High Risk Archaeology Along The Inner Asian Mountain Corridor: Investigating The Earliest Development Of Mobile Pastoralism In The Zaamin Mts. Of Uzbekistan

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

Recent archaeology within the borders of former Soviet Republics such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, has sparked considerable changes to our understanding of prehistoric economies and regional interaction among agricultural and nomadic civilizations of the remote deserts, mountains, and grasslands of Central Asia. Building on this progress, the National Science Foundation will support Dr. Frachetti and his team to initiate the Zaamin Archaeological Pilot Project (ZAPP), which consists of two field-seasons of archaeological survey and test excavations in the Zaamin territory of eastern Uzbekistan. The goal of the ZAPP is to investigate two of the most central issues to the region's prehistory: When did mobile pastoralists begin to occupy the highland territories of Central Asia and how did mountain nomads interact with agricultural populations living in oasis towns over 5000 years ago? This project represents the first archaeological exploration of the Zaamin Mountain region and is one of the only active collaborations between Uzbek and American archaeologists. The research team includes a variety of specialists and graduate students who will scientifically study the subsistence strategies, trade, and settlement ecology of mountain nomads in the Zaamin region with the goal of understanding one of the earliest diffusions of specialized herding economies in Central Asia. The ZAPP consists of two main field operations in Uzbekistan. Initial field touring will be performed as part of a pre-fieldwork logistical assessment in the late summer of 2010. Starting in early summer 2011, the first primary research phase entails a 4-week archaeological survey of the piedmont territories ranging from lowland plains to the highland territories of the Zaamin Mountains. The survey method uses a spatial modeling method that combines archaeological data with eco-data (in GIS format) to map survey finds dynamically in the field. Anthropogenic and related environmental features will be recorded with a standardized survey form, positioned using remote sensing and GPS (Global Positioning System), photographed, and shovel sampled for archaeological and organic materials. After mapping and documenting the surface archaeological remains a small number of sites will be selected for more systematic mapping and subsurface testing (research phase 2). These test excavations will provide a limited array of stratigraphically documented archaeological data including organic material for radiocarbon dating, soil samples for paleobotanical flotation, material culture, and archaeofauna, which will provide key information about the chronology and the organization of early nomadic societies and their interactive networks in the region. Dr. Frachetti's project will help to build a new era of collaboration between American and Uzbek scientists, which has been absent since at least 2004. The Institute of Archaeology in Samarkand is recently under new directorship, which has facilitated the development of a positive collaborative relationship there. By introducing new methods and approaches to the study of mountain nomads, the ZAPP helps to establish scientific research in this essential region of the world. The project's collaborative framework critically strengthens an open climate of study and establishes the basis for intellectual growth in a nation that has had limited international exposure. Thus, the Zaamin Archaeological Pilot Project represents a foundational step for the development of unbiased collaborative research in Uzbekistan and reflects a scientifically grounded program to build future partnerships for innovative American archaeological research in Central Asia.