- Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
15 East 84th Street, New York, NY 10028
- Archaeology of Central Asia, Ancient Turks, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian art, Sogdian Culture, Turco-Iranian World, and 17 moreArt History, Iranian Archaeology and Art History, Iranian History, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Archaeology of Siberia, Inner Asian History, Bactria (Archaeology), Bactria, Hellenism, Indo-Greeks, Military Architecture, Sasanian art, Achaemenid History, Late Antique Art and Archaeology, Kushan art and architecture, Hephthalites, The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture, Kushano-Sasanian Numismatics, and Kidaritesedit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The transition between the Final Bronze and Early Iron Age remains one of the least understood periods in the archaeology of southern Central Asia. In this paper, we introduce the newly discovered site of Kimirek-kum-1 (floruit ca.... more
The transition between the Final Bronze and Early Iron Age remains one of the least understood periods in the archaeology of southern Central Asia. In this paper, we introduce the newly discovered site of Kimirek-kum-1 (floruit ca. 1250-1050 CAL B.C.) in the old delta of the Zerafshan River in present-day Uzbekistan. Combined pedestrian survey, geomagnetic prospection, hand augering, and stratigraphic excavation, conducted between 2021 and 2023, demonstrate the site's unique potential to improve our understanding of the Final Bronze/Early Iron Age transition and the interface between the Central Eurasian steppes to the north and the Indo-Iranian world to the south. Notably, our investigations yielded nearly 400 objects in copper alloys, lead, gold, and semiprecious stone. These findings strongly suggest that Kimirek-kum-1 represents a substantial new Final Bronze/Early Iron Age center with extensive external links. It raises critical questions about the continuity of long-distance exchanges and elite networks after the end of the Oxus civilization.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Central Asia (History), Bactria (Archaeology), Central Asian History (Area Studies), Late Bronze Age archaeology, and 14 moreCentral Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia, Central asian history, Sogdian Archaeology, BMAC Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, Ancient Metallurgy, Early Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Karasuk Culture, Late Bronze Age Weaponry, Andronovo, and Bactria- Margiana Archaeolgical Complex
Research Interests: Late Antique Archaeology, Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Late Antiquity, Byzantine Iconography, and 15 moreAlexander the Great, Bactria (Archaeology), Hellenistic Bactria, Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia, Central asian history, Kushan history, Sogdian Archaeology, Byzantium, Bactria, Central Asian Archaeology, Byzantine art, History of Central Asia, and The Diadochoi (The Successors of Alexander III the Great)
Glass manufacturing processes and recipes changed fundamentally after the 8th century CE. The earlier centralised production system diversified, primary production sites multiplied, and the scale of individual productions contracted.... more
Glass manufacturing processes and recipes changed fundamentally after the 8th century CE. The earlier centralised production system diversified, primary production sites multiplied, and the scale of individual productions contracted. Mineral soda was no longer used and instead replaced by plant ash as the main fluxing agent, affecting the chemical composition and properties of the glass. In this work, LA-ICP-MS and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the compositional and structural characteristics of 68 glass fragments recovered during recent excavations at Bukhara in Uzbekistan, dating to the 9th to early 11th centuries CE. This is the most extensive systematically collected and studied glass assemblage from Central Asia to date. The glass can be attributed to different origins, confirming on the one hand the diversification of glass production during the early Islamic period and, on the other hand, regional variations in the chemical compositions and network structure of soda-rich plant ash glasses. As clear archaeological evidence for early Islamic glass production sites in Central Asia is rare, regional production groups are distinguished primarily on relative concentrations of Mg, K, P, Cl, Li and Cs in relation to the plant ash component, while variabilities in Al, Ti, Cr, Y, Zr, Th and REEs and their ratios indicate different silica sources. Raman spectra suggest variations in network connectivity and Q n speciation that confirm compositional groupings and suggest structural differences between regional productions of plant ash glass. The results demonstrate a clear dominance of local or regional glass groups, while revealing the importation of Mesopotamian glass, notably a high-end colourless glass type from the region around Samarra in Iraq. The new analytical data allow further separation and characterisation of novel early Islamic plant-ash glass types and their production areas.
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Abbasid History, Glass (Archaeology), Early and Medieval Islamic Art and Architecture, Sogdian Archaeology, and 9 moreAncient Glass, Samanids, Ancient Glass Analysis, Sasanian Archaeology, Islamic art and architecture, Islamic Glass, Samarra, Abbasid capital, Early Islamic Glass, and Medieval history of Bukhara
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Eurasian Nomads, Hellenistic and Roman Fortifications, Hellenistic Bactria, Seleucid Empire, and 6 moreSogdian Archaeology, Achaemenid History, Achaemenid archaeology, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Archaeology of the Hellenistic East, and Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures
The Silk Road is a modern name for a globalization phenomenon that marked an extensive network of communication and exchange in the ancient world; by the turn of the second millennium AD, commercial trade linked Asia and supported the... more
The Silk Road is a modern name for a globalization phenomenon that marked an extensive network of communication and exchange in the ancient world; by the turn of the second millennium AD, commercial trade linked Asia and supported the development of a string of large urban centers across Central Asia. One of the main arteries of the medieval trade routes followed the middle and lower Zarafshan River and was connected by mercantile cities, such as Samarkand and Bukhara. Bukhara developed into a flourishing urban center between the fourth and sixth centuries AD, served as the capital of the Samanid court between AD 893 and 999, and remained prosperous into the Qarakhanid period (AD 999-1220), until the Mongol invasion in AD 1220. We present the first archaeobotanical study from this ancient center of education, craft production, artistic development, and commerce. Radiocarbon dates and an archaeological chronology that has been developed for the site show that our samples cover a range between the third and eleventh centuries AD. These samples from Bukhara represent the richest systematically collected archaeobotanical assemblage thus far recovered in Central Asia. The assemblage includes spices and both annual and perennial crops, which allowed Sogdians and Samanids to feed large cities in river oases surrounded by desert and arid steppe and supported a far-reaching commercial market in the first millennium AD.
