Animal use, husbandry, and herd management in the Mongol Empire

子项目（SP） 7的主要目标是更好地了解动物在中世纪蒙古人生活中的作用。波恩大学在喀喇昆仑进行了广泛的考古发掘，这是信息和历史游记的主要来源。尽管对动物材料的初步分析显示，那里有多种多样的动物，其中羊和牛是肉和脂肪的主要来源，但许多问题仍然悬而未决。除了喀喇昆仑，还将在项目框架内分析另外两个地点（Khar Khul Khaany Balgas和Bayan Gol）的动物资料。通过比较不同地点和可能不同的过去环境之间的动物区系数据，我们打算阐明蒙古帝国时期游牧牧民的群体管理、适应策略、牲畜物种的来源及其基因组成。畜牧业在蒙古高原城市住区发展中的贡献将以该地区迄今为止最全面的方法进行评价。喀喇昆仑的动物考古将作为解决蒙古中部中世纪动物开发和畜牧业问题的基础。由于修订了时间顺序方案，我们可以以更高的分辨率处理动物群的历时性发展。此外，还将应用新的方法来提高我们对绵羊饲养管理的理解，包括牙齿磨损、羔羊死亡率和圈养对羊群的影响。喀喇昆仑区动物群将与巴颜戈勒和巴尔加斯的古动物群进行对比。我们期望对蒙古时期不同环境下的历史动物开发和畜牧业实践有新的见解。特别是喀喇昆仑是一个“大熔炉”，吸引了不同的民族，因此进口所需的动物分类群或其产品可以帮助识别这些群体，同时显示贸易网络的范围。城市肉类市场的绵羊供应很可能涉及当地和遥远的牧群。我们将使用几何形态计量学（Geometric morphomeics， GMM）来测试喀喇昆仑和其他地点不同的绵羊种群是否在表型上影响了肉类供应。稳定同位素分析（C， O, Sr）和大部分古DNA工作将在第二阶段进行。一个关键问题是牛磺酸牛、牦牛和它们的杂交品种khainag的区别（хайнаг）。Khainag特别适应寒冷的山地环境，人们何时以及为什么繁殖和/或引入这种杂交品种是一个悬而未决的问题。因此，我们的项目将使用现代参考资料更密切地研究这种杂交动物及其父母的骨学。对选定标本的古代DNA分析将帮助我们确认杂交状态，并详细说明khainag的基因组成。最后，由于蒙古帝国与欧洲的黑死病同时发生，我们打算筛选耶尔森菌和其他病原体可能的宿主分类群。

The main goal of the subproject (SP) 7 is to better understand the role of animals in medieval Mongolian subsistence. Main source of information along with historic travelogues, are the extensive archaeological excavations in Karakorum conducted by the University of Bonn. Although a first analysis of the faunal material revealed a diverse fauna with sheep and cattle being the main source of meat and fat, many questions are still lingering. Along with Karakorum, the faunal material from two additional sites (Khar Khul Khaany Balgas and Bayan Gol), will be analysed in the framework of the project. By comparing the faunal data between different sites with potentially different past environs we intend to elucidate herd management of nomadic pastoralists during the Mongol Empire, the adaptation strategies, the provenance of livestock species and their genetic makeup. The contribution of animal husbandry in the development of urban settlements in the Mongolian plateau will be evaluated in the most comprehensive approach to-date in this region. The archaeofauna from Karakorum will serve as the basis for addressing medieval animal exploitation and husbandry in central Mongolia. Thanks to a revised chronological scheme, we can address the diachronic faunal development in much higher resolution. Additionally, novel approaches will be applied to improve our understanding of caprine management regarding foddering reflected by tooth abrasion, lamb mortality and the effects of penning of sheep in enclosures. Results of the Karakorum fauna will be contrasted with the archaeofaunas from Bayan Gol and Khar Khul Khaany Balgas. We expect novel insights into historic animal exploitation and husbandry practices in distinct environments during the Mongol period. Especially Karakorum was a ‘melting pot’ attracting distinct ethnic groups, therefore imports of desired animal taxa or products thereof can help identify these groups and show at the same time the extent of trade networks. It is likely that supply of urban meat markets with sheep involved local and distant herds. We will test whether phenotypically distinct sheep populations shaped meat provisioning at Karakorum and the other sites using Geometric Morphometrics (GMM). Stable isotope analysis (C, O, Sr) and most of the ancient DNA work will be conducted in Phase II. One key issue is the distinction of taurine cattle, yak, and their hybrid named khainag (хайнаг). Khainag is particularly well adapted to cold, mountainous environments and it is an open question when and why people bred and/or introduced this hybrid. Our project will therefore look more closely into the osteology of this hybrid and its parents using modern references. Ancient DNA analysis of selected specimens will assist us to confirm hybrid status and detail the khainag's genetic make-up. Finally, since the Mongol Empire coincides with the Black Death in Europe, we intend to screen possible reservoir taxa for Yersinia and other pathogens.