Making clothes, dressing the deceased: Analysis of 2nd century AD silk clothing from the child mummy of Burgast (Altai Mountains, Mongolia)

Abstract

The analysis of archaeological textiles is a primary source of knowledge about past societies, and the information it provides is remarkably diverse. However, special preservation conditions are needed to obtain an accurate picture of the use of textiles, particularly in the making of clothing. In Tomb 14 at the site of Burgast (Altai Mountains, Mongolia), excavated in 2016 by the French archaeological mission in Mongolia and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the particular local conditions favoured the preservation of organic materials, including the complete clothing worn by the mummy of a child belonging to the Bulan-Kobin culture. This paper examines several questions on the origin of the raw material used and the role of these garments in funerary practices. The fibre analysis indicates that the silk and taffeta fabrics used to dress the mummy likely from China. We consider a plurality of sources (historical, archaeological, technical study analysis), as silk could have travelled. Our study of the tailoring shows that some of the textiles were probably re-used and provides new insights into clothing design and know-how. We argue that the deceased was dressed with care, and we propose that specific, non-quotidian garments were used for the funeral ceremony. Together, these findings contribute to describing little-known aspects of the Bulan-Kobin culture and hypotheses about its relations within the Xiongnu confederation.