MAIASP. 2025. No. 20 Sergey Bolelov (Moscow, Russia), Zhanbolat Utubayev (Jezqazgan, Kazakhstan) The lower Syr Darya and its role in transcontinental trade routes and cultural interactions(second half of the 1st millennium BCE) DOI: 10.53737/2713-2021.2025.82.21.006 Access this article (PDF File) Pages: 85—102 |
This paper discusses in detail the archaeological evidence reflecting the cultural and trade interactions between the Lower Syr Darya region and other historical-cultural centers of the Middle East and Central Asia during the 1st millennium BCE, mainly in the second half of it. The research was based on materials obtained as a result of excavations by the Khorezm expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Shirikrabat archaeological expedition of the Margulan Institute of Archaeology. The analysis identifies major directions of trade and cultural exchange linking the ancient Syr Darya delta with Khorezm, Bactria, Iran, Northern India, Badakhshan, the Eastern Black Sea region, and the Southern Urals. It is concluded that imported goods and materials reached the Lower Syr Darya—where early statehood was taking shape —through the eastern overland section of the Great Indian (so-called “Strabo’s Way”) route. |
Key words: historical and cultural area, cultural interaction, trade routes, urban cite, settlements, burial grounds, burial equipment, handicrafts, imported items, jewelry, beads |
Received August 31, 2025 Accepted for publication September 15, 2025 |
About the authors: Bolelov Sergey (Moscow, Russia). Candidate of Historical Sciences, Museum of Oriental Art E-mail: bsb1958@yandex.ru Utubayev Zhanbolat (Jezqazgan, Kazakhstan). Candidate of Historical Sciences, Historical and Archaeological Museum with an Exhibition Hall in the Ulytau Region E-mail: utubaev_z@mail.ru |