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Paleobotany, Central Asia (History), Silk Road, Silk Road Studies, and 15 moreIslamic History, Central Eurasian Studies, Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Early Islamic Archaeology, Archaeology of Central Asia, Central asian history, Sogdian Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, Samanids, Black Pepper, Silk Road Archaeology, Archaeology of the Silk Road, Qarakhanids, and Medieval history of Bukhara
Rice is one of the most culturally valued and widely grown crops in the world today, and extensive research over the past decade has clarified much of the narrative of its domestication and early spread across East and South Asia.... more
Rice is one of the most culturally valued and widely grown crops in the world today, and extensive research over the past decade has clarified much of the narrative of its domestication and early spread across East and South Asia. However, the timing and routes of its dispersal into West Asia and Europe, through which rice eventually became an important ingredient in global cuisines, has remained less clear. In this article, we discuss the piecemeal, but growing, archaeobotanical data for rice in West Asia. We also integrate written sources, linguistic data, and ethnohistoric analogies, in order to better understand the adoption of rice outside its regions of origin. The human-mediated westward spread of rice proceeded gradually, while its social standing and culinary uses repeatedly changing over time and place. Rice was present in West Asia and Europe by the tail end of the first millennium BC, but did not become a significant crop in West Asia until the past few centuries. Complementary historical, linguistic, and archaeobotanical data illustrate two separate and roughly contemporaneous routes of westward dispersal, one along the South Asian coast and the other through Silk Road trade. By better understanding the adoption of this water-demanding crop in the arid regions of West Asia, we explore an important chapter in human adaptation and agricultural decision making.
Research Interests:
The pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is commercially cultivated in semi-arid regions around the globe. Archaeobotanical, genetic, and linguistic data suggest that the pistachio was brought under cultivation somewhere within its wild range,... more
The pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is commercially cultivated in semi-arid regions around the globe. Archaeobotanical, genetic, and linguistic data suggest that the pistachio was brought under cultivation somewhere within its wild range, spanning southern Central Asia, northern Iran, and northern Afghanistan. Historically, pistachio cultivation has primarily relied on grafting, suggesting that, as with many Eurasian tree crops, domestication resulted from genetically locking hybrids or favored individuals in place. Plant domestication and dispersal research has largely focused on weedy, highly adaptable, self-compatible annuals; in this discussion, we present a case study that involves a dioecious long-lived perennial-a domestication process that would have required a completely different traditional ecological knowledge system than that utilized for grain cultivation. We argue that the pistachio was brought under cultivation in southern Central Asia, spreading westward by at least 2000 years ago (maybe a few centuries earlier to the mountains of modern Syria) and moved eastward only at the end of the first millennium AD. The seeds remain rare in archaeological sites outside its native range, even into the mid-second millennium AD, and may not have been widely cultivated until the past few hundred years.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Paleobotany, Central Asian Studies, Caravanserais, Central Asia (History), and 11 moreSilk Road Studies, Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Early Islamic Archaeology, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, Early Islamic Central Asia, Silk Road Archaeology, Rice Cropping System, and Medieval history of Bukhara
Research Interests: Archaeology of the Avars, Northern Wei, Great Migration period, Archaeology and history of Early medieval Nomads, Old Rus an Slavic archaeology, Mongolian Archaeology, and 3 moreArchaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Archaeology Of The Migration Period And The Early Middle Ages, and Inner Mongolia
Note: The volume was published in black-and-white, which rendered the maps all but unreadable. This PDF contains the original color figures of the maps.
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Irrigation, Sogdian Archaeology, Irrigation Water Management (Archaeology), and 7 moreSogdian, Samanids, Early Islamic Central Asia, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, Water governance and management in Central Asia, Sogdian Culture, and Medieval history of Bukhara
The article covers the results of new excavations at the citadel of Paikend, an ancient city in the south of Bukhara oasis (modern Uzbekistan). The data obtained demonstrated that an extensive construction work was performed in the 2nd... more
The article covers the results of new excavations at the citadel of Paikend, an ancient city in the south of Bukhara oasis (modern Uzbekistan). The data obtained demonstrated that an extensive construction work was performed in the 2nd half of the 3rd – 4th cc. A.D. New protective walls, garrison’s barracks were built and the Fire temple was rebuilt. The details of the temple’s layout find parallels in Iranian cult architecture. The mural paintings were found as well. It is possible that they were influenced by Sasanian art. Coins, pottery, small products had also undergone changes and are similar to the Kushano-Sasanian material assemblage of Bactria-Tokharistan. The hypothesis proposed that the phenomenon related with the expansion of Sasanian Iran into the Bukhara oasis.
Research Interests:
Until relatively recently, the centuries between Xiongnu and Türk domination in the Mongolian steppelands (both north and south of the Gobi Desert) appeared as an archaeological »dark age«. At the same time, the steppe empire of the... more
Until relatively recently, the centuries between Xiongnu and Türk domination in the Mongolian steppelands (both north and south of the Gobi Desert) appeared as an archaeological »dark age«. At the same time, the steppe empire of the Rouran has, compared to the polities of the Xiongnu and the Türks, received relatively little attention by modern historians.
In recent years however, archaeological discoveries have started to throw new light on this period, shattering long-held assumptions and, at the same time, generating new questions. Among the most important of these recent discoveries are five 5th century elite tombs found at Yihe-nur in southeastern Inner Mongolia.
Previous studies dealing with these sumpotously furnished tombs have been focused on detailing connections with the contemporary Northern Wei court culture, labeling the tomb owners either as »Xianbei« or as »Gaoche«. However, a closer look at a set of two exquisite parade belts and a peculiar type of pectoral found at Yihe-nur, suggests that the tomb owners of Yihe-nur also adhered to fashions that were much more
common in the steppes and in the »Western Regions« than in the Chinese heartland, pointing to elite networks spanning far across Central Eurasia. Finally, this paper will inquire into the question how a better understanding of the Rouran polity and its elites can shed additional light on these elite networks in the northern Chinese frontier and beyond during the 5th and early 6th century.
