Chariots in the Bronze Age of Central Mongolia based on the materials from the Khoid Tamir river valley

Abstract

The issue of using chariots in the culture of the Bronze Age population of Central Mongolia was studied on the materials of archaeological sites from one micro-region in the Khoid Tamir river valley, drawing primarily from images on rocks and stone stelae. Systematic analysis of rock art styles and burial traditions based on radiocarbon dates of burials and ritual deposits of bone enabled us to distinguish two periods of chariots' usage here: 1)prior to ca. 1200 BCE, in the Sagsai culture; 2) after ca. 1200 BCE, with the DSK culture. The study of the chariot image, its parts, and attributes of charioteers in visual compositions allowed us to reconstruct its role in the life and beliefs of herders. On deer stones, a charioteer's attributes (belt plates with a pair of hooks) are always adjacent to individual sets of weapons, which indicates the use of chariots by warriors. At the same time, images of the chariot and chariot draught teams on rocks and stelae of both periods appear connected with burial rites and ideas about the posthumous path to the afterlife. An important role in this transition was performed by a male deer, which led the deceased and his horses to the sky. Veneration of the deer image increased significantly during the second period, which is reflected in the composition of deer stones of the Mongol-Transbaikal type.