The proceedings of the conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Centra... more The proceedings of the conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Central Asia" has been published as volume 27, 2023 of Studia Hercynia. Open access at
With exciting contributions by Xin Wu, Frantz Grenet, Marc Mendoza, Rolf Strootman, Laurianne Martinez-Sève, Milinda Hoo, Lauren Morris, Razieh Taasob and Olga Kubica. Topics range from the Achaemenid to the Kushan periods, with a focus on archaeology, ritual and the Hellenistic period.
Der Band enthält eine repräsentative Auswahl der Diskussionen des Forschungsclusters 4 "Heiligtüm... more Der Band enthält eine repräsentative Auswahl der Diskussionen des Forschungsclusters 4 "Heiligtümer. Kulttopographie und Kommunikationsformen im sakralen Kontext", die auf jährlichen Tagungen zwischen 2012 und 2019 geführt wurden. Die versammelten Beiträge demonstrieren die zahlreichen Facetten der archäologischen, bauhistorischen, philologischen und religionswissenschaftlichen Forschungen zu Heiligtümern.
This is the Russian translation of our report published in eDAI-F, 2023 (Tacht -i Sangin , Tadsch... more This is the Russian translation of our report published in eDAI-F, 2023 (Tacht -i Sangin , Tadschikistan Griechische Musikinstrumente (auloí) aus dem Oxos-Tempel).
In the 1980s, 44 fragments of musical instruments from the 3rd/2nd century BCE were excavated in ... more In the 1980s, 44 fragments of musical instruments from the 3rd/2nd century BCE were excavated in the Oxus Temple at Takht-i Sangin, Tajikistan. Correctly identified as remnants of doublepipes (Greek: auloí) and provisionally published, this unique cache from the Hellenistic period had never been evaluated in terms of its music-archaeological potential. We endeavor to fill this gap using a combination of physical modelling and 3D printing, interpreting the fragments in the context of other finds. Study sessions with the originals in Dushanbe thus enabled us to join fragments to longer pipe sections, revealing an instrument design that appears closely tied to the technical advancements of Hellenistic music.
In 1935 and 1936, an important find complex of Hellenistic and Parthian sculptures was discovered... more In 1935 and 1936, an important find complex of Hellenistic and Parthian sculptures was discovered in Kal-e Chendar/Shami, Khuzestan (southwest Iran). These statues, now in the Iranian National Museum in Tehran and the British Museum in London, are now being studied in context for the first time. The project, launched in spring 2021, includes archaeological, art-historical and natural-scientific investigations and will make an important contribution to the understanding of the sanctuary at Kal-e Chendar, to the history of Hellenistic and »Parthian« art, and to the study of ancient large bronzes. This is the report on the findings of the preliminary studies conducted in Tehran in 2015 and 2016 and the studies at the British Museum in 2021.
This article examines one of the largest find complexes of Hellenistic and Parthian sculpture in ... more This article examines one of the largest find complexes of Hellenistic and Parthian sculpture in Iran, discovered around 1935 at Kal-e Chendar, arguably the most important sanctuary in the land of Elymais in the highlands of Khuzestan. The starting point is the bronze head of a Hellenistic ruler, already badly damaged and deformed in antiquity, whose former facial features are reconstructed with innovative 3D technology. The portrait is identified here as a king of the early Kamnaskirid dynasty and dated around 140 BC. Further fragments of the same statue enable the reconstruction of the entire figure, whose pose followed the most common format of Hellenistic royal figures. This ‘Hellenistic Ruler’ is now the first larger-than-life representation of a Hellenistic king known for the regions of Iran and further east. A second focus is comparative studies of casting technique and alloy of the further bronze statues of the find complex. They reveal that the stylistic division of the Kal-e Chendar bronzes into a ‘Greek’ and an ‘un-Greek’ group of sculptures is carried through to technical differences, indicating a significant change in the production of bronze sculptures from late Hellenistic to the Parthian period. Overall, the studies presented here show the potential of research on the hitherto neglected cache of sculptures from Kal-e Chendar, a potential that will be fully exploited in a project begun in spring 2021.
