Inhumation and cremation in medieval Mongolia: analysis and analogy

International audienceThe authors study burials of the medieval period in westernMongolia shortly before the emergence of Genghis Khan. They find that both inhumation and cremation are practised, with a variety of accompanying rituals. Systematic micro-analysis of bone fragments on the one hand, and the accounts of early travellers on the other, allow these researchers to propose detailed explanations of mortuary practice in thirteenth century Altai that will be highly suggestive to prehistorians working elsewhere