Occupation and local resource exploitation at Kimirek-kum 1 (Uzbekistan): Archaeological and geo-hydrological investigations in autumn 2023 (second preliminary fieldwork report)

Abstract

The site of Kimirek-Kum 1, located between two ancient branches of the lower course of the Zerafshan River, has been investigated by an international research team since 2022. Here we report on the archaeological fieldwork carried out in autumn 2023, which targeted potential habitation areas and major features previously recognized through subsurface detection methods, as well as the site's prominent circular ‘enclosure’ earthwork. We describe our field methods and the archaeological strata identified, providing the contextual foundation for ongoing material analyses and subsequent socio-cultural interpretations. All dated contexts fall between approximately 1300–1000 BCE, indicating a relatively concentrated period of site use. Although earlier-raised questions about metallurgical production at KK1 and direct cultural connections with steppe communities were not resolved during the autumn 2023 field season, notable results include the identification of occupation surfaces and associated refuse pits rich in burned animal bone, plant remains, ceramics, and construction material. Refuse-dumping was contained in stratigraphically-earlier clay-mining pits, ditch features, and water channels. Excavations also revealed the underlying sand and clay sediment structure of the site, and provided systematically-sampled material for reconstructing the archaeo-ecology and hydrological network around the site. Preliminary, in-field ceramic analyses suggest strong relationships to Early Iron Age cultural groups to the south, with some elements also indicating contemporary northern connections. This multi-directionality of material culture concords with results from pilot studies at Kimirek-Kum 1, placing it at a geographic and chronological crossroads in the late 2nd millennium BCE.