In: R. Mairs (ed.), The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World (London/New York 2021) 286-312, 2021
This article provides a survey of the Hellenistic period of a much-neglected area in the archaeol... more This article provides a survey of the Hellenistic period of a much-neglected area in the archaeology of Central Asia, southern Tajikistan. It integrates data on famous treasures and sites, including the Oxus Treasure, Takht-i Sangin with the Oxus Temple, and the palace at Saksanokhur with less known Soviet-era discoveries and an analysis of more recently excavated sites and discoveries.
The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of re... more The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces, courtyards and smaller buildings. They are from three phases, which are according to the ceramic evidence of Hellenistic date (end of 4th to mid-2nd century BC). Of special significance for ancient Bactrian religion is a courtyard with seven miniature altars as well as water basins connected to a cult installation containing several votive gifts and offerings. The sanctuary in Torbulok was likely a rural shrine of regional importance, a type of sanctuary previously unknown in Hellenistic Bactria.
The second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network took place on November 2–4, 2... more The second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network took place on November 2–4, 2017, in the Topoi building in Dahlem, Berlin. This international conference was made possible by the Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute) and was organized by Dr. Gunvor Lindström (Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin ) and Dr. Rachel Mairs (Department of Classics, University of Reading).
Raum, Gabe, Erinnerung. Weihgaben und Heiligtümer in prähistorischen und antiken Gesellschaften, 2016
Der Oxostempel im heutigen Tadschikistan war eines der der bedeutendsten antiken Heiligtümer der ... more Der Oxostempel im heutigen Tadschikistan war eines der der bedeutendsten antiken Heiligtümer der Region. Der monumentale Lehmziegelbau wurde in hellenistischer Zeit errichtet und bestand bis zum Beginn des 3. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. fort. Der Oxostempel markiert einen Platz, der in mehrfacher Hinsicht durch landschaftliche Kontraste charakterisiert wird, eine topographische Situation, die mit Lagen heiliger Orte auch in anderen Kulturräumen vergleichbar ist. Anhand der zahlreichen Deponierungen von Votiven aus dem Tempelinneren lassen sich sowohl lokale als auch griechische Einflüsse auf die Kultpraxis belegen. Es zeigt sich eine Kontinuität über mehrere Jahrhunderte. Dies betrifft einerseits die Vorliebe für Waffenweihungen, andererseits deutet die Thesaurierung und Deponierung in bestimmten Bereichen des Heiligtums auf die Tradierung von ritualpraktischem Wissen von Generation zu Generation durch das Kultpersonal.
In 2008 two large vessels from Torbulok entered the collection of the National Museum of Antiquit... more In 2008 two large vessels from Torbulok entered the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe. They could be identified as a perirrhanterion (vessel for ritual purification) and a second cult vessel. Given this the findspot was identified as an ancient sanctuary. Excavations and a survey started in 2013. The archaeological investigation will put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East.
In: P. Baas (ed.), Proceedings of the XXth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes. Recource, reconstruction, representation, role (London 2019) 131-141, 2019
After the conquest of Alexander the Great, Iran became part of the Seleucid Empire, a realm with ... more After the conquest of Alexander the Great, Iran became part of the Seleucid Empire, a realm with strong ties to the West, until ca. 140/30 BC when Iran was incorporated into the Parthian Empire, centred in the East. This paper looks on mostly life-size Seleucid and Parthian period bronze statues discovered in the 1930s at Kal-e Chendar/Shami in Southwest Iran and since rarely studied. It argues that the statues constitute two groups in terms of style and iconography and technologically. This was the result of object studies at the National Museum of Iran that included art historical classification, 3D modelling and reconstruction, visual investigation focusing on casting technique, and pXRF.
Археологические работы в Таджикистане 39, 2017 [2018], 2017
The article (written with Tatjana Filimonova) describes the results of the preliminary studies in... more The article (written with Tatjana Filimonova) describes the results of the preliminary studies in Torbulok / Khushdilon conducted in the autumn of 2013. During construction of the local school a large stone bowl had been found, which could be identified in 2012 as a perirrhanterion, a vessel used in Greek cult, and thus suggested an ancient sanctuary at the site. In 2013, we did a geophysical prospection of the site, examined the finds in the local school museum and opened 3 small test trenches. These works and the results are described here. They served as a preliminary work for the excavations taht we started in 2014 and finished in 2018.
