The mystery of deer stones remains unsolved
Have you ever traveled to the Mongolian countryside? If so, you
probably have seen many standing stones dotting the vast steppe.
These are called Bugan chuluu (deer stones), ancient megaliths carved with flying deer, or so it is said.
Most deer stones stand behind ancient graves; it is believed that stones are the guardians of the dead. There are around 700 deer stones in Mongolia of a total 900 deer stones archeologists have found in Central Asia and South Siberia.
Their true purpose and creators are still unknown. Some researchers claims that deer stones are rooted in shamanism and are thought to have been set up during the Bronze Age around 1000 BC, and may mark the graves of important people. Later inhabitants of the area likely reused them to mark their own burial mounds, and perhaps for other purposes.
The tallest of the stones stands 15 feet high and the shortest is just less than 2 feet. The stones are usually found in groups of five or more. The carvings on the stones are typically divided into three sections, which are thought to represent the sky, the earth and the underworld, which is how the myths of Central Asia divide the world.
“Deer stones are not only historical monument, but also art
and cultural heritage. Although they are the oldest known monuments,
deer stones have extraordinary carvings and patterns. We have to
continue researching deer stones,” said J.Bayarsaikhan, head of the
study group of the Mongolian National Museum.
Mongolian and American archeologists conducted a joint project, called ‘The Deer Stones Project’ (DSP) from 2004 to 2007. The DSP was a multidisciplinary research program coordinated by the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center, in collaboration with the National Museum of Mongolian History and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
The project explored aspects of northern Mongolia’s cultural and environmental history relating to Siberia and northern Pacific cultural history and artistic traditions starting in 2001. It concentrated its research on the little-known region of the Darkhat Valley in Hovsgol aimag, exploring cultural history and cultural contacts across the steppe-taiga boundary from the Neolithic to the modern day.
They held a symposium each year showing the project’s broad approach to research in the area. One paper examined the possible connections between Mongolia and the movement of peoples across the Beringian land bridge, another explored similarities between the Vikings, Eskimos, and Mongolians.
Other presentations focused specifically on the Hovsgol research area, including examinations of the origins and practice of reindeer herding in the region, the ways Mongolian reindeer herders have adapted to their immediate environment, and the results of excavations that the archaeological teams conducted around deer stones in the province.
These are called Bugan chuluu (deer stones), ancient megaliths carved with flying deer, or so it is said.
Most deer stones stand behind ancient graves; it is believed that stones are the guardians of the dead. There are around 700 deer stones in Mongolia of a total 900 deer stones archeologists have found in Central Asia and South Siberia.
Their true purpose and creators are still unknown. Some researchers claims that deer stones are rooted in shamanism and are thought to have been set up during the Bronze Age around 1000 BC, and may mark the graves of important people. Later inhabitants of the area likely reused them to mark their own burial mounds, and perhaps for other purposes.
The tallest of the stones stands 15 feet high and the shortest is just less than 2 feet. The stones are usually found in groups of five or more. The carvings on the stones are typically divided into three sections, which are thought to represent the sky, the earth and the underworld, which is how the myths of Central Asia divide the world.
“Deer stones are not only historical monument, but also art
and cultural heritage. Although they are the oldest known monuments,
deer stones have extraordinary carvings and patterns. We have to
continue researching deer stones,” said J.Bayarsaikhan, head of the
study group of the Mongolian National Museum. Mongolian and American archeologists conducted a joint project, called ‘The Deer Stones Project’ (DSP) from 2004 to 2007. The DSP was a multidisciplinary research program coordinated by the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center, in collaboration with the National Museum of Mongolian History and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
The project explored aspects of northern Mongolia’s cultural and environmental history relating to Siberia and northern Pacific cultural history and artistic traditions starting in 2001. It concentrated its research on the little-known region of the Darkhat Valley in Hovsgol aimag, exploring cultural history and cultural contacts across the steppe-taiga boundary from the Neolithic to the modern day.
They held a symposium each year showing the project’s broad approach to research in the area. One paper examined the possible connections between Mongolia and the movement of peoples across the Beringian land bridge, another explored similarities between the Vikings, Eskimos, and Mongolians.
Other presentations focused specifically on the Hovsgol research area, including examinations of the origins and practice of reindeer herding in the region, the ways Mongolian reindeer herders have adapted to their immediate environment, and the results of excavations that the archaeological teams conducted around deer stones in the province.
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