NATIONAL CENTER OF ARCHEOLOGY
Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Department of Silk Road Archaeology

 

 

     

In accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 792 dated September 21, 2019, "On the Fundamental Improvement of Archaeological Research," the National Archaeological Center was established (as the legal successor of the Institute of Archaeological Research named after Ya. Fulomov, founded in 1970). According to this resolution, seven departments were established within the Center.

The Department of Silk Road Archaeology studies the formation of ancient cultural communication routes in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, the impact of trade and transit routes on local cultures, as well as the development of cultural interactions that emerged in prehistoric times. It explores the relationship between nomadic pastoralist tribes of desert and steppe regions with settled populations in oases during the early metal age. The development of trade relations in antiquity is also studied in direct connection with the Great Silk Road.

The department's goal is to reconstruct the lives of ancient people through osteoarchaeological, archaeobotanical, archaeozoological, and biochemical analyses, as well as to interpret the subsistence systems of ancient populations.

Key research areas of the Department of Silk Road Archaeology:

• The formation and development of irrigated agriculture, the construction of early canals, urbanization processes, the emergence and expansion of early cities, and their impact on the natural landscape.
• The formation and development of early trade relations, interactions between cities, rural areas, and nomadic pastoralists.
• The location of ancient cities near water sources, their chronology, and the emergence of early trade routes. The Great Migration of Eurasian peoples and its impact on the ancient historical regions of Uzbekistan.
• The emergence of capital cities and the establishment of transcontinental trade routes.
• The historical topography of early medieval cities and their role along the Great Silk Road. The formation of the Turkic Khaganate and its interactions with confederative states in Central Asia.
• The role of the Turkic Khaganate and Turkic-Sogdian merchants in the flourishing of the Great Silk Road. Economic and cultural interactions among Central Asian peoples and the role of the Sogdian language in these processes.
• The Arab conquest and its impact on urban life. The topography of cities during this period, their socio-economic conditions, and the fate of the Turkic-Sogdian aristocracy.
• The Abbasid struggle for power in the Caliphate and the participation of local nobility. The rise of the Abbasids, the involvement of Central Asian nobility in governance, and the topography of cities during this era.
• Capital cities of the developed medieval period, their status as “megacities” of their time, and their impact on the surrounding environment. The historical topography of cities during the Samanid, Karakhanid, and Khwarezmshah periods, as well as their socio-economic relations.
• The routes of the Great Silk Road through Central Asia and the role of capital cities in its network.

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1. Department Charter
2. Department Roadmap
3. Department Program for 2020-2024
4. Department Staff Report