Archaeological investigations at the late 2nd millennium BCE site of Kimirek-Kum 1, Uzbekistan: Fieldwork seasons in spring and autumn 2024 (third preliminary report)

IF 1.5 2区历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Archaeological Research in Asia Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-18 DOI:10.1016/j.ara.2025.100666

L.M. Rouse , J.K. Mirzaakhmedov , S. Stark , S.J. Mirzaakhmedov , H. Rakhmanov , S. Ammerman , A. Bechter , N. Bayani , N.L. Erb-Satullo , A.F. Haruda , J.W.I. Ho , E.T. Hubbard , S.A. Hunter , E. Luneau , S. Pourmomeni , F. Schreiber , Z.W. Silvia , G. Specia

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Abstract

Archaeological fieldwork at Kimirek-Kum 1 (KK1), located in a former alluvial plain of the lower Zerafshan River in south-central Uzbekistan, was conducted during two major seasons in 2024, following the excavations and surveys in 2022 and 2023 reported in previous publications. In 2024, further excavations in seven trenches were combined with subsurface investigations and extensive landscape survey aimed to investigate site organization, settlement and architectural patterns, site formation processes, and evidence of metallurgical activity during the late 2nd millennium BCE. Excavations revealed stratified deposits including compacted occupation surfaces with domestic features, along with refuse and production waste. Excavation revealed architectural elements such as adobe brick constructions and ditches that appear to have formed KK1's signature circular enclosure feature. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey confirmed the extent of features in the western and possibly also the northern areas of the site, while also identifying buried surfaces and former palaeochannel morphologies to be investigated in future seasons. Intensive pedestrian survey clarified the full extent of the KK1 site (c. 130 ha) and identified 15 previously undocumented sites in the surrounding landscape. Preliminary metallurgical analysis of over 300 artifacts suggests the use of copper alloys, lead, and precious metals, with production debris indicative of local smelting and casting. Faunal remains confirm the presence of domestic and wild species, a pattern also preliminarily noted in the charred macrobotanical remains. Together, these results suggest KK1 was as a multifunctional settlement making use of dynamic hydrological, ecological, and technological networks. Ongoing analyses will clarify the site's socio-economic organization and its position within broader cultural and environmental systems of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in Central Asia.

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公元前2000年晚期乌兹别克斯坦Kimirek-Kum 1遗址的考古调查：2024年春季和秋季的实地调查季节（第三次初步报告）

Kimirek-Kum 1 （KK1）的考古实地工作位于乌兹别克斯坦中南部Zerafshan河下游的前冲积平原，在之前的出版物中报道的2022年和2023年的挖掘和调查之后，于2024年的两个主要季节进行。2024年，对7个沟渠的进一步挖掘与地下调查和广泛的景观调查相结合，旨在调查遗址组织、定居点和建筑模式、遗址形成过程以及公元前2000年晚期冶金活动的证据。挖掘发现了层状沉积物，包括具有家庭特征的压实的占用面，以及垃圾和生产废物。挖掘发现了土砖结构和沟渠等建筑元素，这些元素似乎形成了KK1标志性的圆形围护结构特征。探地雷达（GPR）调查证实了该遗址西部和北部地区的特征范围，同时还确定了埋藏的表面和以前的古河道形态，将在未来的季节进行调查。密集的行人调查明确了KK1遗址的全部范围（约130公顷），并在周围景观中确定了15个以前未记录的遗址。对300多件文物的初步冶金分析表明，使用了铜合金、铅和贵金属，生产碎片表明当地有冶炼和铸造。动物遗骸证实了家养和野生物种的存在，烧焦的大型植物遗骸也初步发现了这种模式。综上所述，这些结果表明KK1是一个利用动态水文、生态和技术网络的多功能聚落。正在进行的分析将澄清该遗址的社会经济组织及其在中亚青铜时代晚期和铁器时代早期更广泛的文化和环境系统中的地位。

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来源期刊

Archaeological Research in Asia ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

13.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Archaeological Research in Asia presents high quality scholarly research conducted in between the Bosporus and the Pacific on a broad range of archaeological subjects of importance to audiences across Asia and around the world. The journal covers the traditional components of archaeology: placing events and patterns in time and space; analysis of past lifeways; and explanations for cultural processes and change. To this end, the publication will highlight theoretical and methodological advances in studying the past, present new data, and detail patterns that reshape our understanding of it. Archaeological Research in Asia publishes work on the full temporal range of archaeological inquiry from the earliest human presence in Asia with a special emphasis on time periods under-represented in other venues. Journal contributions are of three kinds: articles, case reports and short communications. Full length articles should present synthetic treatments, novel analyses, or theoretical approaches to unresolved issues. Case reports present basic data on subjects that are of broad interest because they represent key sites, sequences, and subjects that figure prominently, or should figure prominently, in how scholars both inside and outside Asia understand the archaeology of cultural and biological change through time. Short communications present new findings (e.g., radiocarbon dates) that are important to the extent that they reaffirm or change the way scholars in Asia and around the world think about Asian cultural or biological history.