In recent years however, archaeological discoveries have started to throw new light on this period, shattering long-held assumptions and, at the same time, generating new questions. Among the most important of these recent discoveries are five 5th century elite tombs found at Yihe-nur in southeastern Inner Mongolia.
Previous studies dealing with these sumpotously furnished tombs have been focused on detailing connections with the contemporary Northern Wei court culture, labeling the tomb owners either as »Xianbei« or as »Gaoche«. However, a closer look at a set of two exquisite parade belts and a peculiar type of pectoral found at Yihe-nur, suggests that the tomb owners of Yihe-nur also adhered to fashions that were much more
common in the steppes and in the »Western Regions« than in the Chinese heartland, pointing to elite networks spanning far across Central Eurasia. Finally, this paper will inquire into the question how a better understanding of the Rouran polity and its elites can shed additional light on these elite networks in the northern Chinese frontier and beyond during the 5th and early 6th century.
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Late Antiquity, Central Eurasian Studies, Bactria (Archaeology), Central Asia, and 14 moreArchaeology of the Avars, Central Asian Archaeology, Northern Wei, Eurasian archaeology, Mongolian Archaeology, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Eurasian nomads, Eastern Europe and Asia in the Early Middle Ages (Archaeology), Byzantine archeology, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, Avars, Ancient Turks, Xianbei, Belt Buckles, and Rouran
The present article argues that the earliest attestation of the city of Paykand in Bukhārān Soghd is to be found in the memoirs of the ‘Western regions’ of the Beishi and the extant Weishu (both going back to the now lost original ‘Xiyu... more
The present article argues that the earliest attestation of the city of Paykand in Bukhārān Soghd is to be found in the memoirs of the ‘Western regions’ of the Beishi and the extant Weishu (both going back to the now lost original ‘Xiyu zhuan’ of the Weishu). This identification has so far been overlooked due to a scribal error. This earliest mentioning of Paykand goes in all likelihood back to information gathered by the Northern Wei embassy of the years 436-437, which visited the various countries of the ‘Western regions’ up to Chāch.
Although the passage in question is relatively short, it nonetheless provides us with important details regarding the urbanization process in Paykand, the mercantile atmosphere already at this early stage of the development of the city, and the earliest attestation of rice in Sogdiana. It is quite possible that these details were provided to the Chinese emissaries by an informant from Bukhārān Sogd.
Keywords
Paykand, Sogdiana, Weishu, rice.
Although the passage in question is relatively short, it nonetheless provides us with important details regarding the urbanization process in Paykand, the mercantile atmosphere already at this early stage of the development of the city, and the earliest attestation of rice in Sogdiana. It is quite possible that these details were provided to the Chinese emissaries by an informant from Bukhārān Sogd.
Keywords
Paykand, Sogdiana, Weishu, rice.
Research Interests: Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Silk Road, Silk Road Studies, Central Asia, and 15 moreArchaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, Northern Wei, Central Asians/Sogdians in China, Bukhara, Silk Road Archaeology, Archaeology of the Silk Road, the history of Soghd in the Early Medieval ages (5-8 centuries A.D.), Sogdian Culture, History of the Silk Road, Central Asian Societies, Rice wheat Cropping System, and Early Medieval History and Historical Geography of Central Asia
Research Interests: Central Asian Studies, Eurasian Nomads, Central Asia (History), Central Eurasian Studies, Bactria (Archaeology), and 14 moreHellenistic Bactria, Central Asia, Hellenism, Seleucid Empire, Archaeology of Central Asia, Kushan history, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Xiongnu archaelogy, History of Central Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, and Sogdian Culture
Brief report on excavations of kurgans and kurgan ensembles at Lyavandak and Kyzyl-tepa in Bukharan Sogdiana, dating between the 3rd cent. BCE and the 2nd/3rd cent. CE.
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Nomadism, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, and 8 moreSarmatians, Nomads, Bukhara, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, Sogdiana, and Kangju
A brief report on the results of works at Bashtepa and Tali-Surkh in Bukharan Soghd in 2018, including new finds of terracotta figurines, imitations of 'Megarian bowls', and loom weights.
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Hellenistic Bactria, Central Asia, Terra Sigillata, Sogdian Archaeology, and 10 moreSogdian, Sogdian art, Central Asian Archaeology, Hellenistic Pottery, Terracotta Figurines, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Megarian bowls, the history of Soghd in the Early Medieval ages (5-8 centuries A.D.), Sogdiana, and Sogdian Culture
Results of the 2015-2016 seasons of excavations at the main north-eastern gate of the Divar-i Kanpirak – the famous oasis wall of Bukhara
Research Interests: Central Asia (History), Islam in Central Asia, Abbasid History, Central Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia, and 12 moreSogdian Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, Medieval Fortifications, Sasanian Archaeology, Umayyad and Abbasid History, Oasis, Bukhara, History of Central Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, the history of Soghd in the Early Medieval ages (5-8 centuries A.D.), Kushano-Sasanian Numismatics, and Sogdian Culture
Results of the 2016 season of excavations at the Hellenistic and post-Hellenisitic site of Bashtepa in Western Sogdiana (Bukhara oasis)
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Central Eurasian Studies, Bactria (Archaeology), Hellenistic Bactria, Hellenism, and 8 moreArchaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, Hellenistic Pottery, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Sogdian Culture, and Central Eurasian Nomads
Excavations at the site of Bashtepa, at the western interface of the Bukhara oasis and the Kyzyl-kum desert, and at the kurgan sites at Kuyu-Mazar and Lyavandak on the eastern and north eastern fringes of the oasis, are detailed here,... more
