Adaptability of Millets and Landscapes: Ancient Cultivation in North-Central Asia

Millet is a highly adaptable plant whose cultivation dramatically altered ancient economies in northern Asia. The adoption of millet is associated with increased subsistence reliability in semi-arid settings and perceived as a cultigen compatible with pastoralism. Here, we examine the pace of millet’s transmission and locales of adoption by compiling stable carbon isotope data from humans and fauna, then comparing them to environmental variables. The Bayesian modelling of isotope data allows for the assessment of changes in dietary intake over time and space. Our results suggest variability in the pace of adoption and intensification of millet production across northern Asia.</jats:p

Excavations of Dwelling of Mongolian Period on the Nur-Tukhum Archaeological Complex

The paper deals with the introducing into scientific circulation the results of an investigation of a medieval dwelling, revealed by the authors during a survey of the Xiongnu cemetery. This cemetery has been included into the Nur-Tukhum archaeological complex studied in 2015 in Western Trans-Baikal region (between the Selenga and Chikoi rivers). The dwelling was semi-subterranean type with stove heating. As a result of the excavations, the collection of metal, bone and wood artifacts was obtained. The materials are dated back in a wide chronological range, 14C radiocarbon dates show that the dwelling functioned in the 14th–15th centuries AD. In historical and archaeological terms, this period is considered “dark” in the history of Buryatia (Western Transbaikalia). It is clear that further investigations of this site are needed to obtain data on the architectural and planigraphic features of the settlement, the definition of the reciprocal links between its structural elements and the new archaeological collection to correlate with the available materials of the burial monuments, which will allow a clearer interpretation of the monument in the historical and chronological context