Moiltyn Am

Part of the Orxon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. Situated in O'vo'rxangai aimag, Xarxorin sum in the vicinity of the Karakorum city ruins. This is one of the most interesting archaeological sites of Central and Northern Asia. Several thousand objects such as scrapers, knives, and axes have been excavated from this site, and have been dated from the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic through the Mesolithic and early Neolithic, representing several thousand years of human habitation in four distinct strata. Stone tools excavated from the deepest stratum of remains include choppers, two-edged knives, scrapers, puncturing tools, knives, and points, as well as pieces of cut wood and wood chips. In general the most commonly-found tools were choppers with either one or two sharpened edges. The middle strata date from the upper Paleolithic, and contain stone tools illustrating the development of hunting in Mongolia. The uppermost stratum dates from the Mesolithic period. In addition to the articles uncovered through the process of excavation, a large number of stone tools and fragments can be found dispersed on the ground surface throughout the area. The site was first discovered by the Mongolian-Soviet joint historical-ethnographic expedition in 1949 [1], and excavations were performed in 1960-1961 and in 1964-1965. The layer of remains measures 1.5-2 metres in depth. Although the majority of the instruments were made of gravel stones, it is clear that the Levalloisian-style two-sided tools evolved into the single or two-sided oval-shaped tools of the upper Palaeolithic, with the striking surface made even with the line of the cutting of fragments. In addition, there was a significant increase in the number of tools made of cut stones and stone chips, and a multiplication of the types of scrapers and other small tools. The uppermost stratum relates to the Mesolithic (Holocene period), and a great number of cut stones and stone chips were excavated from this layer. Although gravel-stone tools were also discovered, they were fewer in number than in the lower layers. The toolmaking technology became increasingly refined, especially in the case of scrapers, puncturing tools and other small instruments [2].

Notes

1. A. P. Okladnikov, 1949.
2. Д. Дорж, Д. Цэвээндорж. Монголын палеолит. УБ 1978

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