Investigation near Ballodovskiy barrow: the burials of representatives of military elite (Noin Ula, Mongolia)

Expedition obtained two chains of pits 30-40 m off the western and eastern walls of Ballodovskiy barrow, oriented along the line NS in the course of survey in the Jiurumte in 2007. Eastern chain consisted of six pits, and the western chain contained five. Such burial complexes was not fixed in Noin Ula, but accompanying burials are frequent near the barrows of Xiongnu nobles at the other burial grounds. Russian expedition investigated the burials from the eastern chain - № 1 in 2007, and burial № 2, № 3 in 2015, as well as burial № 9 from the western chain. We suppose that representatives of military elite were buried in these graves, whose place was near the burial of shanyu - the singular grave in this burial ground, probably associated with Ballodovskiy barrow. About the status of decedents we can went by the significant size of the investigated burial structures, the presence the stone slabs of the large and medium-sized stones in the graves, findings of lacquer and jade items, as well as iron items, including weapons, lacquered, which refer to items of Chinese production. The small in number anthropological material, preserved in the graves, robbed in the ancient time, show that buried were the men. Cause of death will not ascertained, of course. But, according to archaeological evidences, the complex of graves, accompanying the shanyu, have been formed gradually, and there is no reason to believe that people, buried in the accompanying graves, were sacrificed.