About Mongolia

Pre-history of Mongolia

Mongolia is rich with monuments and complex heritage sites that belong to Bronze Age culture. The main Bronze Age monuments are khirgisuurs, petroglyphs, stone sculptures such as deer stones and burial sites.

Deer stones:

Deer stone is included in Mongolian most ancient sculpture and Neolithic is considered as the most ancient sculpture. 700 deer stones were found from Mongolian steppe to Elbe\Central Europe\ of which 500 were found in Mongolia.

On the stones, figures as like herd of deer forwarded to the sky corresponded to Mongolian totem custom. And other animals, persons and things’ figures were painted and carved on these 0.6-3.4 m height monuments and stones. Another else thing of horse’s head bones was not found around deer stones. Although worshipping that deer, which takes to the sky, is animal, secret of deer stones are still not tied.

Mounds:

Mounds are large piles of rough mountain stones or smooth river stones or a combination of the two types. Most mounds are probably funerary in function; that is, they were raised at the time of an individual’s death and to mark that person’s burial.

Whether, however, the body was actually placed under the mound or in a burial chamber sunk into the ground, varies according to period and culture. Single mounds may be simple or collared: that is, ringed with a contrastingly colored stone or with vertical stones of a tooth-like appearance tilted toward the center of the structure.

Khirgisuurs or burial mounds:

Khirigsuur is the Mongolian name for Bronze Age burial mounds. The word for burial mound used on the Russian side of the border is 'kurgan.' The typical khirigsuur consists of a centralized burial chamber covered with un-worked stones (central mound). This mound of stone is surrounded by a wall (fence) which can be either circular or squared.

Petro glyphs (Rock paintings):

Mongolian heritage begins with Stone Age rock carvings, showing animal life. The impact of these animalistic drawings on bare rock remains as strong and fresh today as the day they were created. Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. There are images of various animal species, hunting scenes, and scenes depicting aspects of human life in the region.