Pavel Leus
Central Asian Studies, Archaeology of Xiongnu, Tuva and South Siberia. @pavel_fahrner
Address: Berlin, Germany / St.Petersburg, Russia
Address: Berlin, Germany / St.Petersburg, Russia
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Papers by Pavel Leus
___________
Based on the materials obtained during the excavations of the Ala-Tei 1 and Terezin burial grounds in Central Tuva, it became possible to identify a number of characteristic cultural and chronological features marking the Xiongnu epoch in this region. These are certain complexes of objects and details of funeral customs belonging specifically to the time and culture of the Xiongnu: elongated burials in rectangular stone boxes, wooden coffins and grobovishcha; certain types of pottery, Chinese mirrors, details of the belt set, such as large bronze and jet buckles, openwork rings, spoon-shaped belt tips, imitations of cowrie shells and others. A number of artifacts’ categories of-ten found in burials are not, nevertheless, unambiguous signs of Xiongnu culture, as they are present in both earlier and later sites. The listed indicators of Xiongnu culture in Tuva disappear together with them.
"On the links of Tuva and Central Asia in the Xiongnu Era"
Annotation. Imported jewelry (polychrome pendants and beads, sprigs of Mediterranean coral) appeared in Tuva during the Xiongnu era, probably due to trade routes through Central Asia. The same routes could have been used by the Xiongnu to acquire unique luxury items found in their elite tombs in Mongolia. At the same time, items that are cultural and chronological indicators of the Huns, including rare buckle plates made of Siberian gagat, appeared in Central Asia.
(English and Mongolian)
железного века в Туве // Следы явлений и процессов в археологических памятниках: Материалы международной научной конференции (Пятигорск, 8-10 апреля 2024 г.). Ставрополь, 2024.
Traces of Changes and Processes in Archaeological Objects:
Proceedings of the International Conference (Pyatigorsk, April 8-10, 2024)
KILUNOVSKAYA M. E., LEUS P. M., SEMENOV VL. A., SEMENOV A. V. COMPLEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL-GEOGRAPHICAL EXPEDITION IN THE INUNDATION ZONE OF THE SAYAN-SHUSHENSKOE HYDRAULIC POWER STATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF TUVA: MAIN RESULTS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
"The main marks of the Xiongnu culture in Tuva"
Thanks to the excavations of the burial grounds of Ala-Tei 1 and Terezin, it became possible to identify features
characteristic of the Xiongnu culture in Tuva. These are elements of the funeral rite and clothing complex that appeared here
together with the Xiongnu and disappear after their departure. The combination of features allows us to date the Xiongnu era
in Tuva to the 2nd–1st centuries BC.
"Wooden “birch bark container”: Casket from the Terezin cemetery in Tuva"
Excavations of the Ala-Tey 1 and Teresin burial sites in Central Tuva yielded numerous findings from the Hunnu era and helped refine the dating of this historical period. The collection of discoveries includes characteristic items such
as openwork bronzes, jet buckles, ceramics, ornaments, and weapons. However, organic materials have not been well preserved
due to the impact of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Reservoir. Nevertheless, a well-preserved “birch bark container”-casket was found in one of the burials at the Terezin burial site, containing a bronze mirror, a wooden comb, and a pouch-amulet. The casket was made of wood, with walls fastened with overlapping straps and decorated with carved ornamentation, including wavy
and geometric patterns. This article is dedicated to a detailed examination of this rare discovery.
https://www.mra-ihae.ru/index.php/contents-of-the-magazine/2022/2021-2
Аннотация: В некоторых погребениях хунну на могильнике Ала-Тей 1 в Туве встречается редкий элемент
погребального обряда, когда в ногах погребенных (мужчин и женщин) был положен череп лошади, в двух случаях взнузданный. Эта традиция является для Тувы новой и, очевидно, связана с обычаями населения, пришедшего сюда в ходе экспансии хунну.
Женское погребение с коралловыми сережками
из могильника хунну Ала-Тей 1 в Туве
Kilunovskaya M. E., Leus P. M.
Female grave with coral earrings from Xiongnu
burial ground Ala-Tei 1 in Tuva
______
В женском погребении могильника хунну Ала-Тей 1 на дне Саяно-Шушенского водохранилища были найдены золотые серьги с подвесками из веточек коралла. Будучи изначально ценными и хрупкими изделиями, такие находки чрезвычайно редки. Несколько золотых сережек с коралловыми подвесками известны в захоронениях чирикрабатской культуры в нижнем течении Сырдарьи. Можно предположить, что эта редкая находка попала в Туву с запада по одному из маршрутов Шелкового пути, через Среднюю Азию, оазисы Восточного Туркестана, северное приграничье ханьского Китая и Монголию.