On pages 100-101 of the present article the editors have inserted a passage that does not reflect my opinion, but that of Yusuf Yakubov, a well-known Tajik colleague. It is about the question in which rituals the stone bowl has been used. I would have liked to discuss this with Yusuf Jakubov and there was ample time to do so during my stays in Tajikistan. But the editors have inserted the passage here without discussion and without my knowledge. My most important objection to the 'zoroastrian' interpretation introduced here by Jakubov is methodological: from the fact that Zoroastrianism was widespread in the Pamir until modern times, and that this religion also included elements of other religions and earlier times, it can not be inferred that these elements are related in their origin to the Zoroastrian religion.
Please post me if you would like to see the pictures given in the plates in a better quality.
in: Daehner, Jens M., Kenneth Lapatin, and Ambra Spinelli, eds. Artistry in Bronze: The Greeks and Their Legacy (XIXth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes). Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum; Getty Conservation Institute, 2017, 198-204, 2017
The portrait of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran (inv. 2477) is the most promin... more The portrait of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran (inv. 2477) is the most prominent archaeological testimony of the Hellenistic presence in Iran. It shows the spread of Hellenistic largescale sculpture in the regions east of the Tigris River, of which there is otherwise very little evidence. Furthermore, it is one of the few preserved original Hellenistic large-scale bronzes. Nevertheless, this extraordinary piece of art is rarely illustrated in handbooks on Hellenistic sculpture or ruler portraits, and only a few specialists are familiar with this bronze. The head represents a ruler, likely a king of the Seleucid dynasty, which ruled Iran in the third and second centuries BC. But due to the portrait’s intense deformation, the ruler represented could not be identified until now. In August 2015 a project was started with the aim of reconstructing the original facial features. Although this aim has not been achieved, the investigations at the National Museum of Iran have already yielded extraordinary results.
The article, published in 2017, presents the preliminary results of the excavations of a Hellenis... more The article, published in 2017, presents the preliminary results of the excavations of a Hellenistic shrine in Torbulok, today Tajikistan.
The proceedings of the conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Centra... more The proceedings of the conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Central Asia" has been published as volume 27, 2023 of Studia Hercynia. Open access at
With exciting contributions by Xin Wu, Frantz Grenet, Marc Mendoza, Rolf Strootman, Laurianne Martinez-Sève, Milinda Hoo, Lauren Morris, Razieh Taasob and Olga Kubica. Topics range from the Achaemenid to the Kushan periods, with a focus on archaeology, ritual and the Hellenistic period.
Der Band enthält eine repräsentative Auswahl der Diskussionen des Forschungsclusters 4 "Heiligtüm... more Der Band enthält eine repräsentative Auswahl der Diskussionen des Forschungsclusters 4 "Heiligtümer. Kulttopographie und Kommunikationsformen im sakralen Kontext", die auf jährlichen Tagungen zwischen 2012 und 2019 geführt wurden. Die versammelten Beiträge demonstrieren die zahlreichen Facetten der archäologischen, bauhistorischen, philologischen und religionswissenschaftlichen Forschungen zu Heiligtümern.
This is the Russian translation of our report published in eDAI-F, 2023 (Tacht -i Sangin , Tadsch... more This is the Russian translation of our report published in eDAI-F, 2023 (Tacht -i Sangin , Tadschikistan Griechische Musikinstrumente (auloí) aus dem Oxos-Tempel).
In the 1980s, 44 fragments of musical instruments from the 3rd/2nd century BCE were excavated in ... more In the 1980s, 44 fragments of musical instruments from the 3rd/2nd century BCE were excavated in the Oxus Temple at Takht-i Sangin, Tajikistan. Correctly identified as remnants of doublepipes (Greek: auloí) and provisionally published, this unique cache from the Hellenistic period had never been evaluated in terms of its music-archaeological potential. We endeavor to fill this gap using a combination of physical modelling and 3D printing, interpreting the fragments in the context of other finds. Study sessions with the originals in Dushanbe thus enabled us to join fragments to longer pipe sections, revealing an instrument design that appears closely tied to the technical advancements of Hellenistic music.
