History of studying of the Western Mongolia «deer» stones in XIX - the beginning of the XX centuries

Studying of «deer» stones has a special currency for reconstruction of ancient outlook. Communication of these objects with different types of archaeological monuments of an era of late bronze - the early Iron Age is now confirmed: khirigsuurs, altars etc. The first data on «deer» stones are received in XIX and the beginning of the XX centuries during carrying out the complex expeditions organized by various Russian and foreign scientific institutions. G.N. Potanin has given the detailed geographical and ethnographic description of the Western Mongolia, has opened considerable number of monuments, has defined a circle of the questions, concerning studying of sculptures. The scientist has established variants of a finding of "deer" stones in an architectural lay-out of khirigsuurs (close or directly on their embankment). It analysed an iconography of sculptures and their types are allocated. The researcher considered that for the Western Mongolia «untooled» stone are more characteristic. G. N. Potanin gave special attention to semantics of images. Monuments of a monumental sculpture in the Western Mongolia were studied by A.M. Pozdneev. There he repeatedly faced different-type khirigsuurs (with a round and square fencing, with embankments on corners); on many barrows robbery traces were noted. A.M. Pozdneev found the whole congestion of khirigsuurs in a valley of the Shara-Usy river, and also around its merge to the river Buyant. In the same places «deer» stones are revealed. In the Western Mongolia «deer» stones were studied also by V.V. Radlov. It subdivided them on «drafted» and «crude». Sculptures, reused in later time are revealed. In 1890th khirigsuurs and «deer» stones of the Western Mongolia have been investigated by D.A. Klements and P.K. Kozlov. Detailed information on inspections of the specified territory is made by the scholar of Finno-Ugric society (Finland) I.G. Grane. As a result of three trips (1906, 1907 and 1909) it has fixed a considerable quantity of objects of the period of late bronze and early Scythian time (khirigsuurs, «deer» stones, etc.). For this purpose photographing was used and sketches were made. I.G. Grane was one of the first researchers who accurately designated similarity of constructions from the Western Mongolia and Altai, thereby having put tradition of consideration of these territories as uniform historical and cultural area. He even tried to classify the received materials, having divided all sculptures into the raw stones; stones with processing traces (with the smoothed-down sides); stones with drawings. In general this classification will be agreed with modern typology of "deer" stones of Eurasia developed by V. V. Volkov and D. G. Savinov. The researcher studied an iconography of "deer" stones, some images were interpreted. Materials on "deer" stones of the Western Mongolia, received in XIX - the beginning of the XX centuries, are still used by scientists for reconstruction of history of the region during an era of late bronze and early Scythian time.

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