Excavations at the site of Bashtepa, at the western interface of the Bukhara oasis and the Kyzyl-kum desert, and at the kurgan sites at Kuyu-Mazar and Lyavandak on the eastern and north eastern fringes of the oasis, are detailed here, enriching our understanding of agro-pastoralism in Antiquity. At Bashtepa, results indicate a shifting site function, from a border fortress, over a phase during which a monumental though still poorly understood platform dominated the northern part of the site, to a final phase when the site evolved into a small rural settlement characterized by pit houses. Preliminary archaeo-botanical and paleo-zoological studies demonstrate an engagement with grain farming, but also with animal husbandry, as well as hunting and fishing. Ceramics indicate contacts with the surrounding oases. Excavations at the kurgans provide new data on burial architecture and funerary customs, including a collective burial with khums being used as containers for human bones. Results challenge the chronology of previously excavated comparable kurgans in the area, suggesting an earlier date. The analysis of ceramics from the kurgan burials underlines the need to rework the dating of the ceramic typology for the Bukhara oasis, especially for the period between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
Introduction
1. Excavations at Bashtepa
1.1. Pit-houses and Waste Deposits in the Centre of the Site (Quadrants E05NW, E05NE, F05SE, F05SW)
1.2. Eastern Façade of the Platform (G05SE)
1.3. Northern and Western Flank of the Fortifications
1.4. Cleaning and re-documentation of the 1990 Excavation Trenches
1.5. Ceramics
1.6. Special Finds
1.7. Radiocarbon Dates
1.8. Archаeobotanical Analysis of Hand-Picked Remains
1.9. The Surroundings of Bashtepa
1.10. Bashtepa 2017: Conclusion
2. Excavations of Kurgans in the Kuyu-Mazar and Lyavandak Burial Grounds
2.1. Excavations at Kuyu-Mazar
2.2. Excavations at Lyavandak
2.3. Discussion and Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Disclosure Statement
Bibliography
Introduction
1. Excavations at Bashtepa
1.1. Pit-houses and Waste Deposits in the Centre of the Site (Quadrants E05NW, E05NE, F05SE, F05SW)
1.2. Eastern Façade of the Platform (G05SE)
1.3. Northern and Western Flank of the Fortifications
1.4. Cleaning and re-documentation of the 1990 Excavation Trenches
1.5. Ceramics
1.6. Special Finds
1.7. Radiocarbon Dates
1.8. Archаeobotanical Analysis of Hand-Picked Remains
1.9. The Surroundings of Bashtepa
1.10. Bashtepa 2017: Conclusion
2. Excavations of Kurgans in the Kuyu-Mazar and Lyavandak Burial Grounds
2.1. Excavations at Kuyu-Mazar
2.2. Excavations at Lyavandak
2.3. Discussion and Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Disclosure Statement
Bibliography
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Hellenism, Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Nomadism, Scythian archaeology, and 12 moreSogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, Xiongnu archaelogy, Bukhara, Eurasian archaeology, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, AGROPASTORALISM, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, Sogdiana, and Sogdian Culture
The present article aims at publishing fourteen new terracotta figurines from Western (Bukharan) Sogdiana with their archaeological context. They were found between 2016 and 2018 during excavations and surface surveys at the sites of... more
The present article aims at publishing fourteen new terracotta figurines from Western (Bukharan) Sogdiana with their archaeological context. They were found between 2016 and 2018 during excavations and surface surveys at the sites of Bashtepa and Tali-Surkh. The specimens from Bashtepa were found in contexts dating between the middle of the 2nd century BCE and the late 1st century CE, the specimens from Tali-Surkh are surface finds. Also discussed are aspects regarding the interpretation and the production of terracotta figurines in post-Hellenistic Sogdiana and Bactria.
Keywords: Terracotta Figurines, Bukharan Sogdiana, Bashtepa, Tali-Surkh, post-Hellenistic period, 2nd-1st. cent. BCE,
Keywords: Terracotta Figurines, Bukharan Sogdiana, Bashtepa, Tali-Surkh, post-Hellenistic period, 2nd-1st. cent. BCE,
Research Interests: Classical Archaeology, Bactria (Archaeology), Hellenistic Bactria, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, and 13 moreAncient Near East (Archaeology), Central Asian Archaeology, Terracotta Figurines, Archaeology of the Hellenistic East, Eurasian archaeology, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Parthian Archaeology, Sogdiana, Chorasmia, Hellenistic period terracotta figurines, and Археология Средней Азии
The study of urbanism in the oases of pre-Islamic south-western Central Asia remains a critical issue. However, modern perspectives are typically shaped by the iconic image of cities as densely populated commercial centres of intensively... more
The study of urbanism in the oases of pre-Islamic south-western Central Asia remains a critical issue. However, modern perspectives are typically shaped by the iconic image of cities as densely populated commercial centres of intensively farmed oasis hinterlands, characteristic for the region during the pre-Islamic and Islamic Middle Ages. Yet for Sogdiana during antiquity, such a picture is problematic. At least for Bukharan Sogdiana – the focus of this study – there is no evidence for genuine urban centres before the 4th or 5th century CE. It is not easy to address questions concerning the character of settlements in the Bukhara oasis during antiquity. Certainly, part of the issue lies in the fact that Antique-period levels have not been extensively excavated inside the oasis, mostly due to the presence of massive later medieval occupation levels. Only at the fringes of the oasis – in areas outside the present-day and the medieval irrigated oasis – can we hope to get a more systematic insight into the question of how settlements and their patterns in the region looked during antiquity. In this paper we focus on the Antique site of Bashtepa and its surrounds, lying at the interface of the Bukhara oasis and the Kyzyl-kum Desert, in order to explore an example of a Central Asian oasis without cities.
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Eurasian Nomads, Central Asia (History), Urbanism, Central Eurasian Studies, and 13 moreBactria (Archaeology), Hellenistic Bactria, Central Asia, Nomadism, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, AGROPASTORALISM, History of Central Asia, Sogdiana, and Sogdian Culture
In summer 2016 the Uzbek-American Expedition in Bukhara (UzAmEB) conducted the first field season at Bashtepa. Bashtepa is the westernmost site within a cluster of about a dozen of small tepas along several now dry terminal branches of... more
In summer 2016 the Uzbek-American Expedition in Bukhara (UzAmEB) conducted the first field season at Bashtepa. Bashtepa is the westernmost site within a cluster of about a dozen of small tepas along several now dry terminal branches of the delta system of the Zerafshan river in Western Sogdiana, outside the medieval perimeter of the oasis. Works focused on two areas: the fortifications, and the central part of the site.
