Southern Uzbekistan Research Articles

Early Medieval coarse wares from northern Bactria-Tokharistan. Archaeological and archaeometric characterization

The paper focuses on the archaeological contextualization and archaeometric characterization of Early Medieval coarse wares from the town of Khosijat Tepe and the castle of Balalyk Tepe (southern Uzbekistan), located in ancient northern Bactria-Tokharistan. From the 5th to the 8th centuries CE, this territory was marked by the successive arrival of nomadic tribes (Chionites/Kidarites and Hephthalites) which interacted with the Kushano-Sasanian population and contributed to the development of regional traditions and specific cultural characteristics. The study of ceramic artifacts is fundamental to ascertaining these processes, but the research conducted to date on this issue is very limited. Thus, we aim, first, to examine the morphological and technological features of some cooking wares, storage jars, and common wares, proposing a functional and morphological classification. Second, we want to detect the changes introduced by the nomadic tribes and evaluate the extent of these changes through a comparison with coeval ceramics from nearby sites. Optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence were performed on 16 specimens to evaluate the provenance and to determine the manufacturing processes (choice and working of raw materials, shaping methods, surface treatments, and firing regime). The results of the investigation revealed that all the vessels analyzed are local/regional products; however, the procurement and processing of the raw materials vary considerably depending on provenance and function. The appearance of new shapes and decorations, which have parallels in several settlements of northern Bactria, bears witness to the spread of nomadic traditions at the regional level.

Islamic ancient Termez: An active and long-established ceramic manufacturing centre along the silk road

This paper presents the most recent comprehensive archaeological investigation at ancient Termez, a large site located in southern Uzbekistan along the Amu Darya river. The Joint Uzbek-Spanish team has worked there since 2006. After a first phase of investigation up to 2012, the campaigns restarted in 2018. The paper concentrates on the pottery manufacturing centres related to the Islamic period, located outside the rabad (suburbs) to the north-west and in the shahristan (lower town). Besides accurately investigating the structures and the stratigraphy of each context, ceramic vessels have been collected during surveys and excavations and a selection of them is presented in this paper to give a broad overview of the wares produced and circulating at Termez. First of all, the finding of several pottery workshops unquestionably proves that the city was a very active manufacturing centre for a long period of time. Moreover, the study demonstrates that a large variety of glazed and unglazed items were locally produced, such as fine tableware, storage and kitchen vessels, but also sphero-conical vessels. Their forms and decorations largely conform to the Central Asian Islamic ceramic horizon. The ceramics collected have been dated between the 8th/9th and the 16th/17th century CE.

Impact of long-term climate change on Moluccella bucharica (B. Fedtsch.) Ryding population decline in Uzbekistan

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of long-term climate change trends in the distribution of the endemic population of Moluccella bucharica (B. Fedtsch.) Ryding in southern Uzbekistan. Based on the analysis of daily data of 2 meteorological sources (NASA POWER and Boysun (M-II), reliable long-term trends in changes in the amounts of atmospheric precipitation and air temperatures (average, average minimum, absolute minimum, average maximum and absolute maximum) for different periods (1982–2020) of the year (year, half-year, season) have been established, which are actively manifested in the dynamics of the M. bucharica population. The results of this study serve to substantiate and explain that the conditions that lead to the M. bucharica crisis - changes in the reproductive phase and damage to seeds by insects - are the result of the effects of climate change. We found that the amplitude of the change of sediments is 59.8%, the amplitude of the change of the average temperature of the air is 19.3–53.76%, the amplitude of the change of the average maximum temperature of the air is 9.75–47.54%, the average minimum temperature of the air is 29–59%. These coefficients of change indicate that the climate of the region where the species grows has changed and is changing towards a sharp aridization.

CUISINE, COOKING AND HOSPITALITY OF THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN UZBEKISTAN: TRADITION AND MODERNITY

Described in the article, the rich material and moral culture of the population of southern Uzbekistan, being an inseparable part of the general national culture of the Uzbek people, at the same time has features characteristic only for this region, that is, the culture of regional and local significance. Therefore, the study of the culture of the population of this region requires constant and unwavering attention from researchers. This article scientifically researched the culture of the southern regions of the population of the country - Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions, which made its rich tape into the national ethnoculture of our people.

Uzbek traditional songs (the XX century is on the example of the southern Uzbekistan oasis)

Based on the results of the study, the proposed article outlines and highlights the historical roots, formation, development and problems of ritual songs on the example of the Surkhan oasis of Uzbekistan.This article examines the elements of regional Uzbek folklore, which have made a significant contribution to the development of world musical culture, have been created and honed over many centuries, and represent an invaluable system of national values. The oldest traditions of the Uzbek cultural and spiritual heritage, the spiritual values of the ancestors, the study of national rituals that have come down to us, which have been polished over the centuries among the people from a modern point of view, require respect for them, and careful attitude, and transmission in complete safety to the next generation has become at the level state policy.

