|
WORK
Methods
- Research Themes - Sites
- Projects
The work of the Laboratory of Geoarchaeology is focused on
the study of ancient human habitats and encompasses a broad
range of activities, from field survey and aerial reconnaissance
to field studies (geomorphology, geology, paleoclimate, hydrology,
pedology, palinology and botany, ecology, archaeology), laboratory
analyses, mapping and modeling, and the publication of research.
A most important aspect of this work is that
no survey or study is solely site-based. Research objects are
large areas where archaeological remains are examined in the
context of the environmental surrounding so that an integral
part of the investigation is dedicated to the reconstruction
of climatic and environmental changes, settlement patterns,
land-water use, interregional roads, archaeological and modern
landscape.
The Laboratory is currently involved as an institution
or through its members with several international and interdisciplinary
projects, funded through both local and international institutions.
The section "Research Themes"
gives a broad picture of the main themes of research; the section
"Methods" underlines the basic procedures used
by the geoarchaeological approach; the section "Sites"
lists the areas and monuments of Central Asia where research
has been applied; the section "Projects" quotes
the main projects that have been implemented during the last
10 years.
top
METHODS
Fieldwork
Field work is implemented by multidisciplinary teams and concerns
research objects not solely site-based but consisting of large
areas where archaeological remains are examined as part of the
environmental surrounding. Fieldwork, supported by preliminary
existing documentation, consists of visual study, trenches,
collection of GPS data for mapping, and the collection of samples
for laboratory analyses.
Remote sensing
Remote sensing by satellite images and by microlight aerial
photography has been carried out for several sites of Kazakhstan:
the Turkestan oasis, the Otrar oasis, the Kyzylkum dry deltas
of the Syrdarya, the delta of the Talas river, Akyrtash, Tamgaly,
Serektas, and Issyk.
Laboratory analyses
Laboratory analyses made in Almaty by members of the Laboratory
or in cooperation with colleague institutions cover most of
the exigencies of the geoarchaeological work: granulometry,
mineralogy (X-ray), elemental and organic chemistry, palinology
(pollen and spore), botany, microfossils and carpology, and
ESR dating.
Computer methods
Computer methods (Excel, CorelDraw, MapInfo) are largely used
for mapping. Specific programs (Cropwat et alia) are used for
simulative modeling.
Protection and conservation measures
Scientific documentation comprehensive of plans for protection
and conservation measures has been carried out, in cooperation
with UNESCO and with national agencies, for the petroglyph site
of Tamgaly and the mausoleum of Turkestan (nominated in the
World Heritage List), for the petroglyph sites of Eshkiolmes
and Arpauzen (inscribed in the World Heritage Tentative List),
the medieval oasis of Otrar, the Buddhist petroglyphs of Tamgalytas,
and the cultural landscape of the Eastern Pamirs.
Training
Training of young specialists is a major concern among the activities
of the Laboratory.
Compilations are provided in English, Russian and Kazakh languages
for didactic purposes. They concern: geology, climatic change,
methods of the survey, study and protection of cultural monuments,
and surface and underground water uses in Central Asia.
The section "Volunteer Camps" provides information
about the summer training camps for archaeological volunteers
from around the world, which the Laboratory runs every year.
top
RESEARCH THEMES
Paleoclimate
Reconstruction of paleoclimate and paleo-environment, based
on palinological analyses, has been provided for Semirechie
during the last 3500 years; for the Lower Syrdarya region during
the last 5000 years.
Land-water use
Chu-Ili mountains (management of springs and wells from Bronze
to Ethnographic times); Otrar oasis on the lower Syrdarya (surface
water use by irrigation schemes from early to late Middle Ages);
Turkestan oasis (underground water systems "karez"
of mid-late Middle Ages)
Settlement patterns
Settlement patterns of Bronze, Early Iron, Medieval and Ethnographic
times have been documented for Semirechie, the Otrar oasis,
the Turkestan Oasis, and the Eastern Pamirs.