Excavations of the fortifications revealed three major construction phases, adding up to a width of more than 10 m at the base of the fortifications. There is no evidence for towers or bastions. In the central part of the site we encountered a monumental masonry block into which was cut a series of pits of varying dimensions. The larger pits seem to represent pit-houses, while others seem to be economic pits. C14 data range between the end of the 5th century BCE and the very beginning of the 2nd century CE. The ceramic inventory from the site – including the first known imitation of a Megarian bowl in Sogdiana – features a few Yaz III examples, but has otherwise strong parallels with the complexes of Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic sites in Central and Southern Sogdiana, Choresmia, Bactria, and Margiana. Bearing in mind the early stage of our investigations, we suggest that the site was first established as a border fortress on one of the main routes between Sogdiana and Chorasmia, most likely during the very end of the 4th or the first half of the 3rd century, that is during the early Seleucid period. During its last occupation phase the summit of the site seems to feature a small agro-pastoral settlement, dating to the 1st century CE or – at the very latest – to the very beginning of the 2nd century CE. Although preliminary in character our results from 2016 shed new light on the Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic periods in western Sogdiana, which are – up to now – poorly investigated.
The appendix is devoted to the finds of Hellenistic coins in the Bukharan oasis: a drachm with the types of Alexander, coppers of Antiochus I and Antiochus II/Diodotus, silver coins of Diodotus, Euthydemus, Demetrius, Eukratides, and Heliocles as well as Takhmachtepa hoard containing tetradrachms of Diodotus, Euthydemus, and Agathocles. Although the sample of Hellenistic coins is still very small, its composition suggests that the history of the Bukharan oasis followed the same path as the rest of Sogdiana, which was controlled by Seleucids until the middle of the 3rd century and then passed for a short time to Bactrian Greeks, who lost it no later than at the very beginning of the reign of Euthydemus (ca. 230 BCE).
Excavations of the fortifications revealed three major construction phases, adding up to a width of more than 10 m at the base of the fortifications. There is no evidence for towers or bastions. In the central part of the site we encountered a monumental masonry block into which was cut a series of pits of varying dimensions. The larger pits seem to represent pit-houses, while others seem to be economic pits. C14 data range between the end of the 5th century BCE and the very beginning of the 2nd century CE. The ceramic inventory from the site – including the first known imitation of a Megarian bowl in Sogdiana – features a few Yaz III examples, but has otherwise strong parallels with the complexes of Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic sites in Central and Southern Sogdiana, Choresmia, Bactria, and Margiana. Bearing in mind the early stage of our investigations, we suggest that the site was first established as a border fortress on one of the main routes between Sogdiana and Chorasmia, most likely during the very end of the 4th or the first half of the 3rd century, that is during the early Seleucid period. During its last occupation phase the summit of the site seems to feature a small agro-pastoral settlement, dating to the 1st century CE or – at the very latest – to the very beginning of the 2nd century CE. Although preliminary in character our results from 2016 shed new light on the Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic periods in western Sogdiana, which are – up to now – poorly investigated.
The appendix is devoted to the finds of Hellenistic coins in the Bukharan oasis: a drachm with the types of Alexander, coppers of Antiochus I and Antiochus II/Diodotus, silver coins of Diodotus, Euthydemus, Demetrius, Eukratides, and Heliocles as well as Takhmachtepa hoard containing tetradrachms of Diodotus, Euthydemus, and Agathocles. Although the sample of Hellenistic coins is still very small, its composition suggests that the history of the Bukharan oasis followed the same path as the rest of Sogdiana, which was controlled by Seleucids until the middle of the 3rd century and then passed for a short time to Bactrian Greeks, who lost it no later than at the very beginning of the reign of Euthydemus (ca. 230 BCE).
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Eurasian Nomads, Hellenistic and Roman Fortifications, Bactria (Archaeology), Hellenistic Bactria, and 15 moreCentral Asia, Seleucid Empire, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Hellenistic Pottery, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Bactria, Hellenism, Indo-Greeks, Hellenistic history and numismatics, Megarian bowls, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Coins, Greek Coin Hoards, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Greco-Bactrian History, and Sogdian Culture
This paper reconsiders the existing accounts of Qutayba b. Muslim's campaigns in Bukhārā in the context of the region's historical topography. It proposes a new yet more coherent reconstruction of the course of events during these... more
This paper reconsiders the existing accounts of Qutayba b. Muslim's campaigns in Bukhārā in the context of the region's historical topography. It proposes a new yet more coherent reconstruction of the course of events during these campaigns. The resulting new narrative highlights how difficult this first step of the conquest of Mā warāʾ-al-nahr was for the Arab armies.
