Slab graves

Slab graves (M. do'rvo'lzhin bulsh or "square graves") are generally constructed of four slabs of stone assembled edgewise so as to constitute an open box, often accompanied by a deer stone in one of the four corners; the body of the deceased - possibly accompanied by funeral objects - is generally buried about one metre beneath the ground surface. Similar graves are found over a large part of Asia, ranging from Eastern Mongolia to the Xangai Mountains, and from Lake Baikal as far south as Tibet. Slab graves are often found on the flanks of hills in groups of two or three, or in groups of dozens on the slopes of mountains or in the middle of the steppe.

Contents and Structure

Excavations of square graves typically reveal bones of wild and domestic animals, pottery fragments, decorative bronze buttons, beads, and ornamental items made of gold or semi-precious stones. On the basis of these artifacts it is possible to date the graves as having been produced by Bronze Age cultures; moreover it can be surmised that by this period Central Asian peoples had already come to believe in some form of spiritual afterlife, in which the objects of the deceased would be considered to have been of some continuing value.

Slab graves follow a very consistent structure and layout. The body of the deceased is buried at a depth of 50-150 centimetres, within a coffin made of thin stone pieces covered with larger, thick slabs; the site immediately above the coffin is marked with an open box-shaped structure made of stone slabs placed on edge, supported from either side by smaller stones. The body of the deceased is positioned with the head facing in the direction of the rising sun, and is often accompanied by a variety of burial objects - stone implements, bronze knives, arrows, bronze buttons, engraved convex metal ornaments, figures of horses or other animals, bronze decorative items, wooden bird head figures, gold hairpins, pottery, stone ladles used for melting copper and bronze, and animal skulls, thighbones and shoulder blades. In most cases ordinary stones were placed under and above the head of the deceased. The exterior size of a slab grave ranges from 1.5 x 2.5 metres to 2.5 x 4.5 metres; relatively large tombs can be found in the central part of Mongolia.

Distribution

More than 500 slab graves have been discovered in Mongolia, mainly in the basins of the Xerlen and Tuul Rivers in To'v aimag; in the Orxon River valley and at Tevsh Mountain in O'vo'rxangai aimag; in the southern part of Dundgov' aimag; in the Xerlen, Onon and Xurx River Basins in Xentii aimag; in the Egiin River valley in Bulgan aimag; and in the grassy plains of Eastern Mongolia, including the territories of Mo'nxxaan and Erdenecagaan sums in Su'xbaatar aimag and Bayndun, Cagaan Ovoo, Sergelen, Gurvan Zagal, Bayan-Uul and Dashbalbar sums in Dornod aimag.

Decorative Arts

One of the most commonly encountered types of artefacts in slab graves is the bronze concave disc ornament or button. Such buttons, either ornamented or plain, were used to decorate clothing and belts. Decorated buttons mainly depict wild animals such as deer, bars, horses, wolves and birds, in addition to various forms of decorative patterns. More abstract animal-figure representations are also common.

Two recently-discovered bronze helmets, excavated from slab graves near the Egiin River in Xutag-O'ndo'r sum of Bulgan aimag, have contributed to our understanding of bronze-age weapons and implements.

Few bronze arrowheads have been excavated from slab graves in Mongolia, but have been discovered in relatively large numbers on the ground surface. Arrowheads are classified by their form as double- or triple-edged, flat-based or with stem, and so on. There are many different types of bronze arrowheads, used for short-distance or long-distance shooting, and designed to produce different types of wounds. Towards the end of the BRONZE AGE bronze-tipped iron arrowheads also came to be produced. In addition, bone arrowheads have been discovered in some slab graves.

Similar Structures

Ritual structures similar to slab graves but serving a non-funerary function are also encountered, typically next to large groups of slab graves. Such ritual structures were typically used for sacrificial offerings of horses, along with pottery and other objects. The head of the sacrificed animal would be placed facing in the same direction as the animal head buried alongside the human grave.

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