Salvia insignis Kudr. (Lamiaceae): current status, rarity, and prospects for conservation in situ

Salvia insignis Kudr. is a rare local endemic growing on the Babatag ridge of Southern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, between 600 and 1100 m a.s.l. It is an element of specific original flora of variegated outcrops, a typical flora of mountainous Middle Asia. Described in 1937 from the collections of 1887, it was reported as presented in several localities, and only with very few occurrences. Since then, despite the searches by botanists, there have been no collections of herbarium specimens from those sites mentioned in the literature, most likely due to strong environmental human-induced alterations in the landscape. The obtained new data on the distribution and morphology of this species will allow us to develop strategies for its protection in situ and preservation of the gene pool ex situ.

Back to the Iron Age Chronology in Southern Central Asia

Abstract The article reconsiders two major sites of the 1st millennium BC in southern Uzbekistan, Kyzyltepa and Kurganzol. It contests their recent dating – exclusively the Achaemenid and transitional Hellenistic period for the first one, and the end of the 4th c. BC for the second one – mainly based upon dendrochronological analyses relating the samples to the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest or slightly before, and ruling out the other dates given to these sites in previous publications. Our argumentation is based upon (1) various archaeological arguments and (2) scientific criteria that question the dendrochronological data and the supposed aging of the 14C results due to “old waters” from glaciers.

Anthecological features of Lonicera japonica Thunb. in the environments of Southern Uzbekistan

Background. Identification of spectacular ornamental perennial lianas for urban landscaping in southern cities is important for modern urban greening programs. The aim of this work was to study flowering peculiarities of Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb.).Materials and methods. The target material was honeysuckle plants growing in the environments of Southern Uzbekistan. Observations were conducted in 2019–2020 using conventional approaches.Results and conclusion. The inflorescence of L. japonica is an open dibotryoid, with flowers arranged along the lateral axes of the first order. Flowers are bisexual, zygomorphic. Blossoming of flowers in inflorescences occurs acropetally. The flowering period is almost 150–170 days (starts in April and lasts until the end of August). Dichogamy in the form of proterandry is observed in honeysuckle flowers. The male flowering phase comes the first. It starts 1.5–2.0 hours after the opening of the corolla and ends with the drying of the stamens. The corolla turns yellow 36 hours after the blooming of the flower and the stamens begin to dry out. This is the female phase. Over the next 84 hours, the pistil begins to dry out slowly, but the corolla of the flower lasts up to 96 hours. The duration of the female flowering phase is 60 hours. L. japonica is of considerable interest for vertical landscaping of urban communities. Plants remain ornamental for a long time. Studying this species as an essential oil plant is promising, since it contains a significant amount of germacrene D.

Results of the introduction of tree plants into South Uzbekistan from the Circumboreal floristic region

215 species, 4 forms and 5 hybrids grow in arboretums, parks and urban plantings of Southern Uzbekistan– a total of 224 taxa of woody introduced species, representing 113 genera from 52 families. Introduced plants came from 8floristic regions of the earth. The Circumboreal floristic area is home to 54 introduced species, of which 24 are found onlyin this area. They are originally from 10 provinces of the area. The range of 16 species lies in the boundaries of Irano-Turanregion, of 4 – in East Asian, of 3 – in the Mediterranean, of 2 species – in the Irano-Turan and Mediterranean regions. Thelargest number of species from the Circumboreal floristic region was introduced from the East European, Central European, West Siberian, Caucasian and Euxin provinces, where xeromesophytes, especially with increased drought resistance, aswell as mesothermophytes, which turned out to be more adapted in our conditions, prevail. Consequently, these provincescan serve as the main sources of introduction for southern Uzbekistan. Species from the North European, Central Siberian and Transbaikal provinces are less adapted. Representatives of these provinces are mesophytes and microthermophiles,and therefore they grow depressed and often do not bear fruits.

Three new species of Olivierus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Following Graham et al. (2019), the recently described desert species Olivierus gorelovi (Fet et al., 2018) from Central Asia is herein restricted to Turkmenistan and southern Uzbekistan. In this contribution, we described other populations formerly included in O. gorelovi as three new species: O. mikhailovi sp. n. (southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), O. tarabaevi sp. n. (Kazakhstan) and O. voldemari sp. n. (Uzbekistan: Ferghana Valley).

Genetic Continuity of Bronze Age Ancestry with Increased Steppe-Related Ancestry in Late Iron Age Uzbekistan.

