One of the showrooms of the Mongolian National Museum is exhibiting some brand ‘new’ pieces. The museum hosted the opening ceremony for an exhibition called “Culture of Ancient Cities” which unveils the most extraordinary finds belonging to the Khitan state period, one of the ancient states that occupied Mongolian land.



This is a huge contribution made by a Mongolia-Russia joint research project on Nomadic Cities over the past 15 years.



The research team had worked in Chintolgoi and Emgentiin Kherem (Fortress of Emgent) located in Bulgan Aimag, and in Khermen Denj (Fortress Hill), Shoroon Bumbagar in Zaamar Soum and Tereljiin Durvuljin (Square of Terelj) located in Mungunmorit Soum of Tuv (Central) Aimag.



Some interesting pieces include rare finds discovered in the nobleman’s tomb of the Pugu tribe dating from 677 A.D., a toothbrush made from bone, porcelain sculpture of a human, potteries, fish bones, oyster shells and planting seeds, as well as the finds excavated from the Zaamar tomb, such as toys made of mud and wood, a flag and memorial stone engraved with Chinese letters.





Most interestingly, archaeologists discovered the first toothbrush to be found on Mongolian land, dating back to the X-XI centuries. Khermen Denj ruins accommodated some tracks of coal burning and iron ore smelting factories also belonging to the X-XI centuries.

It has been proven that the ancient settlers were committed to land-farming on the banks of the Tuul River. Ancestors of today’s Koreans arrived in Mongolia to build city walls and constructed buildings in unique architectural designs. The finds paved the way to a new and deeper look into the economic and cultural relations of the Central and Eastern Asian nations of that period.



In 2009, the research team dug out the tomb of a nobleman in Zaamar Soum. It was reportedly an eye-opening and inspiring moment for the explorers, for the tomb, dating back to 678 A.D., contained nearly 200 rare archaeological pieces, including a shining monument to the memory of the nobleman, engraved with his life story. This opened the way for the research team to find out more about the ancient nomads’ history, international interactions, culture, their mindset, aesthetics, lifestyle and artistic taste.



The Mongolia-Russia joint research team dedicated a small scientific conference in honor of the 15th anniversary of the project. The scientific conference is being held at the Library of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, inviting archaeologists and scholars.



More than a dozen scholars are invited from the Siberian and Far East sector of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and universities of Irkutsk, Chita, Kemerova, Vladivostok and Ulan-Ude.

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