According to the findings of certain scientific studies, data on the development of nomadic civilization in present-day Mongolia have been refined. It leads to the conclusion that the origin of nomadism in this part of Eurasia, which subsequently spread to other areas adjacent to Mongolia, occurred 3,000 years ago.

The «Journal of Archaeological Science» published data on the age determination of horse bones found during archaeological excavations at sites where the «Deer Stone» culture (also referred to as «Deer Stone» by some sources) existed. Archaeologists refer to this site as Deer Stone-Khirigsuur. Deer stones are stone pillars embedded in the earth, adorned with ornamental motifs on their surfaces, while khirigsuurs are burial sites. Both phenomena are intimately linked with the nomadic way of life and culture. The excavations unearthed hundreds of thousands of horse bones.

The composition of the research team speaks for itself – individuals from the Max Planck Institute, Yale and Chicago Universities, the Center for Mongolian Studies (USA), and the National Museum of Mongolia. There is nothing novel in the research methodology – it is the standard radiocarbon analysis.

About the Method of Analysis

Briefly on the most common method of determining the age of archaeological finds: when an organism dies, an unstable radioactive element that was previously dormant in the organism’s tissues – radiocarbon – is released and begins to decay. By measuring the concentration of radiocarbon in organic material, such as horse bone, archaeologists attempt to determine how many years ago the horse died. This type of work has been conducted in archaeology for a long time, and in the past, some Mongolian finds were also subjected to radiocarbon analysis. This method is refined year after year because the assessment of the degree of radiocarbon decay is influenced by factors such as natural transformations of the site itself, its landscape, vegetation, etc. Consequently, both in the past and present, determining the exact date of death of an ancient Mongolian horse is associated with significant uncertainty and error. Thus, a group or collective characterization of a burial is even more challenging. However, as mentioned earlier, research methodologies and tools are continually being improved.

A method known as Bayesian analysis has emerged – named after its creator, a mathematician specializing in statistics applied to chronology construction. This method, in brief, is a combination of statistical probability and archaeological information aimed at refining certain historical dates, not applied to just one individual Mongolian horse, but to the entire group of horses domesticated by ancient Mongolians. Scientists who have employed Bayesian mathematics believe they have constructed a highly accurate chronological model of horse domestication in Mongolia. William Taylor from the Max Planck Institute, the individual who processed the data from the Deer Stone and khirigsuurs using the Bayesian method, stated, «…it (the method) for the first time in history allows us to connect the domestication of horses with other key cultural events of ancient Mongolia and Eastern Eurasia.»

A Paradigm Shift in Views on Nomadic Lifestyle

Within the framework of chronological models, it was found that the rituals of horse domestication and riding spread rapidly across the Mongolian steppes approximately 1200 years before the start of the era according to the calendar used by most of the world’s governments, including Kazakhstan. And within this framework, i.e., the official international calendar, the first mentions of horseback riders are recorded several centuries later than 1251 BC. The Max Planck Institute believes that, in conjunction with other facts and research results, the Deer Stone and Khirigsuurs indicate that Mongolia is the epicenter of early equestrian culture and, likely, a culture of life on horseback.

This research is significant for understanding how humans respond to natural processes, including climate and its changes. For instance, in modern history, one highly respected scientific school insists that nomadic societies appeared in the late second millennium BC in response to drought. The Max Planck Institute concludes that, most likely, the nomadic way of life originated in conditions of a climate with sufficient humidity and in mild climatic conditions. It also notes that recently more and more scientific schools of history, chronology, and archaeology independently conclude that Eurasian nomads played a crucial role in the first waves of globalization in history. In this context, the Planck Institute references the findings of the American scientist M. Frachetti, who deduced that nomads trod the most optimal routes for moving their livestock, which settled civilizations gradually adopted to establish trade, transport, and logistics.

Another conclusion is that the emergence of horse domestication culture and horseback riding as a way of life and warfare became one of the most influential factors in ancient Eurasian history, as nomadism formed the basis for creating networks of economic-informational exchange, through which the entire Old World was shaped.

Source: Phys