Research Interests: Middle East Studies, Middle East History, Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Middle Eastern History, and 14 moreIslamic Studies, History of Caliphates, History of the Islamic World, Umayyads (Islamic History), Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Central asian history, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Bukhara, Islam In Cental Asia, History of Sogdiana in 6-8 centuries, and Middle Eastern History Middle Eastern and Cental Asian Studies Middle East History Islamic Studies Medieval History
Research Interests: Islamic Studies, Abbasid History, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, and 10 moreFortifications, Medieval Fortifications, Early Medieval Fortifications, Umayyad and Abbasid History, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Bukhara, Sogdiana, Sogdian Language and History, Sogdian Culture, and Sogdian C Oins and Archaeological Material
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Early Medieval Archaeology, Turkish and Middle East Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of Nomadic Societies; Oral Cultures, Nomadism, and 14 moreSogdian Archaeology, Old Turkic Culture, Nomads, Archaeology and history of Early medieval Nomads, Old Rus an Slavic archaeology, Eurasian archaeology, Turks, Archaeology of the Eurasian steppe belt, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, Ancient Turks, Nomadic/Indigenous People, Sogdian Culture, Turkic & Altaic Studies, and History of Turks and Mongols
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Central Asian Studies, Eurasian Nomads, Alexander the Great, Bactria (Archaeology), and 29 moreHellenistic Bactria, Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Hellenism, Seleucid Empire, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Achaemenid History, Sogdian, Sogdian art, Central Asian Archaeology, Hellenistic Pottery, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Seleucid kingdom, Seleucid coins, Sarmatians, Bactria, Hellenism, Indo-Greeks, Megarian bowls, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Greco-Bactrian History, Archaeology, ancient weapon, Sarmatians, Seleucid Army, History of Central Asia, Sogdiana, Sogdian Culture, Khorezm, Sogdian C Oins and Archaeological Material, Near East, Central Asia & South Asia/Indian Subcontinent from Alexander the Great to the Byzantine Times: the Kaash, the Greco-Indian Art of Gadara, Orthodox Christianity and the Ancient and Byantine Greeks in the East, and Caucasus and Central Asia
Research Interests: Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Central Asian History (Area Studies), Sasanian History, Central Asia, and 19 moreArchaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Central Asian Archaeology, Sasanian Empire, Sasanian Archaeology, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Bukhara, Sasanian Iran, Sasanides, Sasanian Army, Iranian Sudies, Sasanian Iran, Parthian Iran, Arsacid and Sasanian Iran, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Sogdian trade, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian History; International Relations and Diplomacy between Roman-Byzantine and Persian Empires, Sasanid Empire, History of Sogdiana in 6-8 centuries, Sogdian Culture, and Sogdian C Oins and Archaeological Material
SUMMARY The present article analyses Chinese histories and encyclopaedias for data on diplomatic contacts between Tang China and a country named Bosi (Persia) postdating the death of Yazdegerd III in 651 AD. Combined with evidence from... more
SUMMARY The present article analyses Chinese histories and encyclopaedias for data on diplomatic contacts between Tang China and a country named Bosi (Persia) postdating the death of Yazdegerd III in 651 AD. Combined with evidence from Iranian apocalyptic texts, numismatics, and artistic metal ware they seem to point to the existence of a veritable Sasanian court-in-exile somewhere in the southern Hindukush area, i.e. in the political environment of the courts in Zāwul or Kāwul, until at least the middle of the 8th century. RÉSUMÉ Le présent article analyse des données pertinentes issues de sources historiques et ency-clopédiques chinoises portant sur les contacts diplomatiques entre la Chine des Tang et un pays nommé Bosi (Perse) postérieurs à la mort de Yazdegerd III en 651 de n.è. Ces données combinées avec les témoignages des textes apocalyptiques iraniens, de la numis-matique et des arts visuels semblent indiquer l'existence d'une véritable cour sassanide en exil quelque part dans la région méridionale de l'Hindou-Kouch, c.-à-d. relevant du milieu politique des cours de Zāwul ou de Kāwul jusqu'à au moins la moitié du VIII e siècle.
Research Interests: Middle East Studies, Middle East History, Iranian Studies, Central Asian Studies, History of Iran, and 28 moreAncient History of Afghanistan, Late Antiquity, Middle Eastern Studies, Iranian Art History, Iranian History, Sasanian History, History of Afghanistan, Central Asia, Persian Culture, Afghanistan's history, Turco-Iranian World, China Tang~Song Dynasties, Sui-Tang China, Sasanian art, Sasanian Empire, Iran Archaeology, Sasanian Archaeology, History of Khurasan (Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia), Sasanian Iran, Sasanides, Sasanian numismatics, Partho-Sasanian and early Islamic, Iranian Sudies, Sasanian Iran, Parthian Iran, Arsacid and Sasanian Iran, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian History; International Relations and Diplomacy between Roman-Byzantine and Persian Empires, Sasanid Empire, and Arab-Sasanian Numismatics
The present article summarizes the first field season of new investigations at the Devor-i Kampirak in Bukharan Sogd in 2011. In the first part we give a detailed description of our topographic survey, documenting a total of 15 sectors of... more
The present article summarizes the first field season of new investigations at the Devor-i Kampirak in Bukharan Sogd in 2011. In the first part we give a detailed description of our topographic survey, documenting a total of 15 sectors of the Kampirak in the western, eastern and – possibly – the northern fringes of the oasis.
The second part deals with the results of our excavations: at Sector 1 and at Sector 12. The profile at Sector 1 only revealed a pakhsa monolith, perhaps a platform of some non-preserved superstructure. In Sector 12 we observed a peculiar building technique: a sand-gravel pile was at both sides stabilized by a very coarse wall consisting of mortar and little irregular pakhsa lumps. The space between these two walls was filled with loose gravel. Only for the upper parts of the wall mudbricks were used (46-49×30-33×9-10 cm). A similar building technique has been observed at the Devor-i Kundalang near Rabat-i Gaziyon in Samarkand Sogd. Excavations at Section 12 also revealed a semi-circular bastion. The erosion layers of the bastion and the wall contained a significant number of diagnostic ceramic fragments suggesting the late 4th and 5th century as the original date of construction of the Kampirak in the delta area of the Zerafshan oasis.
In the third part we discuss observations resulting from a new topographic plan of the site Shakhri-Vayron. It shows that the center of the site is formed by a quadratic structure with four round towers at each side. This resembles a type of castles known from Chach, Ustrushana, and Samarkand Sogd, dating to 4th-5th centuries. However, the central structure at Shakhri-Vayron (measuring ca. 65 x 65 m) is 2-3 times larger than these small castles. While there are good arguments to finally reject the equation of Shakhri-Vayron with Tawawis-Arqud (which must be identified with the major site of Khodja-Buston) it is noteworthy that the central structure at Shakhri-Vayron is comparable in size with the “citadel” at Kafir-kala, the rural residence of the Ikhshids of Samarkand. Could the central structure at Shahri-Vayron originally also have functioned as a rural residence of the lords of Tawawis-Arqud, before it was later turned into a fortress in the system of the Devor-i Kampirak?
