(ORDO NEWS) — The permafrost of the eastern Eurasian mountains is slowly melting, revealing the buried bodies of the feared Mongol Empire and their unquenchable thirst for yak milk.
A new study examined the remains of a cemetery at the so-called Khorig site, high in the Khubsugul mountains.
The dating suggests that the cemetery was active in the 13th century, starting around the time of the unification of the Mongol Empire in 1206 AD.
This was the year when Genghis Khan was proclaimed the ruler of all Mongols. With the help of a fearless cavalry army, he launched a series of bloody military campaigns across Asia, laying the foundations of the largest continental empire in history, stretching from the Pacific coast of Asia to Eastern Europe.
In 2018 and 2019, the skeletons of 11 people were found at an elite burial after they were partially opened by melting permafrost.
The bodies were still in surprisingly good condition, despite being over 800 years old, thanks to sub-zero temperatures preserving the remains.
Buried next to luxurious inventory and dressed in fine fabrics, the people buried here had a high social status.
For this latest study, the researchers were particularly interested in analyzing the remains in order to understand the lifestyles and diets of these aristocrats of the Mongol Empire.
By studying proteins found in ancient tartar, the team found direct evidence that they drank the milk of horses, sheep, goats, cows and, above all, yaks.
The team was especially excited to find evidence of yaks, as the animals play an extremely important role in human culture in the highlands of eastern Eurasia.
They are also extremely practical for living in these harsh environments, providing a source of high-calorie food, thick hair for warm fabrics, and fat for making useful goods such as candles.
“Our most important find was an elite woman buried wearing a birch bark hat called a bogtog and a silk robe depicting a golden dragon with five claws.
Our proteomic analysis showed that she drank yak milk during her lifetime.
This helped us verify the long-term use of this iconic animal in the region and its connections to elite rulers,” explains Alicia Ventresca-Miller of the University of Michigan.
Ceramic vessels were turned into dairy lanterns that revealed long-standing religious beliefs and the daily lives of the elite of the Mongol Empire.
While the melting permafrost has helped scientists find the bodies, it makes the historical remains more vulnerable to looting.
If temperatures continue to rise and the permafrost degrades further, there are fears that some frozen archaeological sites, both here and elsewhere, could be destroyed before they can be properly assessed.
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