In 1935 and 1936, an important find complex of Hellenistic and Parthian sculptures was discovered... more In 1935 and 1936, an important find complex of Hellenistic and Parthian sculptures was discovered in Kal-e Chendar/Shami, Khuzestan (southwest Iran). These statues, now in the Iranian National Museum in Tehran and the British Museum in London, are now being studied in context for the first time. The project, launched in spring 2021, includes archaeological, art-historical and natural-scientific investigations and will make an important contribution to the understanding of the sanctuary at Kal-e Chendar, to the history of Hellenistic and »Parthian« art, and to the study of ancient large bronzes. This is the report on the findings of the preliminary studies conducted in Tehran in 2015 and 2016 and the studies at the British Museum in 2021.
This article examines one of the largest find complexes of Hellenistic and Parthian sculpture in ... more This article examines one of the largest find complexes of Hellenistic and Parthian sculpture in Iran, discovered around 1935 at Kal-e Chendar, arguably the most important sanctuary in the land of Elymais in the highlands of Khuzestan. The starting point is the bronze head of a Hellenistic ruler, already badly damaged and deformed in antiquity, whose former facial features are reconstructed with innovative 3D technology. The portrait is identified here as a king of the early Kamnaskirid dynasty and dated around 140 BC. Further fragments of the same statue enable the reconstruction of the entire figure, whose pose followed the most common format of Hellenistic royal figures. This ‘Hellenistic Ruler’ is now the first larger-than-life representation of a Hellenistic king known for the regions of Iran and further east. A second focus is comparative studies of casting technique and alloy of the further bronze statues of the find complex. They reveal that the stylistic division of the Kal-e Chendar bronzes into a ‘Greek’ and an ‘un-Greek’ group of sculptures is carried through to technical differences, indicating a significant change in the production of bronze sculptures from late Hellenistic to the Parthian period. Overall, the studies presented here show the potential of research on the hitherto neglected cache of sculptures from Kal-e Chendar, a potential that will be fully exploited in a project begun in spring 2021.
In: R. Mairs (ed.), The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World (London/New York 2021) 286-312, 2021
This article provides a survey of the Hellenistic period of a much-neglected area in the archaeol... more This article provides a survey of the Hellenistic period of a much-neglected area in the archaeology of Central Asia, southern Tajikistan. It integrates data on famous treasures and sites, including the Oxus Treasure, Takht-i Sangin with the Oxus Temple, and the palace at Saksanokhur with less known Soviet-era discoveries and an analysis of more recently excavated sites and discoveries.
The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of re... more The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces, courtyards and smaller buildings. They are from three phases, which are according to the ceramic evidence of Hellenistic date (end of 4th to mid-2nd century BC). Of special significance for ancient Bactrian religion is a courtyard with seven miniature altars as well as water basins connected to a cult installation containing several votive gifts and offerings. The sanctuary in Torbulok was likely a rural shrine of regional importance, a type of sanctuary previously unknown in Hellenistic Bactria.
The second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network took place on November 2–4, 2... more The second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network took place on November 2–4, 2017, in the Topoi building in Dahlem, Berlin. This international conference was made possible by the Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute) and was organized by Dr. Gunvor Lindström (Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin ) and Dr. Rachel Mairs (Department of Classics, University of Reading).
Raum, Gabe, Erinnerung. Weihgaben und Heiligtümer in prähistorischen und antiken Gesellschaften, 2016
Der Oxostempel im heutigen Tadschikistan war eines der der bedeutendsten antiken Heiligtümer der ... more Der Oxostempel im heutigen Tadschikistan war eines der der bedeutendsten antiken Heiligtümer der Region. Der monumentale Lehmziegelbau wurde in hellenistischer Zeit errichtet und bestand bis zum Beginn des 3. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. fort. Der Oxostempel markiert einen Platz, der in mehrfacher Hinsicht durch landschaftliche Kontraste charakterisiert wird, eine topographische Situation, die mit Lagen heiliger Orte auch in anderen Kulturräumen vergleichbar ist. Anhand der zahlreichen Deponierungen von Votiven aus dem Tempelinneren lassen sich sowohl lokale als auch griechische Einflüsse auf die Kultpraxis belegen. Es zeigt sich eine Kontinuität über mehrere Jahrhunderte. Dies betrifft einerseits die Vorliebe für Waffenweihungen, andererseits deutet die Thesaurierung und Deponierung in bestimmten Bereichen des Heiligtums auf die Tradierung von ritualpraktischem Wissen von Generation zu Generation durch das Kultpersonal.
