Clothes and ornaments of Xiongnu from the barrows of Noin-UIa (Northern Mongolia) in the collection of the State Hermitage museum
(53rd Annual Meeting of the PIAC, St. Petersburg 2010)
The most part of finds from the barrows of Noin-UIa of the Asian Huns (Xiongnu) keep in the Hermitage museum (about 1900 objects). They were brought by the last expedition (1923-1926) of P. Kozlov (1963-1935), the famous Russian traveler and explorer of Central Asia.
Barrows of Noin-UIa were dated by the inscription on lacquered cup, which was made in the second year BCE.
The Xiongnu created a powerful alliance of cattle-breeding tribes in the late third to early second century BCE and then dominated the eastern part of Central Asia for four centuries.
Robes, trousers, head-gears, shoes the cloths of The Xiongnu. The cloths from barrows belonged to honorable people, probably, all nomads used ones of the same type. Felt carpets, woolen wall-covers, small tables are evidence of dwellings decoration. Ceramic pots, kettles, parts of chariots, lacquered artifacts, and many other different objects are characterized the way of life. Golden and silver ornaments give the idea about their social status.
Elite barrows of Noin-UIa contained important information about social structure, material culture and the art.