The second part deals with the results of our excavations: at Sector 1 and at Sector 12. The profile at Sector 1 only revealed a pakhsa monolith, perhaps a platform of some non-preserved superstructure. In Sector 12 we observed a peculiar building technique: a sand-gravel pile was at both sides stabilized by a very coarse wall consisting of mortar and little irregular pakhsa lumps. The space between these two walls was filled with loose gravel. Only for the upper parts of the wall mudbricks were used (46-49×30-33×9-10 cm). A similar building technique has been observed at the Devor-i Kundalang near Rabat-i Gaziyon in Samarkand Sogd. Excavations at Section 12 also revealed a semi-circular bastion. The erosion layers of the bastion and the wall contained a significant number of diagnostic ceramic fragments suggesting the late 4th and 5th century as the original date of construction of the Kampirak in the delta area of the Zerafshan oasis.
In the third part we discuss observations resulting from a new topographic plan of the site Shakhri-Vayron. It shows that the center of the site is formed by a quadratic structure with four round towers at each side. This resembles a type of castles known from Chach, Ustrushana, and Samarkand Sogd, dating to 4th-5th centuries. However, the central structure at Shakhri-Vayron (measuring ca. 65 x 65 m) is 2-3 times larger than these small castles. While there are good arguments to finally reject the equation of Shakhri-Vayron with Tawawis-Arqud (which must be identified with the major site of Khodja-Buston) it is noteworthy that the central structure at Shakhri-Vayron is comparable in size with the “citadel” at Kafir-kala, the rural residence of the Ikhshids of Samarkand. Could the central structure at Shahri-Vayron originally also have functioned as a rural residence of the lords of Tawawis-Arqud, before it was later turned into a fortress in the system of the Devor-i Kampirak?
Research Interests: Islamic Studies, Sasanian History, Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, and 9 moreCentral Asian Archaeology, Sasanian Archaeology, Central Asians/Sogdians in China, Bukhara, Iranian Huns, The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture, Sogdian Culture, Sogdian C Oins and Archaeological Material, and Hepthalites
The Türgesh – one of the 10 “tribes” of the On Oq federation of the Western Türk – succeeded the Western Ashinas-Türk as an imperial power in the Western Central Asian steppes. Although the Türgesh Empire was relatively short-lived – it... more
The Türgesh – one of the 10 “tribes” of the On Oq federation of the Western Türk – succeeded the Western Ashinas-Türk as an imperial power in the Western Central Asian steppes. Although the Türgesh Empire was relatively short-lived – it thrived for only about 20 years under their energetic khagan Sulu – it played an important role in the concert of great powers during the first half of the 8th century, largely on a par with Tang China, the Umayyad Caliphate, Tibet, and the Eastern Türks. The Türgesh are particularly known for having posed a serious threat to Umayyad rule in Mawarannahr and Eastern Khorasan/Tokharestan, inflicting several major defeats on Muslim armies in the 720s and 730s C.E. After the death of Sulu the Türgesh Empire quickly disintegrated, giving way to the immigrating Qarluq as the new dominant power in the steppes north of the Tianshan.
Keywords: mid-6th–mid-8th centuries ce; Chinese Empire; Eurasia; imperialism and conquest; nomads; steppe
Keywords: mid-6th–mid-8th centuries ce; Chinese Empire; Eurasia; imperialism and conquest; nomads; steppe
Research Interests: Medieval History, Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Turkish and Middle East Studies, Islamic Studies, and 18 moreIslam in Central Asia, Umayyads (Islamic History), Central Eurasian Studies, Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, Central Eurasia, Early medieval Eurasia, Central Asians/Sogdians in China, Mongolian and Central Asian Studies, Archaeology of Central Asia in Parthian, Kushan and Sasanian times, Early Medival Period, Sogdiana, Sogdian Culture, and Medieval and Early Modern Eurasia
Abstract The Khaganate (or Qaghanate) of the Türk, centered in the Central Eurasian steppes, was one of the hegemonic powers in Eurasia during the second half of the 6th and the first part of the 7th centuries C.E., exerting suzerainty... more
Abstract
The Khaganate (or Qaghanate) of the Türk, centered in the Central Eurasian steppes, was one of the hegemonic powers in Eurasia during the second half of the 6th and the first part of the 7th centuries C.E., exerting suzerainty over large parts of the Eurasian continent. The constituent hallmark of the empire of the Türk was the principle of collective sovereignty, vesting legitimate rule over the Türkic realm in the Ashinas lineage. This tradition – like other ideological as well as structural key features of their polity – the Türk inherited from their various predecessors in the steppes, notably the Xiongnu and the Rouran. Türk rule had a long-lasting impact on imperial ideologies and structures of governance in Eurasia down to the time of the Mongol Empire. Like the pax Mongolica in the 13th century, the unification of territories under Türk rule, from Manchuria in the east to Crimea in the west, resulted in a considerable increase of trans-cultural economic and diplomatic exchanges across Eurasia.
Keywords: mid-6th–mid-8th centuries CE ; Chinese Empire; Eurasia; imperialism and conquest; nomads; steppe
The Khaganate (or Qaghanate) of the Türk, centered in the Central Eurasian steppes, was one of the hegemonic powers in Eurasia during the second half of the 6th and the first part of the 7th centuries C.E., exerting suzerainty over large parts of the Eurasian continent. The constituent hallmark of the empire of the Türk was the principle of collective sovereignty, vesting legitimate rule over the Türkic realm in the Ashinas lineage. This tradition – like other ideological as well as structural key features of their polity – the Türk inherited from their various predecessors in the steppes, notably the Xiongnu and the Rouran. Türk rule had a long-lasting impact on imperial ideologies and structures of governance in Eurasia down to the time of the Mongol Empire. Like the pax Mongolica in the 13th century, the unification of territories under Türk rule, from Manchuria in the east to Crimea in the west, resulted in a considerable increase of trans-cultural economic and diplomatic exchanges across Eurasia.
