The excavation campaigns
(by years)
Johanna Lhuillier (CNRS, UMR 5133 Archéorient)
Shapulat Shaydullaev (Université d’Etat de Termez, Ouzbékistan)
Archaeological investigations
Lab studies
Archaeological excavations
In 2023, the mission focused on excavating two sites in the oasis: Burgut Kurgan and Kuduk Bulak. This was the last campaign planned for the first site, which has been excavated since 2015. This extensive work has uncovered its entire layout, formed by an oval enclosure wall against which are adjoined living and storage rooms. The aim of the 2023 campaign was twofold. Firstly, to complete this layout, particularly in the northern part of the site, where it was possible to uncover architectural remains relating to two stages. A large pot deliberately placed upside down and carefully wedged with large pebbles testifies to the abandonment of the site. On the other hand, the aim was to refine our understanding of the stratigraphy, particularly in the southern part of the site, where it is better preserved. This work revealed a light occupation of the site, prior to the construction of the enclosure, which yielded an exceptional batch of white softstone beads.
The Kuduk Bulak site was discovered during prospecting in May 2022, so this year’s mission was exploratory in nature. The site is the only one in the region to display Bronze and Iron Age ceramics on the surface. Two test pits and two extensive excavations were therefore undertaken to characterize the site’s architecture and associated material culture, and to document the chronology of occupation. This work showed that the upper layers of the site had been heavily reworked, or even levelled, by the recent cultivation of the site. Excavations in the north-western part of the site nevertheless identified several preserved occupations. At least three main phases of occupation could be traced back to the Bronze Age, the earliest of which included earthen floors dug by hearths, post-holes and storage jars, followed by the construction of an ellipsoidal adobe wall linked to post-holes and a floor. The area was then redeveloped with stone-based architecture in a phase that is difficult to date. Nearby, a massive building is associated with Iron Age ceramics.
Training courses
This year, MAFBAP welcomed some thirty history and archaeology undergraduates from the University of Termez on its two sites. The aim was to train them in the practice of archaeological excavation and prospecting. Since 2018, the mission has also been training master’s and doctoral students from various Uzbek universities, in order to integrate them into the whole process of archaeological reflection: data collection, post-excavation analysis and processing, and report writing.