________
In Xiongnu female burial ground Ala-Tei 1 at the bottom of the Sayan-Shushenskoe Reservoir, gold earrings with pendants made of coral twigs were found. Being initially valuable and fragile products, such 耀nds are extremely rare. Several gold earrings with coral pendants are known in the Chirikrabat culture graves in the lower reaches of the Syrdarya. It can be assumed that this rare 耀nd came to Tuva from the West along one of the Silk Road routes, through Central Asia, oases of East Turkestan, the northern border of Han China and Mongolia.
Kilunovskaya M. E., Leus P. M. Representations of yaks in the art of the Xiongnu // Археологические вести, 34. Archaeological News, 34, 2022
Датировка могильников эпохи хунну Ала-Тей 1 и Терезин в Туве // Научное обозрение Саяно-Алтая №1 (29) 2021. Абакан.
Kilunovskaya M. E., Leus P. M.
Dating of burial grounds of the Xiongnu Era Ala-Tey 1 and Terezin in Tuva // Sayan-Altai scientific review. 1( 29) 2021. Abakan.
Спасательные раскопки курганного
могильника Абакан-7 в 2018 году // Научное обозрение Саяно-Алтая №1 (29) 2021. Абакан.
Kovaleva O. V., Amzarakov P. B., Leus P. M. Rescue excavations of Abakan-7 burial mound in 2018 // Sayan-Altai scientific review. 1( 29) 2021. Abakan.
M. E. Kilunovskaya, P. M. Leus
In the 2nd century BC, the territory of modern Tuva
fell under the in㌳uence of the Xiongnu. Archaeological
sites of the Scythian type disappear and a change of
archaeological cultures occurs. In Tuva, burials of a new
type emerge with entirely new funerary inventory.
These graves are distinguished as the Ulug-Khem
archaeo logical culture. The burials of this type and ob-
jects from them have direct parallels at sites of the
Xiongnu in neighbouring regions, i. e. in Mongolia,
Transbaykalia, etc.
In burials of the Xiongnu period in Tuva, bone
plaques/buckles of two types are fairly frequently
found. One of these types, the most widely distributed,
appears already in the late Scythian period. It is near-
ly trapezoid buckles fixed to the belt through two
round holes. At the other side, usually there are an
elongated hole for the strap and a round one for the
pin. In late Scythian burials, they fairly often are found
in pairs while in the Xiongnu period they are single
examples. The presence of buckles of this kind used by
the late Scythians and Xiongnu in Tuva possibly indi-
cates cultural borrowings and a brief period of a poly-
cultural character of the region at a denite historical
stage. Some other buckles are unique for Tuva. One is
rectangular and decorated with an X-shaped design of
small iron tacks. Possibly it repeats the rectangular
buckles from Siberian jet occasionally decorated in the
same style. Another buckle is of a specic narrow rec-
tangular shape and is covered with engravings. Its rare
parallels are known from the Xiongnu Ivolga archae-
ological site in Transbaykalia and burials of the Xiong-
nu in Mongolia. The design itself may have originated
from subjects and images of the Chinese artistic tradi-
tion, known, e. g., on silk textiles and carved nephrite
ornaments. Another group of parallels is found in
Middle Asia. They are slightly longer and decorated
with highly artistic engravings with scenes of hunting
and battles.
Древние культуры Монголии, Южной Сибири и Северного Китая.
Материалы XI Международной научной конференции. Абакан, 2021
памятники Южной Сибири и Центральной Азии: от появления первых скотоводов
до эпохи сложения государственных образований. Санкт-Петербург, 2021.
инкрустированным пряжкам из сибирского гагата, найденным в памятниках эпохи хунну на обширной тер-
ритории от Манчжурии до Нижнего Поволжья. Центром их возникновения и распространения, вероятно,
был север Внутренней Азии, откуда происходит сам материал пряжек — богхед, или сибирский гагат. Его
основные известные месторождения сосредоточены в Иркутском угольном бассейне.
Annotation. vis paper is devoted to a rare type of archaeological Ends, i. e. large buckles from Siberian jet with
engraving and incrustation found at sites of the Xiongnu period over a broad territory from Manchuria to the Lower
Volga region. ve centre of their origin and distribution was probably in the north of Inner Asia which was the proveni-
ence of the material itself for making the buckles — boghead coal or Siberian jet. Its main deposits are concentrated in
the Irkutsk coalEelds.
П.М.Леус, А.В.Семенов, Вл.А.Семенов. - Исследования Тувинской Археологической Экспедиции //Археологические открытия. 2018 год.
М.: Институт археологии РАН, 2020. //Discoveries of the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition 2018 //Archaeologocal discoveries. 2018. Moscow, 2020
П.М.Леус, А.В.Семенов, Вл.А.Семенов. - Исследования Тувинской Археологической Экспедиции //Археологические открытия. 2017 год.
