| RZ-50625-06 | Research Programs: Collaborative Research | Yale University | The Survey Archaeology of Northern and Southern Mongolia: A Diachronic Study of Nomadic Polities and Landscapes in Transition | 5/1/2007 - 8/31/2008 | $90,000.00 | William | Henry | Honeychurch | | | | Yale University | New Haven | CT | 06510-1703 | USA | 2006 | Archaeology | Collaborative Research | Research Programs | 90000 | 0 | 90000 | 0 | Excavation, analysis, and interpretation at archaeological sites in the Eurasian steppe to study social and political organization among pastoral societies during the Mongolian Empire. (24 months)
Archaeological studies of pastoral nomadic societies have been invigorated by recent collaborative research projects across the Eurasian steppe zone. This research contributes an important perspective on the forms of socio-political organization practiced among mobile groups. We propose a novel approach to understanding the organizational techniques and methods of finance that supported large scale imperial polities of eastern Eurasia, specifically those centered on the Mongolian steppe. Using archaeological survey data from the northern Mongolian valley of Egiin Gol and the Middle Gobi desert, we evaluate the latest historical explanations for the rise and fall of these polities. |