Sacred Mediators of the Xirong: Ritual Specialists and Cosmological Power in the Majiayuan Cemetery
Journal: Religions
Year: 2026

This study reinterprets a selection of elite tombs at the Majiayuan Cemetery (4th–3rd centuries BCE) as belonging to Xirong ritual specialists. Analysis reveals a stratified ritual system: beaded caps served as widespread elite cosmograms, while specialized, hip-suspended bronze mirrors were restricted to a few. Situating these objects within broader Inner Asian traditions demonstrates the caps connected wearers to the spirit world, and that the mirrors functioned as active spirit-conduits, mark