gravel 6?n sand
79
83 82
84
78. Ceramic rim, -111 cm BD
79. Ceramic fragment in brown soil, -110 BD 80. Felt-like layer below brown sand, -75 cm BD 81. Ceramic frag in brown soil, -110 BD
82 Ceramic rim sherd, thick -86 BD 83. Ceramic rim sherd, -80cm BD
84. Slag-like rock no provenance (in back dirt)
81
Fig.107. KGD-2 with central mound suface rocks removed, except those over central burial feature.
Khuiten Gol Delta-2 June 13th 2012
Fea.1
8W 6W 4W 2W
control lines
0N/2E
0
2
4
6
control line 25
45
65
85
105
*Wood, very decayed, found beneath a large boulder first encountered at -101 cm below datum triangle
*Map not finished; Expanded to 2x in other map
Khuiten Gol Delta-2 June 16, 2012
East Profile at 2.4m West (-55 cm BD) 0
4080 120160 200
2 4 6 8 10 m South
vertical slab
sterile
40 80120 160200 DATUM
0/0
0 2m 4m
A B
Khuiten Gol Delta-2 (GPS N48° 37.874’ E88°, 21.506’, Elevation: 2116m)
This site is located south of the Khuiten Gol Delta on a small point of land marked by a large split granite boulder and some small polished rock surfaces with a number of fine petroglyphs. Ten meters north of the split rock is a small khirigsuur with a circular fence 9 meters in diameter and a central mound about 6.5 m in diameter. Four radials are present bearing 45°/215° and 130°/130°, but are not placed perfectly symmetrically. Two hearth circles are present to the west (Feature 2) and northwest (Feature 1) about one meter outside the mound’s circular fence. We excavated Feature 1 and found charcoal and a small amount of calcined bone, both collected. We cleaned the mound and plaza to the outside of the fence and excavated the top 10 cm of brown, to tan silty sand without finding artifacts. Mound rocks were removed after the cleaning and photography (GoPro wide-angle). This revealed an inner ring-oval with N-S orientation – of large boulders at mound center. When we began removing these after removing all mound rocks except the outer perimeter, we found wood remains under a boulder at the NE side of the oval. We top-photographed the entire khirigsuur again, with the oval ring in place and mapped the boulders and wood whose grain was oriented 330°. Later excavation revealed this wood was probably a log of larch rather than a coffin plank or burial cover. It’s orientation was orthogonal to the skeleton we found about 30 cm beneath it. The log could be traced for 1.5 m beneath other boulders in the northern part of the oval and approximately crossed the area of the skeleton’s head. Removing all rocks in the oval, we excavated beneath the wood and found nothing, until a final shovel probe to confirm there was no other cultural remains resulted in exposing the top of a human skull at -137 cm below datum. The skull was upright, facing east and had incompletely closed sutures and emerging molars. Only 12 teeth each in mandible and jaw. After finding the skull, we were able to ascertain the orientation of the skeleton, extending to the SW and expanded the excavation and found the limits of the burial pit, and were able to excavate the entire skeleton, lying facing up, arms out to the sides. Body orientation was 18°.
However, we found both feet and most ankle bones missing. There were several remarkable things about the body – its small size only 67 cm from ankle to shoulder; its extremely small and thin bones (none noted to have been broken), and the age at about early teens (?). Only the 14th vertebra had the spinal processes fused with the disk – circa 8 years old?
The position of the head must have required breaking the neck to twist the head upright and to the left 90°. That and the missing feet were peculiar. The small size suggests a midget who lived for more than a decade before being given a fine burial in a beautiful location with views across the lake and to the east. No artifacts accompanied the burial or the khirigsuur. It was also unusual to find a khirigsuur burial as deep as this one, some 30-40 cm below a central rock feature. The function of the wood timber is not understood since it seemed not part of the burial chamber.
Finds: A small human was found buried with head to north, head upright with face to the east. Age estimate 8-12 years, by skull sutures and vertebrae process fusion. Height only ~80 cm.
Date: 2800±30B.P. (Beta 334573) human tooth.
