Making clothes, dressing the deceased: Analysis of 2nd century AD silk clothing from the child mummy of Burgast (Altai Mountains, Mongolia)
Isaline Saunier
(1)
,
Vincent Bernard
(2)
,
Mathilde Cervel
(3)
,
Dominique Joly
(4)
,
Noost Bayarkhuu
(5)
,
Tsagaan Turbat
(5)
,
Antoine Zazzo
(6)
,
Sébastien Lepetz
(6)
1
GSRL -
Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités
2 CReAAH - Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire
3 AOROC - Archéologie et Philologie d'Orient et d'Occident
4 Ville de Chartres et Chartres Métropole - Direction de l'Archéologie
5 MAS - Mongolian Academy of Sciences
6 AASPE - Archéozoologie, archéobotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements
2 CReAAH - Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire
3 AOROC - Archéologie et Philologie d'Orient et d'Occident
4 Ville de Chartres et Chartres Métropole - Direction de l'Archéologie
5 MAS - Mongolian Academy of Sciences
6 AASPE - Archéozoologie, archéobotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements
Isaline Saunier
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- Fonction : Auteur correspondant
- PersonId : 1124337
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Vincent Bernard
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 742482
- IdHAL : vincentbernard
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6635-8174
Antoine Zazzo
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 178947
- IdHAL : antoine-zazzo
- ORCID : 0000-0001-7608-2207
- IdRef : 066936004
Sébastien Lepetz
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- Fonction : Auteur correspondant
- PersonId : 169696
- IdHAL : sebastien-lepetz
- ORCID : 0000-0001-9504-4871
- IdRef : 079032982
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Résumé
The analysis of archaeological textiles is a primary source of knowledge about past societies, and the information it provides is remarkably diverse. However, special preservation conditions are needed to obtain an accurate picture of the use of textiles, particularly in the making of clothing. In Tomb 14 at the site of Burgast (Altai Mountains, Mongolia), excavated in 2016 by the French archaeological mission in Mongolia and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the particular local conditions favoured the preservation of organic materials, including the complete clothing worn by the mummy of a child belonging to the Bulan-Kobin culture. This paper examines several questions on the origin of the raw material used and the role of these garments in funerary practices. The fibre analysis indicates that the silk and taffeta fabrics used to dress the mummy likely from China. We consider a plurality of sources (historical, archaeological, technical study analysis), as silk could have travelled. Our study of the tailoring shows that some of the textiles were probably re-used and provides new insights into clothing design and know-how. We argue that the deceased was dressed with care, and we propose that specific, non-quotidian garments were used for the funeral ceremony. Together, these findings contribute to describing little-known aspects of the Bulan-Kobin culture and hypotheses about its relations within the Xiongnu confederation.
Domaines
Archéologie et PréhistoireFormat du dépôt | Fichier |
---|---|
Type de dépôt | Article dans une revue |
Titre |
en
Making clothes, dressing the deceased: Analysis of 2nd century AD silk clothing from the child mummy of Burgast (Altai Mountains, Mongolia)
|
Résumé |
en
The analysis of archaeological textiles is a primary source of knowledge about past societies, and the information it provides is remarkably diverse. However, special preservation conditions are needed to obtain an accurate picture of the use of textiles, particularly in the making of clothing. In Tomb 14 at the site of Burgast (Altai Mountains, Mongolia), excavated in 2016 by the French archaeological mission in Mongolia and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the particular local conditions favoured the preservation of organic materials, including the complete clothing worn by the mummy of a child belonging to the Bulan-Kobin culture. This paper examines several questions on the origin of the raw material used and the role of these garments in funerary practices. The fibre analysis indicates that the silk and taffeta fabrics used to dress the mummy likely from China. We consider a plurality of sources (historical, archaeological, technical study analysis), as silk could have travelled. Our study of the tailoring shows that some of the textiles were probably re-used and provides new insights into clothing design and know-how. We argue that the deceased was dressed with care, and we propose that specific, non-quotidian garments were used for the funeral ceremony. Together, these findings contribute to describing little-known aspects of the Bulan-Kobin culture and hypotheses about its relations within the Xiongnu confederation.
|
Auteur(s) |
Isaline Saunier
1
, Vincent Bernard
2
, Mathilde Cervel
3
, Dominique Joly
4
, Noost Bayarkhuu
5
, Tsagaan Turbat
5
, Antoine Zazzo
6
, Sébastien Lepetz
6
1
GSRL -
Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités
( 1335 )
- Site Pouchet 59-61, rue Pouchet 75849 Paris, cedex 17. Campus Condorcet, 14, cours des Humanités, Bâtiment Recherche Nord - 5ème étage, 93322 Aubervilliers cedex.
- France
2
CReAAH -
Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire
( 1089201 )
- Université de Rennes 1 Bâtiment 24-25 Campus de Beaulieu 263, Avenue du général Leclerc Campus de Beaulieu CS 74205 - 35042 Rennes Cedex- France
- France
3
AOROC -
Archéologie et Philologie d'Orient et d'Occident
( 226098 )
- CNRS : UMR8546 - Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris - ENS Paris - 45 Rue d'Ulm 75230 PARIS CEDEX 05
- France
4
Ville de Chartres et Chartres Métropole - Direction de l'Archéologie
( 1042627 )
- Direction Générale adjointe Aménagement et Développement
Mairie de Chartres place des Halles 28019 Chartres
- France
5
MAS -
Mongolian Academy of Sciences
( 337004 )
- Amariin gudamj 1, Ulaanbaatar 210620, Mongolia
- Mongolie
6
AASPE -
Archéozoologie, archéobotanique : sociétés, pratiques et environnements
( 118105 )
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - Case postale 56 - 55 rue Buffon - 75005 Paris
- France
|
Langue du document |
Anglais
|
Nom de la revue |
|
Vulgarisation |
Non
|
Comité de lecture |
Oui
|
Audience |
Internationale
|
Date de publication |
2022-03
|
Date de publication électronique |
2022-01-06
|
Volume |
29
|
Page/Identifiant |
100343
|
Domaine(s) |
|
Projet(s) ANR |
|
Financement |
|
DOI | 10.1016/j.ara.2021.100343 |
Origine :
Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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