In 2008 two large vessels from Torbulok entered the collection of the National Museum of Antiquit... more In 2008 two large vessels from Torbulok entered the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe. They could be identified as a perirrhanterion (vessel for ritual purification) and a second cult vessel. Given this the findspot was identified as an ancient sanctuary. Excavations and a survey started in 2013. The archaeological investigation will put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East.
In: P. Baas (ed.), Proceedings of the XXth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes. Recource, reconstruction, representation, role (London 2019) 131-141, 2019
After the conquest of Alexander the Great, Iran became part of the Seleucid Empire, a realm with ... more After the conquest of Alexander the Great, Iran became part of the Seleucid Empire, a realm with strong ties to the West, until ca. 140/30 BC when Iran was incorporated into the Parthian Empire, centred in the East. This paper looks on mostly life-size Seleucid and Parthian period bronze statues discovered in the 1930s at Kal-e Chendar/Shami in Southwest Iran and since rarely studied. It argues that the statues constitute two groups in terms of style and iconography and technologically. This was the result of object studies at the National Museum of Iran that included art historical classification, 3D modelling and reconstruction, visual investigation focusing on casting technique, and pXRF.
Археологические работы в Таджикистане 39, 2017 [2018], 2017
The article (written with Tatjana Filimonova) describes the results of the preliminary studies in... more The article (written with Tatjana Filimonova) describes the results of the preliminary studies in Torbulok / Khushdilon conducted in the autumn of 2013. During construction of the local school a large stone bowl had been found, which could be identified in 2012 as a perirrhanterion, a vessel used in Greek cult, and thus suggested an ancient sanctuary at the site. In 2013, we did a geophysical prospection of the site, examined the finds in the local school museum and opened 3 small test trenches. These works and the results are described here. They served as a preliminary work for the excavations taht we started in 2014 and finished in 2018.
On pages 100-101 of the present article the editors have inserted a passage that does not reflect my opinion, but that of Yusuf Yakubov, a well-known Tajik colleague. It is about the question in which rituals the stone bowl has been used. I would have liked to discuss this with Yusuf Jakubov and there was ample time to do so during my stays in Tajikistan. But the editors have inserted the passage here without discussion and without my knowledge. My most important objection to the 'zoroastrian' interpretation introduced here by Jakubov is methodological: from the fact that Zoroastrianism was widespread in the Pamir until modern times, and that this religion also included elements of other religions and earlier times, it can not be inferred that these elements are related in their origin to the Zoroastrian religion.
Please post me if you would like to see the pictures given in the plates in a better quality.
in: Daehner, Jens M., Kenneth Lapatin, and Ambra Spinelli, eds. Artistry in Bronze: The Greeks and Their Legacy (XIXth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes). Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum; Getty Conservation Institute, 2017, 198-204, 2017
The portrait of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran (inv. 2477) is the most promin... more The portrait of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran (inv. 2477) is the most prominent archaeological testimony of the Hellenistic presence in Iran. It shows the spread of Hellenistic largescale sculpture in the regions east of the Tigris River, of which there is otherwise very little evidence. Furthermore, it is one of the few preserved original Hellenistic large-scale bronzes. Nevertheless, this extraordinary piece of art is rarely illustrated in handbooks on Hellenistic sculpture or ruler portraits, and only a few specialists are familiar with this bronze. The head represents a ruler, likely a king of the Seleucid dynasty, which ruled Iran in the third and second centuries BC. But due to the portrait’s intense deformation, the ruler represented could not be identified until now. In August 2015 a project was started with the aim of reconstructing the original facial features. Although this aim has not been achieved, the investigations at the National Museum of Iran have already yielded extraordinary results.
The article, published in 2017, presents the preliminary results of the excavations of a Hellenis... more The article, published in 2017, presents the preliminary results of the excavations of a Hellenistic shrine in Torbulok, today Tajikistan.
