
The Slab Grave culture of the late Bronze and early Iron Age, associated with the proto-Mongols, was a defining feature of ancient Mongolia and its surrounding regions. This culture extended across a vast area, including Northern, Central, and Eastern Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Northwest China, Manchuria, and parts of Siberia, as well as regions near Lake Baikal, the Altai Mountains, and Zabaykalsky Krai. Archaeological finds from this period, including slab graves, deer stones, and khirigsüürs (small burial mounds), represent some of the most significant evidence of Bronze Age Mongolia.

The geographic area the Slab Grave culture covered. © Khiruge
Early Iron Age Developments
By the Iron Age (5th–3rd centuries BCE), the inhabitants of Mongolia had adopted iron weaponry and begun forming clan alliances. Burial complexes from this era, such as the vast site near Ulaangom, show evidence of continued cultural and technological evolution. The period also saw influences from Indo-European nomads, including the Scythians and Yuezhi, particularly in western Mongolia, while central and eastern regions were inhabited by tribes with North East Asian characteristics.
Nomadic Lifestyles and Migrations
The proto-Mongolic peoples of the Slab Grave culture and their successors lived as hunters and herders, forming the basis of the nomadic lifestyle that defined Mongolia for millennia. The region became a hub of constant migration and conflict, with tribes spreading out toward China, Transoxiana, and Europe.
The archaeological legacy of the Slab Grave culture and its related artifacts highlights the complex interplay of cultural, technological, and migratory developments in Mongolia's early history.