Ancient metallurgy
Ancient metallurgy has been studied: in the upper Bien valley
where we have studied through excavations 3 metallurgic villages
(with more than 20 houses each and inhabited from Bronze to
Medieval times) and several kilns dated to Early Iron and medieval
period; and in the Turghen valley where 2 medieval kilns have
been investigated.
Ancient and modern landscape
Paleo and modern landscapes have been studied in Semirechie,
the lower Syrdarya, Karatau range (Kazakhstan) and the Eastern
Pamirs (Tajikistan).
Rock art
Central Asia holds one of the richest and most abundant petroglyph
collections on the world, of which the study of the surrounding
paleo-environmental has been and is still mainly carried out
by members of the Laboratory, by geo-archaeological studies
as well as by implementing, in cooperation with NIPI PMK and
with UNESCO support, a general data base of Central Asia rock
art sites and training of local specialists for the standardization
of methods (CARAD, Central Asia Rock Art Database).
top
SITES
Map of the
study-sites in Central Asia (KZ, KG,UZ, TJ)
1-Kuandarya; 2-Janadarya; 3-Chiili;
4-Sauran; 5-Turkestan; 6-Arpauzen; 7-Kyzylkum (Zhosaly);
8-Otrar; 9-Arys; 10-Chardara; 11-Sarmishsai;
12-Bazardara-AkJilga; 13-Shakty; 14-Shoroly; 15-Karakol; 16-Chu
Valley (KG); 17-CholponAta; 18-Talgar; 19-Turgen-Assy; 20-Kegen;
21-Charyn; 22-Jambul; 23-Khantay; 24-Kuljabasy; 25-Tamgaly;
26-Serektas; 27-Tamgalytas; 28-Eshkiolmes; 29-Bajanjurek;
30-Toksay
Arpauzen-6; Arys-9; Bajanjurek-Tasbas-29;
Bazardara-AkJilga-12; Chardara-10; Charyn-21; Chiili-3;
CholponAta-17; Chu Valley (KG)-16; Eshkiolmes-28; Jambul-22;
Janadarya-2; Karakol-15; Kegen-20; Khantay-23; Kuandarya-1 ;
Kuljabasy-24; Kyzylkum (Zhosaly)-7; Otrar-8; Sarmishsai-11;
Sauran-4; Serektas-26; Shakty-13; Shoroly-14; Talgar-18;
Tamgaly-25; Tamgalytas-27; Toksay-30; Turgen-Assy-19;
Turkestan-5;
Balkhash-Tienshan system
Paleoenvironmental evolution of the Balkhash Lake: geology,
climate, hydrology, botany and ecology, and land-water use
Lower Syrdarya
The lower Syrdarya is one of the main study objects of the Laboratory.
It includes the oases of Chardara, Otrar, Turkestan, Chiili,
the ancient courses in the Kyzylkum desert (Zhosaly), the ancient
delta distributaries (Janadarya and Kyandarya), and the Kazakh
shores of the Aral sea.
Semirechie Bronze and Early Iron Age habitats
Human habitats and paleo-environmental conditions have been
studied in sites of Semirechie located in 4 kinds of ecological
environment: mountains (Turghen-Assy at 2500-3000 m asl, upper
Bien valley at 1600 m); river canyons (Charyn at 900 m); piedmonts
(Talgar, Kegen at 800 m); and desert oases of the Chu-Ili Mountains
(Tamgaly, Serektas, Kuljabasy, Khantau at 500-800 m).
In the upper Bien valley and in Turghen the study also concerned
monuments of ancient metallurgy.
Petroglyph sites of South Kazakhstan
Several rock art sites have been studied and documented by geo-archaeological
methods and some of them entered into the standard database
under the CARAD programme: Arpauzen (Karatau), Khantau, Kuljabasy,
Tamgaly (Chu-Ili mountains), Tamgalytas (Lower Ili river), Eshkiolmes,
Bayanzhurek, Tasbas (Jungarian Range) in Kazakhstan; Sarmishsai
in Uzbekistan (in cooperation with the Institute of Archaeology
of Samarqand); Shakty and Ak-Jilga in the Eastern Pamirs, Tajikistan
(in cooperation with ACTED-UNESCO).
