Mongolia in Rouran time: main aspects of the interpretation of archaeological materials

The paper concerns the materials of Rouran time obtained during excavations in the territory of Mongolia. The authors present a review of the history of research and interpretation of the sites of the second half of the 4th – the first half of the 6th centuries located in different parts of the country. The characteristic of the accompanying inventory from the complexes of the Rouran time is concerned and the dating for each object is proposed. The authors establish that wide analogies to finds from the burials of Mongolia are found in the sites of the Altai-Sayan region and Transbaikalia, as well as in the Syanbi and Kogure complexes of East Asia. In addition, western connections are clearly distinguished, apparently demonstrating the processes of the Great Migration period. The funeral rite recorded during the study of objects of the Rouran time is characterized by a high degree of variability of indicators. In general, the available materials reflect the existence of a heterogeneous society, which included various groups of the population, for a short time united in the Rouran kaganate.