Although Uzbekistan and Central Asia are known for the well-studied Bronze Age civilization of the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), the lesser-known Iron Age was also a dynamic period that resulted in increased interaction and admixture among different cultures from this region. To broaden our understanding of events that impacted the demography and population structure of this region, we generated 27 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism capture data sets of Late Iron Age individuals around the Historical Kushan time period (∼2100–1500 BP) from three sites in South Uzbekistan. Overall, Bronze Age ancestry persists into the Iron Age in Uzbekistan, with no major replacements of populations with Steppe-related ancestry. However, these individuals suggest diverse ancestries related to Iranian farmers, Anatolian farmers, and Steppe herders, with a small amount of West European Hunter Gatherer, East Asian, and South Asian Hunter Gatherer ancestry as well. Genetic affinity toward the Late Bronze Age Steppe herders and a higher Steppe-related ancestry than that found in BMAC populations suggest an increased mobility and interaction of individuals from the Northern Steppe in a Southward direction. In addition, a decrease of Iranian and an increase of Anatolian farmer-like ancestry in Uzbekistan Iron Age individuals were observed compared with the BMAC populations from Uzbekistan. Thus, despite continuity from the Bronze Age, increased admixture played a major role in the shift from the Bronze to the Iron Age in southern Uzbekistan. This mixed ancestry is also observed in other parts of the Steppe and Central Asia, suggesting more widespread admixture among local populations.

PRODUCTIVITY OF HETEROSIS IN SELECTED TOMATOES AT RATE

The state presents the results of studies from the study of the use of the phenomena of heterosis in the breeding of early maturing hybrids F1 tomata. Hybrid combinations, promising in terms of complex economically valuable features, have been identified for the conditions of southern Uzbekistan.

Mercury spikes as evidence of extended arc-volcanism around the Devonian\u2013Carboniferous boundary in the South Tian Shan (southern Uzbekistan)

Recently, the end-Devonian mass extinction (Hangenberg Crisis, 359 Ma) was identified as a first-order mass extinction, albeit not one of the “Big Five” events. Many marine and terrestrial organisms were affected by this crisis. The cause of this mass extinction is still conjectural and widely discussed. Here we report anomalously high mercury (Hg) concentrations from the South Tian Shan (Uzbekistan), together with correlation using conodont biostratigraphic data. Hg enrichment (to 5825 ppb) was detected in marine deposits encompassing the Hangenberg Crisis. In the Novchomok section, the Hangenberg Crisis interval does not contain typical Hangenberg Black Shales; however, by means of inorganic geochemistry (enrichment of redox-sensitive elements such as Mo, V, and U) we detected an equivalent level despite the lack of marked facies changes. This is the first record of Hg and Hg/total organic carbon anomalies in marly shales, marls and carbonates that are totally independent of facies changes, implying that volcanism was the most probable cause of the Hangenberg Crisis. This conclusion is confirmed by the presence of a negative δ13C excursion, which may reflect massive release of isotopically light carbon from volcanogenic and thermogenic devolatilization likely combined with increased arc-volcanism activity worldwide at the end of the Devonian.

Ritual Process and Symbolic Transformation in Cultural Landscapes of Proto-Urban Bactria

The focus of this discussion is a recent book on the Bronze Age Proto-Bactrian culture of Southern Uzbekistan. I dare say that there are some books that inspire us to study monuments, and there are some monuments that inspire us to write books. But there are some books that become scientific monuments themselves in documenting the archaeological artefacts in the form of texts, messages, and narratives. Among such academic works is the monograph Buston VI – the Necropolis of Fire-worshippers of Pre-urban Bactria (Samarkand: IICAS, 2016. – 634 pp. ISBN 978-9943-357-36-5), recently published by the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS).

Tracking the local seismicity level in the active influence zone of the southern Uzbekistan reservoirs

Assessment of local seismicity caused by human engineering activity is a necessity after several earthquakes have been recorded in world practice, which destroyed a hydraulic structure, a dam and accompanied by human casualties.The Tupalang, Gissarak and Pachkamar reservoirs, operated in southern Uzbekistan, are located in the mountain system of the southern part of the Tien Shan seismogenic fault.According to the general seismic zoning, the zones where these reservoirs are located are classified as 8-9 magnitude shakes during strong earthquakes. Localisation of local earthquakes associated with the operation of these reservoirs is necessary for taking operational measures to prevent possible emergencies associated with an increase in the level of technogenic seismicity.Methods for assessing the local seismic regime were used to track the level of local seismicity. The catalogs of local earthquakes occurring in the zone of active influence of reservoirs have been compiled.The seismic activity levels and changes in the angle of inclination of the recurrence of earthquakes were determined for each object separately. The dependence of the variation in the level of local seismicity on the mode of operation of reservoirs has been revealed.Several evidence of the negative impact of large hydraulic reservoirs on the deformation and seismic state of the zones of influence of reservoirs in southern Uzbekistan have been identified.

