Female Ornaments of the Xiongnu-xianbei Age from Ulug-choltukh, the Edigan River Valley, Gorny Altai

Abstract

Head and neck ornaments from mid-1st millennium AD nomadic (Airydash type) female burials at Ulug-Choltukh on the Edigan River (right tributary of the Katun) in Gorny Altai are described. Certain women were buried with a rich set of head ornaments, which included bronze and iron plates, pendants, beads, and plaques of various sizes. The decoration of shawls, plaits, ear-rings, and necklaces is reconstructed based on the analysis of these artifacts. Different types of ornament sets may have been worn by women of various ages.