The vast steppes of Mongolia form a landscape so vast and featureless as to almost defy imagination. Yet hidden in their great expanse are mysterious treasures, sacred places where few ever travel.
Chief among these ancient relics are those strange carved pillars known as Mongolian Deer Stones. These mysterious megaliths, dating back to the late Bronze Age, serve as silent sentinels of a bygone era, shrouded in intrigue.
Carved with intricate designs depicting deer, other animals, and abstract symbols, these stones offer a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the region. Since their discovery, researchers have puzzled over not just who created them, but for what they were made.
Even today, there are still more theories than answers. What do we know about the civilization that made the Mongolian Deer Stones? Not a lot.
Entirely Mysterious?
Mongolian Deer Stones are ancient megaliths found scattered across the vast expanse of Mongolia’s steppes. Dating back to the Bronze Age, the Deer stones themselves are believed to have been carved ad placed at some point between 1400 and 700 BC.
The stones themselves take their name from the depictions of flying deer that are carved into them. While Mongolia is mostly arid, the deer stones are found in the most productive and wettest areas of the Northern Mongolian steppe, a region where most of Mongolia’s farming has been done for millennia.
The stones are normally made from either granite or greenstone with the builders’ only preferences appearing to be whichever was most abundant. The stones vary in height and while the majority are over 3 feet (0.9 m) tall, the largest examples can reach 15 feet (4.6 m).
The stones are usually found facing the east and mostly have flat or round tops. Some have been found smashed, indicating their original top was destroyed. What the vandalized section originally portrayed, and the reason for the destruction, are both unknown.
As for the carvings, most seem to have been completed before the stones were erected, though a few appear to have been decorated after their installation. The designs were usually ground or pecked into place, and it’s believed metal tools were used.
While most of the stones were hand carved some archaeologists believe a few show signs of being cut with an early type of mechanical drill. Sadly no evidence of such a tool survives outside of the markings it made, millennia ago.
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The carvings depict a variety of subjects but the most common by far are “flying reindeer.” It has been theorized that the deer represented protection, transformation, and transition.
The deer were often shown next to warriors or in relation to the sun, and in this positioning our first clue as the meaning behind the stones may be found. It’s also been suggested the flying deer may have represented spiritual guides ready to take the deceased to heaven, hence the flying.
Besides the deer, a range of other animals are depicted. Some are relatively mundane like elk, horses, cows, and pigs while others are more exotic, like tigers.
Not just animals are depicted either. The carvings include depictions of warriors, weapons, and tools. Specific shapes or patterns seem to be preferred, appearing repeatedly.
And most rarely, some few carvings depict human faces. These faces tend to be carved at the top of the stones and feature open mouths, indicative, perhaps, of a shamanistic ritual.
Who created the Mongolian Deer Stones?
There’s no definitive answer as to who created the deer stones, but by looking at the stones’ age and location historians can make some educated guesses. Throughout the Bronze Age Mongolia was inhabited by various nomadic tribes whose way of life revolved around the vast steppes and grasslands of the region.
The region was once home to the Afanasievo culture as well as the Okunev, Chemurchek, Munkhkhairkhan, and Ulaanzuukh traditions. The age of the stones suggests they were most likely built by one of the later traditions, although experts have failed to nail down which one.
At the same time, the stones pre-date the Slab grave culture of the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of Mongolia. The Deer Stones are also pre-Scythian, predating the Scythians’ earliest art by 300-500 years.
Making it even harder to work out who exactly built the stones is the fact there are three types: classic Mongolian, western Asian-European, and Sayan-Atai. The distinct types vary in style and were probably made by different groups.
The classic Mongolian stones are regarded as being more detailed and elegant compared to the others. They also tend to depict belted warriors and flying deer and are mostly found in northern Mongolia and southern Siberia.
The West Asian-European stones on the other hand feature unique designs. They often have engravings of large circles, “earring hoops” and necklaces alongside horizontal and diagonal divider lines. More strangely, they are usually found with a collection of stone pits surrounding them.
The Sayan-Altai stones are a kind of mix-up of the previous two. They are simpler in design but usually feature a wider range of images, including stick warriors, tools, and reindeer.
Human remains are rarely found at deer stone sites but Mongolia’s Deer Stone-Khirigsuur Complex is an exception to that rule. Human remains discovered there have been put through genetic profiling to find a definitive answer of who made up the “Deer Stone Culture”.
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The results weren’t especially helpful. The remains shared genetic traits with several cultures related to the area but didn’t match any of them perfectly, making it impossible to single out one group as being responsible for the stones.
Making things even more difficult is the fact that later cultures were known to have reused the stones for new burial mounds, meaning genetic profiling is somewhat unreliable here. All we can say about the people who built the original sites is that nothing of their culture sur vives to definitively tie them to these strange, mystical places.
It’s not just who made the deer stones that remains a history, we don’t have a clear idea of what they were used for either. Ever since the first analysis of the stones, conducted in 1856 by archaeologist D. P. Daydoff, experts have been guessing as to what they were used for.
In the late 20th century, the archaeologist V. V. Volkov suggested the eastern deer stones were probably connected to the earlier mentioned Slab Grave culture. He theorized the stones were used for ancient hunting rituals since many of them had been found positioned in giant circles facing specific directions. The fact some stones were found to have animal bones surrounding and beneath them appears to support his claims.
Earlier scholars proposed the idea that the deer stones once functioned as ancient gravestones. The problem with this theory has always been that, as mentioned, it’s incredibly rare for human remains to be found near or under the stones.
This has led some to put forward the idea that the stones were simply carved to honor the dead, rather than house them. The few stones that have been found near human remains were probably moved and repurposed by later cultures.
This theory makes a certain amount of sense. Most of the deer stones are unique from one another, suggesting the designs are personalized.
The fact some stones feature warriors and weapons also seems to back up this idea. Why the deer stones were placed away from the bodies of those they memorialized is yet another unanswered question, however.
So, ultimately, the Mongolian Deer Stones remain a mystery. So far at least 1,500 of them have been found with each new one offering us more information on who created them and why. Modern technology, in the form of the Smithsonian Institute’s 3D scanners, is helping archaeologists compare the stones and search for clues.
Perhaps someday historians’ questions will be answered. In the meantime, whether they were used for ritualistic ceremonies, astronomical observations, or as markers of communal significance, these monumental structures are reminders of cultures past, mute testament to something long forgotten.
Top Image: We can only guess at the purpose of the Mongolian Deer Stones, or even as to who carved them. Source: Bernard Gagnon / Public Domain.