Fig. 109. KGD-2 Map and Suface Profile
Fig.108. Khuiten Gol Delta-2 surface cleaned. View NE.
mound rocks
mound rocks central mot. was
fully covered with boulders (charcoal and
bone sample collected) F 1
10 9 8 7 6 5 3 2 elevation 1
datum
-83 -78 -72 -75 BD. -72
“Plaza” area excavated to sterile sand
-# are depths -66 below datum
-66 cm above ground surface W -60
S 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 (This radial axis should be
more aligned with 045 (check vert. photos) 130˚
-95
FEA.2 (Deranged) 1 m beyond 10 W
-102
-110
-120
Extent of turfing
-120 025˚
-112 -112
-115 -115
-103 -94 -78
Possible plaza feature here
310˚ 215˚
-75 BD
Khuiten Gold Delta-2 June 13th 2012
GPS #107 N 48˚ 37.874’
E 88˚ 21.506’
elev. 2116 m
4
0 1m 2m
Fig.110. KGD-2 Excavated burial mound map.
Fig.111. KDG-2 First level rocks in mound removed. View N.
Khuiten Gol Delta-2 Upper Burial Pit Map June 18 2012 N48° 37.874’ E88°, 21.506’
Elevation: 2116m N
5.5 5 4 W, 3S,
-103 BD -102
-110 -108
-122
-128 -126 -121
-121
-128 -90
-99 -74
-94
-99
-101 -121 (decayed wood, 20 cm wide)
(-106)
-103 -109
Profile section here
4 S
-106 Sterile mound base
-137, top of skull -149, bottom of skull -152, bottom of pelvis Body orientation 98˚
Length shoulder to ankle: 67 cm
-117 Red-brown dust (10 cm)
Brown soil with small pebbles (10 cm) Gravel (6 cm)
Brown dirt+gravel mixed (15 cm) Sterile grey sand/gravel (base of burial)
5S
0 10 20 30 40 50 lower level rocks
along crest side of gravel
0 50cm 1m
Fig 112. KGD-2 juvenile skeleton with cocked up- turned head and missing both feet. Head to North.
- 137, top of skull -149, bottom of skull -152, bottom of pelvis Body orientation 98 degress Length shoulder to ankle: 67cm
Elevations are cm below datum
Fig. 113.KGD-2 “Footless juvenile” skull.
Khuiten Gol Delta-2 Feature 1 Hearth Ring June 19, 2012
Feature 1 hearth ring was 2 meters northwest of the Khirigsuur and measured as 1.0 x 1.50 m. 12 rocks (3 small ones) completed the circle. Bone (calcined) and a small amount of charcoal was found 3-5 cm below the surface and was collected. Charcoal stains were extensive, but few chunks were present.
N
.5 S
.5 N 0 N
10 W
CH CH
CH
CH B
Feature 2 hearth feature lay west of the khirigsuur. Its rock arrangement had been displaced somewhat, so we did not excavate it.
Fig. 114.KGD-2 skull views.
Khuiten Gol Delta-3 Khuiten Gol Delta-3
GPS N48° 37.842’, E88° 21.514’ June 20, 2012
Elevation: 2092m Stone Box Site
About 50 m SE of the big boulder at the first point west of the Khuiten Gol Delta and 95 m from KGD-2 khirigsuur. Mound edge is only a few meters from the Khoton Nuur shore. A small, low circular mound made of slatey slabs about 3-4 m in diameter. The edge of the mound is bordered by granite boulders. In the center of the mound’s surface, there is a small stone box made of vertical slabs. Three large slabs with broken bases lay on top of the mound, perhaps having covered the box.
If they had been standing in the mound, we would have found the broken basal stubs. This was a very disappointing site in that its interesting architecture and absence of looting suggested at least a good human skeleton. But nothing except architecture could be found. Perhaps something was once in the stone box on top of the mound, but we found nothing except bits of bone well below the standing vertical slab down in the center of the mound.
Finds A few small bones from 81-85 cm depth BD - Some maybe burned. Possibly some of these are rodent related.
Date: 3090 ±30BP (Beta33474). Bone.
Fig. 116. KGD-3 Mound with stone slab box in center.
View S.
Fig. 115. Stone box on top of KGD-3.
Khuiten Gol Delta-3 June 20th 2012 (Slab Stone Box Site) Photo/Map.1
many other rocks &
slabs are only the most prominent central ones shown here