A memorial complex of ancient Turkic aristocrat on the Khar-Iamaatyn-Gol (Mongolian Altai)

Purpose. This article provides the results of archaeological excavations of a memorial complex located on the River Khar-Iamaatyn-Gol in the Mongolian Altai Mountains and new dating of the findings. Research of ancient Turkic monuments in the Mongolian Altai Mountains is of particular importance because of insufficient information about ancient Turkic monuments in the region and the great role that his region played in the ethnogenesis of ancient Turks during the earliest period of history. During the field season in 2007, a joint Russian-Mongolian-Korean expedition undertook archaeological research on the territory of the Baian-Ulygei aimag located in the Mongolian Republic. Three ancient monuments were excavated in the downstream reach of the River Khar-Iamaatyn-Gol in the Mongolian Altai: a memorial of an ancient Turkic aristocrat with outstanding stone sculptures and two ancient Turkic burial mounds. Results. The memorial complex with an earthwork and a ditch is located on the same terrace as the burial mounds, approximately 700 m to the south-east of them. The mortuary enclosure measures 4,4 × 4,5 m. The size of the whole complex including the earthwork and the ditch is quite impressive, 17,6 m from north-east to south-west and 19-20 m from south-east to north-west. After taking off all the stones from inside the mortuary enclosure, we discovered an ash pit at the level of the ancient surface, located in the centre. Near the eastern wall of the enclosure a massive iron pick with a long wooden handle was found. On the outside perimeter of the enclosure we found bottom parts of nine larch columns. Slightly burnt, they had been dug to a significant depth of 65-70 cm and at a definite interval. Obviously, they used to make columns for a canopy. Facing almost east, in the direction of the two kurgans, there was a sculpture erected (originally there were two sculptures in this memorial complex) and two rows of so-called balbals facing also the east. The balbals, which make a row of vertically erected stones, were set up alongside the two kurgans, too, on their east-southern side. It is symbolic and emphasizes the connection between the memorial and burial complexes. Close to the main sculpture of the complex under investigation, that of a man, we found the bottom part of a second, smaller sculpture, which was broken. The construction features of the entire memorial complex were carefully studied, which allows us to reconstruct it fully in the future. Conclusion. The bottom part of the second, broken sculpture found must have belonged to a sculpture of a woman. The second parallel row of balbals, shorter than the «man’s» row, led to this woman’s sculpture and confirmed that this majestic memorial complex had been devoted to a husband and his wife. Undoubtedly, the memorial temple that was excavated in the valley of the River Khar-Iamaatyn-Gol belonged to an ancient Turkic aristocrat. It is necessary to draw a parallel with the fact that sculptures of Turkic kaghans in their memorial temples were accompanied by a sculptural image of khatun, the kaghan’s wife. The two ancient Turkic burial mounds and the memorial complex of the ancient Turkic aristocrat in the valley of the River Khar-Iamaatyn-Gol were erected at approximately the same time. For more exact dating, we used methods of dendro-chronological and radiocarbon dating, which agreed to a high degree. According to radiocarbon investigation of tree-ring samples and some horse bones from the ancient Turkic monuments in the valley of the Khar-Iamaatyn-Gol, the most possible date of the construction of the complex and the mounds is 655-660 AD.