Investigating reindeer pastoralism and exploitation of high mountain zones in northern Mongolia through ice patch archaeology.

Autor: Taylor W; Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.; Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America., Clark JK; Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.; NOMAD Science, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia., Reichhardt B; Central Asian Seminar, Institute for Asian and African Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany., Hodgins GWL; Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America., Bayarsaikhan J; National Museum of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia., Batchuluun O; National Museum of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia., Whitworth J; Clearview Animal Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America., Nansalmaa M; Unit of Diagnosis and Surveillance for Infectious and Parasitic Disease, State Central Veterinary Laboratory, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia., Lee CM; Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America., Dixon EJ; Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PloS one [PLoS One] 2019 Nov 20; Vol. 14 (11), pp. e0224741. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Nov 20 (Print Publication: 2019).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224741
Abstrakt: In interior Eurasia, high mountain zones are crucial to pastoral subsistence, providing seasonally productive pastures and abundant wild resources. In some areas of northern Mongolia, mountainous tundra zones also support a low-latitude population of domestic reindeer herders-a lifestyle whose origins are poorly characterized in the archaeological record of early Mongolia. Traditionally, reindeer pastoralists make significant seasonal use of munkh mus (eternal ice) for their domestic herds, using these features to cool heat-stressed animals and provide respite from insect harassment. In recent years, many of these features have begun to melt entirely for the first time, producing urgent threats to traditional management techniques, the viability of summer pastures, and reindeer health. The melting ice is also exposing fragile organic archaeological materials that had previously been contained in the patch. We present the results of horseback survey of ice patches in Baruun Taiga special protected area, providing the first archaeological insights from the region. Results reveal new evidence of historic tool production and wild resource use for fishing or other activities, and indicate that ice patches are likely to contain one of the few material records of premodern domestic reindeer use in Mongolia and lower Central Asia. The area's ancient ice appears to be rapidly melting due to changing climate and warming summer temperatures, putting both cultural heritage and traditional reindeer herding at extreme risk in the years to come.
Competing Interests: JW is a paid employee of Clearview Animal Hospital and JC is a paid employee of NOMAD Science, Mongolia. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. There are no other relevant declarations relating to employment, consultancy, patents, products in development, or marketed products.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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