Relations Between People, Water, and Domestic Animals in an Ancient Oasis City

Abstract

Central AsiaCentral Asia has been the setting of important developments in the history of human civilization as a crossroads that facilitated interactions between the East and West and the North and South (i.e., between agricultural and nomadic groups) in Eurasia. The eastern half of Central AsiaCentral Asia is an alpine region including the Pamirs, whereas the western half is a dry plain, and human and physical interactions in the region are closely related with the surrounding topographical environment and landscapeLandscape. Samarkand, the capital city of the Samarkand Region in the Republic of Uzbekistan, has been known as an oasis city of the Silk RoadSilk Road since ancient times. It was the central city of “Sogdiana,” the ancient name of the region located along the Zeravshan RiverZeravshan River, which is sandwiched between the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, important rivers in Central AsiaCentral Asia. I participated in excavations of the Dabusia and Kafir-kala ruins in this region. The relics discovered were located near the water, and the structural remains show that the daily lives of the residents were totally dependent on this water. This paper explores the relationship between people and their surrounding environment in Central AsiaCentral Asia, while introducing archaeological research findings on the relationship between people and water and other environmental elements (e.g., animals), including the locations of city remains and excavated structural relics, in the middle basin of the Zeravshan RiverZeravshan River.