Passend zum Reformationsjubiläum stellen wir im Folgenden die Ofenkeramik aus einer baubegleitend... more Passend zum Reformationsjubiläum stellen wir im Folgenden die Ofenkeramik aus einer baubegleitenden Stadtgrabung in Zossen bei Berlin vor, die zu einer Fundgattung gehört, die seit der politischen Wende 1990 zwar in großen Mengen bei Stadtkerngrabungen im Land Brandenburg gefunden wurde, aber bisher nur wenig Aufmerksamkeit erfahren hat. In den Jahren 2005/2006 sanierte die Stadt Zossen ihren Marktplatz, wobei auf der Nordseite des Platzes, über 500 Fragmente reliefverzierter Ofenkacheln entdeckt wurden, die zu einem sogenannten Reformationsofen gehört haben.
The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of re... more The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces, courtyards and smaller buildings. They are from three phases, which are according to the ceramic evidence of Hellenistic date (end of 4th to mid-2nd century BC). Of special significance for ancient Bactrian religion is a courtyard with seven miniature altars as well as water basins connected to a cult installation containing several votive gifts and offerings. The sanctuary in Torbulok was likely a rural shrine of regional importance, a type of sanctuary previously unknown in Hellenistic Bactria.
review of Sylvia Winkelmann, Klaus Marquardt: Alte Kunst aus Afghanistan. Zeugnisse aus der Zeit ... more review of Sylvia Winkelmann, Klaus Marquardt: Alte Kunst aus Afghanistan. Zeugnisse aus der Zeit vor und nach Alcxander dem Großen. Rahden/Westf.: Verlag Marie Leidorf 2013., Gnomon 88, 2016, 734-738.
in: Svend Hansen/Daniel Neumann/Tilman Vachta (Hrsg.), Raum, Gabe und Erinnerung. Weihgaben und Heiligtümer in prähistorischen und antiken Gesellschaften. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World 38 (Berlin 2016)
The Temple of the Oxus in modern-day Tajikistan was one of the most important ancient sanctuaries... more The Temple of the Oxus in modern-day Tajikistan was one of the most important ancient sanctuaries in the region. The monumental mud brick structure was built in the Hellenistic period and lasted until the early third century CE. The temple marks a place that in many ways is characterized by scenic contrasts, a topographical situation comparable to holy sites in other cultural spaces as well. The numerous depositions of votives in the inner part of the temple attest to both local and Greek influences on worship practices; continuity over several centuries is apparent. This involves the preference for dedications of arms and armour on the one hand; on the other, the accumulation and deposition in certain areas of the sanctuary indicates that knowledge of ritual practices was handed down from generation to generation by cultic personnel.
November 14-16 2018, Institute of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Pra... more November 14-16 2018, Institute of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague
The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have reconstructed the history of the following centuries. However, our understanding of the (mutual?) acculturation following the campaign remains limited. The aim of the conference is to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia. It will take a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers. As in the previous meetings of HCARN group, the conference will bring together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of Hellenistic Central Asia.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Locating the events of Alexander´s campaign: Combined analysis of archaeological and textual sources • Settlement patterns and dynamics in the late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods • Structural changes in the local society • Elites and their adapting to the new reality • Material culture: local or introduced? • New fieldwork at relevant archaeological sites
We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers on relevant topics, from both established scholars and early career researchers. Abstracts of no more than 300 words, along with the author’s name, title and institutional affiliation, should be submitted to hcarn3@ff.cuni.cz no later than 31 May 2018.
Thanks to the generosity of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, we anticipate being able to offer some travel funding to participants, on a case by case basis.
Ladislav Stančo (Charles University) Gunvor Lindström (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut) Rachel Mairs (University of Reading)
This is the final program of the International Conference and Second Meeting of the Hellenistic C... more This is the final program of the International Conference and Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network, to be held in Berlin, November 2-4, 2017. Guests are very welcome! Please register with an email to: Kristina.Junker@dainst.de.
Preliminary program of the International Conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in ... more Preliminary program of the International Conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Central Asia". Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network 2-4 November in Berlin organized by Eurasien-Abteilung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts
The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are descri... more The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have reconstructed the history of the following centuries. However, our understanding of the (mutual?) acculturation following the campaign remains limited. The aim of the conference was to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia at that time. It takes as much as possible a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers. As in the previous meetings of HCARN group in Reading 2016 and Berlin 2017, the Prague conference brings together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of the Hellenistic Central Asia.