М.: Институт археологии РАН, 2019. //Discoveries of the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition 2017 //Archaeologocal discoveries. 2017. Moscow, 2019
___________
Based on the materials obtained during the excavations of the Ala-Tei 1 and Terezin burial grounds in Central Tuva, it became possible to identify a number of characteristic cultural and chronological features marking the Xiongnu epoch in this region. These are certain complexes of objects and details of funeral customs belonging specifically to the time and culture of the Xiongnu: elongated burials in rectangular stone boxes, wooden coffins and grobovishcha; certain types of pottery, Chinese mirrors, details of the belt set, such as large bronze and jet buckles, openwork rings, spoon-shaped belt tips, imitations of cowrie shells and others. A number of artifacts’ categories of-ten found in burials are not, nevertheless, unambiguous signs of Xiongnu culture, as they are present in both earlier and later sites. The listed indicators of Xiongnu culture in Tuva disappear together with them.
"On the links of Tuva and Central Asia in the Xiongnu Era"
Annotation. Imported jewelry (polychrome pendants and beads, sprigs of Mediterranean coral) appeared in Tuva during the Xiongnu era, probably due to trade routes through Central Asia. The same routes could have been used by the Xiongnu to acquire unique luxury items found in their elite tombs in Mongolia. At the same time, items that are cultural and chronological indicators of the Huns, including rare buckle plates made of Siberian gagat, appeared in Central Asia.
(English and Mongolian)
железного века в Туве // Следы явлений и процессов в археологических памятниках: Материалы международной научной конференции (Пятигорск, 8-10 апреля 2024 г.). Ставрополь, 2024.
Traces of Changes and Processes in Archaeological Objects:
Proceedings of the International Conference (Pyatigorsk, April 8-10, 2024)
KILUNOVSKAYA M. E., LEUS P. M., SEMENOV VL. A., SEMENOV A. V. COMPLEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL-GEOGRAPHICAL EXPEDITION IN THE INUNDATION ZONE OF THE SAYAN-SHUSHENSKOE HYDRAULIC POWER STATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF TUVA: MAIN RESULTS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
"The main marks of the Xiongnu culture in Tuva"
Thanks to the excavations of the burial grounds of Ala-Tei 1 and Terezin, it became possible to identify features
characteristic of the Xiongnu culture in Tuva. These are elements of the funeral rite and clothing complex that appeared here
together with the Xiongnu and disappear after their departure. The combination of features allows us to date the Xiongnu era
in Tuva to the 2nd–1st centuries BC.
"Wooden “birch bark container”: Casket from the Terezin cemetery in Tuva"
Excavations of the Ala-Tey 1 and Teresin burial sites in Central Tuva yielded numerous findings from the Hunnu era and helped refine the dating of this historical period. The collection of discoveries includes characteristic items such
as openwork bronzes, jet buckles, ceramics, ornaments, and weapons. However, organic materials have not been well preserved
due to the impact of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Reservoir. Nevertheless, a well-preserved “birch bark container”-casket was found in one of the burials at the Terezin burial site, containing a bronze mirror, a wooden comb, and a pouch-amulet. The casket was made of wood, with walls fastened with overlapping straps and decorated with carved ornamentation, including wavy
and geometric patterns. This article is dedicated to a detailed examination of this rare discovery.
https://www.mra-ihae.ru/index.php/contents-of-the-magazine/2022/2021-2
Аннотация: В некоторых погребениях хунну на могильнике Ала-Тей 1 в Туве встречается редкий элемент
погребального обряда, когда в ногах погребенных (мужчин и женщин) был положен череп лошади, в двух случаях взнузданный. Эта традиция является для Тувы новой и, очевидно, связана с обычаями населения, пришедшего сюда в ходе экспансии хунну.
Женское погребение с коралловыми сережками
из могильника хунну Ала-Тей 1 в Туве
Kilunovskaya M. E., Leus P. M.
Female grave with coral earrings from Xiongnu
burial ground Ala-Tei 1 in Tuva
______
В женском погребении могильника хунну Ала-Тей 1 на дне Саяно-Шушенского водохранилища были найдены золотые серьги с подвесками из веточек коралла. Будучи изначально ценными и хрупкими изделиями, такие находки чрезвычайно редки. Несколько золотых сережек с коралловыми подвесками известны в захоронениях чирикрабатской культуры в нижнем течении Сырдарьи. Можно предположить, что эта редкая находка попала в Туву с запада по одному из маршрутов Шелкового пути, через Среднюю Азию, оазисы Восточного Туркестана, северное приграничье ханьского Китая и Монголию.