Keywords: mid-6th–mid-8th centuries CE ; Chinese Empire; Eurasia; imperialism and conquest; nomads; steppe
Research Interests: Late Antique and Byzantine History, Central Asian Studies, Eurasian Nomads, Tang Dynasty, Turkish and Middle East Studies, and 35 moreXinjiang, Byzantine History, Central Eurasian Studies, Sasanian History, Central Asia, Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of Nomadic Societies; Oral Cultures, Nomadism, Archaeology of Central Asia, History of Kazakhstan, Sogdian Archaeology, Pre-Islamic Persian History, Turkish Language, Early Medieval Europe (Archaeology), Sogdian, Turkology, Early medieval Eurasia, Sasanian Empire, Kyrgyzstan, Northern Wei, Early Medieval China History, Sasanian Archaeology, East Turkestan, History of Kyrgyzstan, Turfan Texts, Sasanian Iran, Sasanian Army, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Archaeology of Central Asia and Eurasia, Sogdiana, archaeology of Khotan / Xinjiang PC China, Sogdian Culture, Medieval and Early Modern Eurasia, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui Dynasty, and Turks (Tujue)
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Silk Road Studies, Turkish and Middle East Studies, Sasanian History, Central Asia, Old Turkic, and 12 moreSogdian, Sasanian art, Old Turkic Culture, Central Asians/Sogdians in China, Archaeology and history of Early medieval Nomads, Old Rus an Slavic archaeology, Old Turkic, Old Uyghur, Archaeology of the Silk Road, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Hunnic numismatics, Sogdian Culture, Sogdian C Oins and Archaeological Material, and Turkic & Altaic Studies
Research Interests: Military History, Islamic Archaeology, Silk Road Studies, Military Architecture, Islamic Studies, and 14 moreIslamic' Architecture, Anthropology of Borders, Roman Frontiers (Archaeology), Frontier Studies, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Central Asian Archaeology, Fortifications, Borders and Frontiers, Bukhara, Archaeology of the Silk Road, Military history of Central Asian - Far Eastern Region, Long Wall Anastasius, and Sogdian C Oins and Archaeological Material
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Research Interests:
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Silk Road Studies, Turkish and Middle East Studies, Central Asia, Old Turkic, and 9 moreArchaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Old Turkic Culture, Archaeology and history of Early medieval Nomads, Old Rus an Slavic archaeology, Turkic Runic Inscriptions, Old Turkic, Old Uyghur, Mongolian Archaeology, Ancient Turks, and Turkic & Altaic Studies
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Research Interests: Landscape Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Eurasian Nomads, Kurgans, Petroglyphs and Pictographs, and 9 moreCultural Anthropology, Anthropology of Nomadic Societies; Oral Cultures, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Ferghana Valley, Sogdiana, Archeology of Ustrushan, and Kalash Valley Myths. Kalash Culture
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Review "Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer: Hunnen zwischen Asien und Europa. Aktuelle Forschungen zur Archäologie und Kultur der Hunnen (Beiträge zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte Mitteleuropas 50). Langenweissbach, Beier & Beran, 2008" in Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archeaology 5 (2010), 201-208more
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, Xiongnu archaelogy, Huns, and 8 moreArchaeology and history of Early medieval Nomads, Old Rus an Slavic archaeology, Iranian Huns, Alans, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, History and civilisation of the Huns, Scythians, Barbarians societies, Late Antiquity, Ethnogenesis, Funerary World, Goths, Vandals, Sueves, Alans, Hunnic numismatics, and The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Nomadic Art, Turkish and Middle East Studies, Bactria (Archaeology), Central Asia, and 13 moreOld Turkic, Nomadism, Archaeology of Central Asia, Sogdian Archaeology, China Tang~Song Dynasties, Old Turkic Culture, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Archaeology and history of Early medieval Nomads, Old Rus an Slavic archaeology, Early Steppe Nomadic peoples migrations and social life, Early Turks, Ancient Turks, Turkic & Altaic Studies, and Turks (Tujue)
Research Interests: Inner Asian Studies, Afghanistan, Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Central Asian Buddhism, and 18 moreIslam in Central Asia, Central Asian History (Area Studies), Central Asia, Archaeology of Central Asia, Manichaeism, Sogdian Archaeology, Sogdian, Sogdian art, Central Asian Archaeology, Central Asians/Sogdians in China, Sogdian Coins, Art and Archaeology, Khwarezmian, Gandhara, History of Central Asia, Eurasian nomads, Eastern Europe and Asia in the Early Middle Ages (Archaeology), Byzantine archeology, Sogdiana, Sogdian Culture, and Central Asain Cultures
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Preview from S. Stark, "Xianbei, Tegreg, and Rouran-Abar: Yihe-nur and the Nomadic World of Inner Asia between the 2nd and the 5th /early 6th cent. CE," in: Juliano/Lerner (eds.), Before Pingcheng. The Xianbei in Inner Mongolia 4th-6th... more
Preview from S. Stark, "Xianbei, Tegreg, and Rouran-Abar: Yihe-nur and the Nomadic World of Inner Asia between the 2nd and the 5th /early 6th cent. CE," in: Juliano/Lerner (eds.), Before Pingcheng. The Xianbei in Inner Mongolia 4th-6th century (forthcoming)
Research Interests:
Preview from S. Stark, "Xianbei, Tegreg, and Rouran-Abar: Yihe-nur and the Nomadic World of Inner Asia between the 2nd and the 5th /early 6th cent. CE," in: Juliano/Lerner (eds.), Before Pingcheng. The Xianbei in Inner Mongolia 4th-6th... more
Preview from S. Stark, "Xianbei, Tegreg, and Rouran-Abar: Yihe-nur and the Nomadic World of Inner Asia between the 2nd and the 5th /early 6th cent. CE," in: Juliano/Lerner (eds.), Before Pingcheng. The Xianbei in Inner Mongolia 4th-6th century (forthcoming)