Otrar oasis
The upper layers of some old towns of the Otrar oasis have been
studied by archaeological excavations during the last 40 years
but the oasis as a whole was never the subject of a systematic
geoarchaeological study. This has happened only during the last
4 years under a INTAS project coordinated by members of the
Laboratory. The work concerned a large area of 80x40 km and
produced: a reconstruction of the paleoclimate and paleo-environment
of the region for the last 5000 years; the paleo-hydrology of
the Syrdarya and Arys rivers through a study of abandoned courses
in the central part of the oasis as well as 80 km into the Kyzylkum
desert; detailed fixation of geomorphological features and reconstruction
of 6 generations of irrigation schemes correlated with settlement
patterns and estimation and modelling of paleo-water flow and
agricultural potential.
In cooperation with the UNESCO WH, 130 monuments of the oasis
(of which 40 were documented for the first time) have been provided
with a plan for protection measures.
Turkestan oasis
The Turkestan oasis has been the object of 2
investigations:
-
land survey, GPS mapping,
satellite images and aero documentation of all the medieval tobe
(towns and villages) of the oasis, in cooperation with the TAE (Turkestan
Archaeological Expedition) and the Turkestan Museum Azret
Sultan.
-
land survey with discovery, GPS
mapping and excavation, and aerial photo of systems of ground
water devices (karez) approximately dated to the Middle and late
medieval period, in cooperation with the TAE (Turkestan
Archaeological Expedition).
Chu valley medieval towns (KG)
Aerial documentation of the medieval tobe and irrigation systems
of the Chu valley in Kyrgyzstan, in cooperation with UNESCO-KG
for documentation for protection and conservation plans.
top
PROJECTS
Several projects, from different sponsorship
and in cooperation with other national institutes (NIPI PMK,
Thetys, etc), have been implemented under the coordination or
the participation of members of the Laboratory.
INTAS
- 97-2220:
“The formation process of the
nomadic societies in Semirechie during the Bronze and Early Iron
epochs. Ecological and archaeological investigations”.
Coordinator: Henry-Paul Francfort (CNRS); Principal
Investigator: Renato Sala. (1998-2000)
- 2000-0699:
“Land use and irrigation works in KZ in the present and
historical times. Geo-archaeological investigations”.
Coordinator: Maurizio Forte (CNR-ITABC); Principal Investigator:
Renato Sala. (2002-2005)
- “Soil
resources of the Kazakhstan part of the Aral Sea region”. Team
Leader: Kostantin Patchikin (2003-2005)
http://www.intas.be/
UNESCO:
- Elaboration
of the WH Tentative List of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with NIPI
PMK (1999)
- Land
and aerial survey and documentation of the cultural properties
of Tamgaly, Turkestan, Otrar (Kazakhstan) for their nomination
in the UNESCO-WHL (2000-2004)
- CARAD,
Central Asia Rock Art Database. Coordinator: Alexey Rogozhinsky
(2003-2006)
-
ACTED-UNESCO:
Land survey and documentation of the monuments and cultural
landscape of Eastern Pamirs (Tajikistan) for protection and
conservation measures (2004)
- Aerial
survey and documentation of the medieval towns of the Chu valley
(Kyrgyzstan) for protection and conservation measures (2005)
www.unesco.org
http://www.natcom.unesco.kz/
OTHERS:
- “Palinological
study and dating of the archaeological complex of Tamgaly”,
under sponsorship of Mercedes-Kazakhstan. Coordinator: Bolat
Aubekerov (1999)
- “Pedological
and environmental study of the Tienshan Natural Reserves”, under
sponsorship of World Bank. Team Leader: Kostantin Patchikin
(2003)
top
|