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https://studiahercynia.ff.cuni.cz/en/magazin/2023-1/
With exciting contributions by Xin Wu, Frantz Grenet, Marc Mendoza, Rolf Strootman, Laurianne Martinez-Sève, Milinda Hoo, Lauren Morris, Razieh Taasob and Olga Kubica. Topics range from the Achaemenid to the Kushan periods, with a focus on archaeology, ritual and the Hellenistic period.
Overall, the studies presented here show the potential of research on the hitherto neglected cache of sculptures from Kal-e Chendar, a potential that will be fully exploited in a project begun in spring 2021.
On pages 100-101 of the present article the editors have inserted a passage that does not reflect my opinion, but that of Yusuf Yakubov, a well-known Tajik colleague. It is about the question in which rituals the stone bowl has been used. I would have liked to discuss this with Yusuf Jakubov and there was ample time to do so during my stays in Tajikistan. But the editors have inserted the passage here without discussion and without my knowledge. My most important objection to the 'zoroastrian' interpretation introduced here by Jakubov is methodological: from the fact that Zoroastrianism was widespread in the Pamir until modern times, and that this religion also included elements of other religions and earlier times, it can not be inferred that these elements are related in their origin to the Zoroastrian religion.
Please post me if you would like to see the pictures given in the plates in a better quality.
https://studiahercynia.ff.cuni.cz/en/magazin/2023-1/
With exciting contributions by Xin Wu, Frantz Grenet, Marc Mendoza, Rolf Strootman, Laurianne Martinez-Sève, Milinda Hoo, Lauren Morris, Razieh Taasob and Olga Kubica. Topics range from the Achaemenid to the Kushan periods, with a focus on archaeology, ritual and the Hellenistic period.
Overall, the studies presented here show the potential of research on the hitherto neglected cache of sculptures from Kal-e Chendar, a potential that will be fully exploited in a project begun in spring 2021.
On pages 100-101 of the present article the editors have inserted a passage that does not reflect my opinion, but that of Yusuf Yakubov, a well-known Tajik colleague. It is about the question in which rituals the stone bowl has been used. I would have liked to discuss this with Yusuf Jakubov and there was ample time to do so during my stays in Tajikistan. But the editors have inserted the passage here without discussion and without my knowledge. My most important objection to the 'zoroastrian' interpretation introduced here by Jakubov is methodological: from the fact that Zoroastrianism was widespread in the Pamir until modern times, and that this religion also included elements of other religions and earlier times, it can not be inferred that these elements are related in their origin to the Zoroastrian religion.
Please post me if you would like to see the pictures given in the plates in a better quality.
The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have reconstructed the history of the following centuries. However, our understanding of the (mutual?) acculturation following the campaign remains limited.
The aim of the conference is to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia. It will take a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers.
As in the previous meetings of HCARN group, the conference will bring together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of Hellenistic Central Asia.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Locating the events of Alexander´s campaign: Combined analysis of archaeological and textual sources
• Settlement patterns and dynamics in the late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods
• Structural changes in the local society
• Elites and their adapting to the new reality
• Material culture: local or introduced?
• New fieldwork at relevant archaeological sites
We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers on relevant topics, from both established scholars and early career researchers. Abstracts of no more than 300 words, along with the author’s name, title and institutional affiliation, should be submitted to
hcarn3@ff.cuni.cz
no later than 31 May 2018.
Thanks to the generosity of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, we anticipate being able to offer some travel funding to participants, on a case by case basis.
Ladislav Stančo (Charles University)
Gunvor Lindström (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut)
Rachel Mairs (University of Reading)
Guests are very welcome! Please register with an email to:
Kristina.Junker@dainst.de.
Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network
2-4 November in Berlin
organized by Eurasien-Abteilung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts
following the campaign remains limited. The aim of the conference was to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia at that time. It takes as much as possible a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers. As in the previous meetings of HCARN group in Reading 2016 and Berlin 2017, the Prague conference brings together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of the Hellenistic Central Asia.