Agropastoralist Subsistence Strategies in a Mongol Empire (1206-1500 CE) Household

As the second largest empire of all time, the Mongols had immense impact on the political, social, and material trajectories of most of the Eurasian continent, but little is known about the lives and choices of the core pastoralist subjects of the empire. Important research on Mongol-era subsistence has come from large urban or palatial sites like Karakorum, Avagra, or Khar Khul Khaany Balgas, as well as from historical records; less is known about the strategies employed by small-scale actors. Ongoing research at a Mongol habitation in Tsagaan Ereg, a multi-period occupation in Tarvagatai Valley, north-central Mongolia, has included systematic sampling for floatation and archaeobotanical materials. In addition to the characterization of the abundant faunal remains, this represents one of the most comprehensive datasets on the subsistence choices of this previously overlooked category. Interestingly, this includes evidence for agropastoralism, adding to the current argument against a “pure pastoralist” view of historic Mongolian subsistence.