Workers constructing a road near the Onon River in the Khentii province of Mongolia have uncovered a mass burial containing the skeletal remains of scores of individuals atop a large, rudimentary stone structure.
Experts in forensics and archaeology were dispatched to the site, which turned out to be a regal Mongolian mausoleum from the 13th century that scientists believe belonged to Genghis Khan.
The team of scientists from the University of Beijing concluded that the numerous remains interred on top of the structure were most likely those of the slaves who constructed it and were then executed to conceal its location.
The site also yielded the remains of twelve horses, which were most likely sacrificed alongside the Great Khan. A total of 68 skeletons were discovered interred together, almost directly atop a rudimentary stone structure.
The tomb’s contents were dispersed and severely deteriorated, presumably as a result of the site’s location beneath the river bed for hundreds of years prior to the 18th century, when the course of the Onon river altered.
Among hundreds of gold and silver artifacts and thousands of coins, the remains of a tall male and sixteen female skeletons were identified.
The women are believed to have been the warlord’s spouses and concubines who were sacrificed to accompany him in the afterlife.
The quantity of treasure and the number of animals and humans sacrificed promptly led the archaeologists to conclude that the site was the tomb of a very powerful Mongol warlord.
They were able to corroborate that the body belonged to a man between the ages of 60 and 75 who perished between 1215 and 1235 A.D. after conducting a comprehensive battery of tests and analyses. The tomb appears to be that of Genghis Khan based on its age, date, location, and lavishness.
Genghis Khan’s undeniable historical significance makes this new discovery one of the most significant in the annals of archaeology.
Born Temüjin (“of iron”), he was the progenitor and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which after his death became the greatest contiguous empire in history.
Before initiating a succession of military campaigns in China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and even Eastern Europe, he is well-known for uniting and merging the warring tribes of Mongolia into one. During his lifetime, he conquered more than 31 million square kilometers of land.
In addition to his conquest, his legacy has taken many forms and is still present today, making him one of the most influential figures in human history.
Through the establishment of the Silk Route, he enabled long-distance political and economic exchanges between the civilizations.
Some genetic investigations have demonstrated that Genghis Khan is the direct ancestor of one out of every 200 living humans today. There could be as many as 200,000 descendants of Genghis Khan among Mongolia’s 2 million residents.
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