________
In Xiongnu female burial ground Ala-Tei 1 at the bottom of the Sayan-Shushenskoe Reservoir, gold earrings with pendants made of coral twigs were found. Being initially valuable and fragile products, such 耀nds are extremely rare. Several gold earrings with coral pendants are known in the Chirikrabat culture graves in the lower reaches of the Syrdarya. It can be assumed that this rare 耀nd came to Tuva from the West along one of the Silk Road routes, through Central Asia, oases of East Turkestan, the northern border of Han China and Mongolia.
Kilunovskaya M. E., Leus P. M. Representations of yaks in the art of the Xiongnu // Археологические вести, 34. Archaeological News, 34, 2022
Датировка могильников эпохи хунну Ала-Тей 1 и Терезин в Туве // Научное обозрение Саяно-Алтая №1 (29) 2021. Абакан.
Kilunovskaya M. E., Leus P. M.
Dating of burial grounds of the Xiongnu Era Ala-Tey 1 and Terezin in Tuva // Sayan-Altai scientific review. 1( 29) 2021. Abakan.
Спасательные раскопки курганного
могильника Абакан-7 в 2018 году // Научное обозрение Саяно-Алтая №1 (29) 2021. Абакан.
Kovaleva O. V., Amzarakov P. B., Leus P. M. Rescue excavations of Abakan-7 burial mound in 2018 // Sayan-Altai scientific review. 1( 29) 2021. Abakan.
M. E. Kilunovskaya, P. M. Leus
In the 2nd century BC, the territory of modern Tuva
fell under the in㌳uence of the Xiongnu. Archaeological
sites of the Scythian type disappear and a change of
archaeological cultures occurs. In Tuva, burials of a new
type emerge with entirely new funerary inventory.
These graves are distinguished as the Ulug-Khem
archaeo logical culture. The burials of this type and ob-
jects from them have direct parallels at sites of the
Xiongnu in neighbouring regions, i. e. in Mongolia,
Transbaykalia, etc.
In burials of the Xiongnu period in Tuva, bone
plaques/buckles of two types are fairly frequently
found. One of these types, the most widely distributed,
appears already in the late Scythian period. It is near-
ly trapezoid buckles fixed to the belt through two
round holes. At the other side, usually there are an
elongated hole for the strap and a round one for the
pin. In late Scythian burials, they fairly often are found
in pairs while in the Xiongnu period they are single
examples. The presence of buckles of this kind used by
the late Scythians and Xiongnu in Tuva possibly indi-
cates cultural borrowings and a brief period of a poly-
cultural character of the region at a denite historical
stage. Some other buckles are unique for Tuva. One is
rectangular and decorated with an X-shaped design of
small iron tacks. Possibly it repeats the rectangular
buckles from Siberian jet occasionally decorated in the
same style. Another buckle is of a specic narrow rec-
tangular shape and is covered with engravings. Its rare
parallels are known from the Xiongnu Ivolga archae-
ological site in Transbaykalia and burials of the Xiong-
nu in Mongolia. The design itself may have originated
from subjects and images of the Chinese artistic tradi-
tion, known, e. g., on silk textiles and carved nephrite
ornaments. Another group of parallels is found in
Middle Asia. They are slightly longer and decorated
with highly artistic engravings with scenes of hunting
and battles.
Древние культуры Монголии, Южной Сибири и Северного Китая.
Материалы XI Международной научной конференции. Абакан, 2021
памятники Южной Сибири и Центральной Азии: от появления первых скотоводов
до эпохи сложения государственных образований. Санкт-Петербург, 2021.
инкрустированным пряжкам из сибирского гагата, найденным в памятниках эпохи хунну на обширной тер-
ритории от Манчжурии до Нижнего Поволжья. Центром их возникновения и распространения, вероятно,
был север Внутренней Азии, откуда происходит сам материал пряжек — богхед, или сибирский гагат. Его
основные известные месторождения сосредоточены в Иркутском угольном бассейне.
Annotation. vis paper is devoted to a rare type of archaeological Ends, i. e. large buckles from Siberian jet with
engraving and incrustation found at sites of the Xiongnu period over a broad territory from Manchuria to the Lower
Volga region. ve centre of their origin and distribution was probably in the north of Inner Asia which was the proveni-
ence of the material itself for making the buckles — boghead coal or Siberian jet. Its main deposits are concentrated in
the Irkutsk coalEelds.
П.М.Леус, А.В.Семенов, Вл.А.Семенов. - Исследования Тувинской Археологической Экспедиции //Археологические открытия. 2018 год.
М.: Институт археологии РАН, 2020. //Discoveries of the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition 2018 //Archaeologocal discoveries. 2018. Moscow, 2020
П.М.Леус, А.В.Семенов, Вл.А.Семенов. - Исследования Тувинской Археологической Экспедиции //Археологические открытия. 2017 год.
М.: Институт археологии РАН, 2019. //Discoveries of the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition 2017 //Archaeologocal discoveries. 2017. Moscow, 2019