Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: For the first time, the consideration is given to the bone remains of animals obtained during the excavation of the Xiongnu burial ground Tsaram, which was studied in the Kyakhta region of the Republic of Buryatia. The material comes from excavations of the central burial mound and accompanying funerary objects. The bones of livestock are mainly sacrifices and elements of funerary food. In the central barrow, along with the chariot, the remains of one horse were found. In the same burial pit, the sacrificial complex found included osteological material from 25 horses, 11 large specimens and 32 species of small cattle. All bone remains originate from incomplete skeletons: bones of the head, distal sections of the fore and hind limbs, most rarely of the body are presented. The anatomical composition of the skeletons suggests that in the funeral ritual, not whole animal carcasses were used, but skins with the skull and bones of the distal limbs. Among the animals sacrificed, sexually mature specimens predominated. The proportion of immature individuals in the material is low, and young animals are completely absent. Horses are represented by both males and females. The height at the withers refers to medium, undersized and small. The horse for the chariot from the central mound has larger body dimensions.
Authors: Plasteeva N., Minyaev S., Tishkin A., Sakharov L.
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2915376124