Abstract
In the ancient times and in the Middle Ages, the Alay Valley was one of strategic parts on the Silk Road, through which various goods were transported, and people and animals migrated. In 2017, the joint Russian-Kyrgyz expedition identified 15 previously unknown archaeological sites from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages in the western part of the valley. In this article, we describe some of the key findings from this survey. Based on the preliminary results, the discovered sites, including those belonging to the Stone Age, show similarities with the adjacent regions (Pamir-Alay, Pamir, Xinjiang and Central Tian Shan). This suggests that human habitation in the valley and its use as a transport corridor also took place in the ancient times.
Keywords
Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Age, Silk Road, Alay Valley
Shnaider S.V.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2230-4286
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS
Novosibirsk State University
Altai State University
Abdykanova A.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7238-9065
American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan
Taylor W.
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany
Krivoshapkin A.I.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5327-3438
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS
Novosibirsk State University
Altai State University
References
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Список литературы
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Shnaider S.V., Krajcarz M.T., Viola T.B., Abdyka-nova A., Kolobova K.A., Fedorchenko A.Yu., Alisher-kyzy S., Krivoshapkin A.I. New investigations of Epipaleolithic in western Central Asia: Obishir-5 // Antiquity. - 2017. - Vol. 91, iss. 360 (in Press.).