Medieval Mongolian Empires before Genghis Khan: What did urbanism in the steppe look like? Dr Joshua Wright, University of Aberdeen
Many superlatives have been heaped on the Mongol Empire (1206-1368 CE), built by Genghis Khan and his family. Its impact can be seen in every corner of Eurasia in the records of warfare, administration, production, demographic impact, self-identity, myth making, and occasionally in archaeology.
This empire did not emerge fully formed from the grasslands and forests of Mongolia. The earlier Kitan (Liao) empire (916–1125 CE) provided many foundations for the Mongol state. The archaeology of the Kitan world includes graves, nomadic camps and pottery, but also cities, great walls, political landscapes, long range exchange, elaborate tombs, frontiers, and food revolutions.
This talk will introduce you to an unexpected archaeology of Eurasia and the intriguing possibilities it offers, as well as the challenges of archaeology in the Eurasian steppe. You will be invited to consider what urban experience is, multiculturalism and identity in the archaeological record, how archaeologists draw sweeping interpretations from fragmented data. We will cover sites and landscapes in Northeast China, Mongolia, and Siberia.