The “Proto-Mandala” of Daschly-3: How to Embody the Idea of the World Lord in Architectural Form

Buchard Brentjes describes a unique find of the Soviet-Afghan team of archaeologists during their expedition to Northern Afghanistan — an impressive in size structure which resembled a mandala in shape. It is surprising that the discovered structure was almost three thousand years older than the Tibetan mandalas known at the time. Brentjes notes that structures with similar unusual architecture were also found in southern Uzbekistan — the settlement of ancient farmers of the 2nd–1st millennium BC, namely Sappalitepa. Brentjes focuses his paper to the question what the purpose of such exceptional structures of the Bronze Age in Central Asia was. For this purpose, the author examines the original meaning of mandalas in Tibetan religious life and confirms that the mandalas built in Tibet of sand were created exclusively for cults and not for a protective function. Mandalas were used once and destroyed after performing rituals dedicated to the Lama and the Buddha. Therefore, mandalas cannot be found in archaeological excavations. Drawing on the writings of Tucci [1972], Olschak, and Wangyal [1972], Brentjes concludes that the Lamaist mandala is a mythical representation of the world with its ruler, i.e., Lama at the moment of “coronation”. The transition of the ruler in the centre who must protect the moving world from decaying forces. And the square is an image of the world to be protected. Brentjes describes in the article similar forms of structures and objects in different countries: ancient China, Iran, on the Hindustan peninsula, depicting, according to the author, a mystical picture of the world. The author concludes that it does not make a breakthrough difference to speculate about the common basis of mandalas, square or round cities as symbols of the world, palaces, and mausoleums with a square layout and domed halls. But the discovery of the “mandalas” of Sappalitepa and Daschly-3, as well as the round-square city, allows us to make assumptions the structures were made in the later Bactrian period of the 2nd millennium BC and continued to exist in the Eurasian steppe and India, as well as in China.

Оссуарий с городища Дальварзинтепа

The article is devoted to a ceramic ossuary found at the urban settlement site of Dal’varzintepa (Southern Uzbekistan) in a burial structure — a crypt cut into the thickness of a swollen city wall of the Kushan period. The ossuary rite was not typical for the Early Medieval Northern Tokharistan, and so the find is unique and of great interest. The author has attempted to explain the reasons for the appearance of this artifact in Dal’varzintepa.

Seasonal growth of sprouts in introduced three plants under extra arid conditions of Southern Uzbekistan

The article presents the results of the study of the growth dynamics of the sprouts of 52 woody plants, representing 19 genera from 5 families, of different geographical origin. In the conditions of Southern Uzbekistan, the growth of introduced species takes place in early, more favorable spring terms and is characterized by higher intensity. With the onset of the extreme period (early June), the vast majority of species stop growing. Most species studied have a short growth period. The strategy of adaptation of introduced plants is expressed in reduction of growth period and increase of its rate.

History of settlements of cattle breeders in the territory of southern Uzbekistan and related traditions (xviii-xix centuries)

History of settlements of cattle breeders in the territory of southern Uzbekistan and related traditions (xviii-xix centuries)

Cherchez la femme: Power and Female Agency in Bactriaat the dawn of the Hellenistic Age

Due prominently to the scanty nature of evidence on the ground attesting to an imperial presence which, however, historiographical sources claim to have been real and lasting over time, the satrapy of Bactria (roughly embracing northeastern Afghanistan, southern Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan) to this day still struggles to free itself of some prejudices, despite some extremely important discoveries and a more general scholarly reevaluation of previous conclusions. Possibly the most stubborn among these is the image of an ungovernable province, constantly on the brink of dynastic revolts (cf. Hdt. 9.113) or threatened by northern barbarians (against whom Cyrus found his end and whom Darius boasts of having subjected in the famous Bīsutūn inscription. With the recently published Aramaic Documents from Ancient Bactria, however, we have acquired an incredibly valuable source regarding the functioning of the satrapy at a crucial period in its history (the late 4th century BCE until the years immediately following Alexander). The present study is based primarily on the following: 1) this documentation, 2) the results of some recent and very significant studies on the Persepolis archive and 3) some methodological reflections on the relationship between empire and the local élite(s) suggested by the comparative analysis of the functioning of this relationship in a different phase of Central Asia’s imperial history (the 1930s). The study is intended, on the one hand, as a first step towards a new appreciation of the role Bactria and Sogdiana played in the delicate transitional phase from Achaemenid to Macedonian hegemony in the upper satrapies. On the other hand, it seeks to raise some hypotheses about the reasons behind the position held during the stormy years of Alexander’s Bactrian campaign and in the subsequent, no less troubled years by two protagonists of these crucial events, who are however still relatively unrecognized in their role as historical agents: the Bactrio-Sogdian princesses Roxane and Apama.