![the looter problem the looter problem](https://i.imgur.com/qxaLa3v.jpg)
![the looter problem the looter problem](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hssZgDZTH3I/UZSDHT7KMtI/AAAAAAAAABY/ADUT-QNz3Bg/s200/3+copy.jpg)
![the looter problem the looter problem](https://i.imgur.com/H4m5KrN.png)
The Center of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia Though they appeared not to have been particularly high ranking individuals, their belongings displayed incredible variety, artistry and detail.ĭiscovering mummies offers the opportunity to increase interest and tourism in Mongolia. A 2017 exhibit at the National Museum of Mongolia featured two mummies and their impressive burial goods - one of which had been rescued from the hands of looters by archaeologists and local police. The mummy raceĪrchaeological teams are currently working against climate change, looters, and each other for the chance to unearth rare mummies in the region that are known to pique public interest within Mongolia and abroad. This is not to mention the loss of whatever goods (gold, silver, gems) the looters decided was valuable enough to keep. Having survived over 800 years underground, these priceless bows, arrows, cloth fragments and bones likely have less than a year on the surface before they’re gone forever. Human remains and miscellaneous artefacts such as bows, arrows, quivers, and clothing were left scattered on the surface. Each and every one of them had been completely destroyed by looters looking for treasure. But to steer looters away from these burials would be to teach them which ones to target for treasure and so this strategy is avoided.Īrchaeologists working in northern Mongolia in 2017 found hundreds of looted sites, including an 800 year old cemetery consisting of at least 40 burials. Julia Kate ClarkĪrchaeologists’ interest in these burials lie in the information they contain for research, but this is worthless on the black antiquities market. While looters discard bones, they are invaluable to archaeologists’ research. Many of these will contain no more than human and animal bones. For the untrained looter, any rock feature has the potential to contain valuable goods and so grave after grave is torn apart. These unlucky would-be thieves risked the unstable sands collapsing in the shafts above them for a chance at riches, not long after the royal leaders had been buried there.īut many recent pits dug directly into burial sites around Mongolia, some that are more than 3,000 years old, suggest modern day looting is on the rise. Regional archaeologists have shared anecdotes of finding skeletons with break-in tools made from deer antlers in shafts of 2,000 year old royal tombs in central Mongolia. The looting of archaeological sites in Mongolia has been happening for a very long time. And laws can’t protect Mongolia’s cultural heritage from climate change. But poor understanding of the laws, and the nearly impossible task of enforcing them in such a large space with relatively few people and meagre budgets keep those laws from being effective. Mongolia has reasonably good laws regarding the protection of cultural heritage. For Mongolians, these remains are the lasting reminders of their ancient past and a physical tie to their priceless cultural heritage.