This study focuses on the analysis of 13th-14th century graves from the Middle Orkhon Valley, particularly those in and around the Mongol capital of Karakorum. The research explores whether newcomers to the city maintained their ancestral burial traditions, adopted local nomadic customs, or created a fusion of practices. It also examines whether the inhabitants shared cemeteries or maintained separate burial grounds and investigates the influence of religions, such as Buddhism, on Mongol burial customs. A mass grave near Karakorum is of special interest, with palaeopathological analyses shedding light on the lives and deaths of its occupants.
Beyond the capital, the study delves into the organization of nomadic burial sites, questioning whether the Mongols reused older sites to construct a sense of ancestry and exploring their preferences for cemetery locations within the landscape. The relationship between cemeteries and permanent settlements, residences, or cities is also analyzed, alongside the distinctions between elite burials and those of commoners.
The interpretation of these burial practices draws on over 900 documented graves from all over Mongolia, examined in three key dissertations by Mongolian scholars (Lkhagvasüren 2007; Erdenebat 2009; Batdalai 2024). Despite their importance, these studies have received minimal international attention, leaving significant archaeological findings on Mongol death and burial practices largely overlooked.