODSOXPEEREDQLURQSODWHWKHOHJ
One of them is a fragment of the bottom of a vessel
of a kettle and the bushing of a wheel hub. Of the
with a wide circular base whose ring is 1 cm thick. It
greatest interest was the discovery in Pit No. 1 of a cast
KDVDÀQHJUDLQHGEHLJHIDEULFZLWKQXPHURXVSRUHV
iron round weight with a pointed lower end and a loop
and specks of white stone. The vessel is covered
at the top. It measured 5.5 cm in height and 3.5–3.6 cm
with a transparent, shiny, olive-colored glaze. The
in diameter, the height of the loop being 1.5 cm and
interior surface is uneven on account of its having
the weight approximately 150 g. Its shape recalls that
been stretched out on a potter’s wheel. The exterior
of a steelyard weight, but differs from it on account of
surface of the ring-shaped base and the area inside it
its sharp lower tip [Fig. 7]. In Pit No. 3 was a fragment
are unglazed. A second fragment comes from a thick-
of an iron bushing of the hub of a cart wheel. The wall
walled bottle-shaped vessel, covered with dark olive
of the bushing narrows on one end; its thickness is 0.9-
glaze. The thickness of the walls, which also have an
1.1 cm, and the length of the bushing is 2.9 cm. One
uneven surface, is 2.2cm.
of the teeth on the exterior of the bushing has been
3RUFHODLQ. Lying on the ground was a fragment of the preserved. This bushing is typical for the wagons of
ERWWRPRIDSRUFHODLQFXS7KHFXSLVZKLWHZLWKDÀQH (DVW$VLDWKURXJKRXWWKHÀUVWWZRPLOOHQQLD&(
Discussion and conclusions

The artefacts from the excavations of

the Emgentiin Kherem settlement
are evidence that the site dates
to the Liao period. The materials
of the excavations here also
demonstrate the presence of Bohai
and Uighur cultural traditions.
Furthermore, one can note some
differences between the materials
of this site and that of Chintolgoi
)LJ7KHSOXPEEREIRXQGLQ3LW
1R

95
Balgas. At Emgentiin kherem they are evident in the Acknowledgements.
unusual décor of the pottery cauldron, in a certain 7KLV VWXG\ ZDV VXSSRUWHG E\ JUDQW RI 5XVVLDQ 6FLHQWLÀF
distinctness of the shape of the cooking vessels “of the Foundation # 14-18-01165. We are grateful to the Mongolian
Khitan type,” in the predominance among the ceramic students who took part in the excavations in 2009 and 2011.
materials of storage vessels similar to tubs, and also in
WKHLQVLJQLÀFDQWSUHVHQFHRISUHVWLJHGLVKHVRQO\RQH About the authors
porcelain fragment, found in surface scatters in 2013
near the southern gate). Dr. Nikolay N. Kradin is a Professor at the Institute of
History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Far Eastern
On the whole, the cultural layer in the settlement is Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Head
thin. The quantity of deposits from human activity is of the Department of World History, Archaeology, and
also small. This might attest either to a short period of Anthropology of the Far Eastern Federal University,
habitation at the site or to the fact that the site could Vladivostok. E-mail: <kradin@mail.ru>.
have been a place for the stationing of a separate Dr. Aleksander L. Ivliev is a Senior Research Fellow of
military cavalry unit. One could suppose that the the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the
nomads lived in yurts and did not construct permanent Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
houses, and also possibly that they used the enclosure Vladivostok. E-mail: <ivliev@mail.primorye.ru>.
at the site only in certain seasons and, in the event of Dr. Ayudai Ochir is a Professor at the International Institute
danger, as a refuge (possibly along with their cattle). If of the Study of Nomadic Civilizations, Ulaanbaatar. E-mail:
this was the case, then it is understandable why there <nomciv@magicnet.mn>.
is such a limited cultural layer, compared with that of Dr. Sergey A. Vasiutin Is Head of the Department of the
other Khitan settlements in that region. A task as yet Mediaeval History of the Kemerovo State University,
for the future is to reconstruct the features of the daily Kemerovo. E-mail: <vasutin@history.kemsu.ru>.
lives of Khitan military units and the craftsmen and Dr. Svetlana E. Sarantseva is a Research Fellow of the
agriculturalists from among the Bohai, Jurchens and Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the
Chinese who were assigned to them in Mongolia. Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Vladivostok. E-mail: <sarantceva@mail.ru>.
We know from written sources that in 1004 CE
Dr. Evgenii V. Kovychevis a Professor at the Transbaikal
20,000 Khitan cavalrymen were sent here on military State University, Chita. E-mail: <kovychevevgenyi@mail.
duty, and for the provisioning of them were assigned ru>.
700 Bohai, Jurchen and Han Chinese families, which Dr. Lkhagvasüren Erdenebold is an Associate Professor
were distributed in the district center Zhenzhou and at the Mongolian University of Technology, Ulaanbaatar.
its subordinate towns Fanzhou and Weizhou (Kradin E-mail: <erdene_ethnology@yahoo.com>.
et al 2011, p. 163). In order to bring under their control
the nomads who inhabited the Mongolian steppe, the
Khitans created a network of urban centers in the References
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