Daniela Wolin

EDIT The project seeks to reconstruct gender roles in ancient pastoral nomadic societies on the Eurasian Steppe in Mongolia. To investigate this topic, Dr. Batdalai Byambatseren and I will conduct archaeological survey and excavation in the Zorgol Khairkhan region of central Mongolia, an area where monumental stone burials spanning several thousands of years have been identified. This project will employ bioarchaeological methods to examine the relationship between diet, health, activity, mobility, and social identity. Information gleaned from settlements, mortuary contexts, and the osteological record will then be used to explore how changes in political authority from the Xiongnu State (3rd century BCE-2nd century CE) to the Mongol Empire (13-14th centuries CE) impacted gendered experiences at the local and regional level. Through this research, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of how gender shaped the lived experiences of the past inhabitants of Zorgol Khairkhan. This study also contributes to our global understanding of gender identity more broadly, while simultaneously challenging contemporary stereotypes that emphasize the masculine nomadic warrior, thereby obscuring the diversity of gender roles that women and men of all ages held in these societies.