The Sino Ukrainian Joint Archaeological Team looks back on the ancient Silk Road at the Monza Tiepei Site
2024-11-26
The Ferghana Basin on the west side of the Pamir Plateau is located on the ancient Silk Road and was once a place where Eastern and Western cultures intersected. The Dawan Kingdom recorded in ancient Chinese literature is located here. This year, the joint archaeological team of China and Ukraine achieved significant results in the excavation of the Monza Tepe site located in the basin. A joint archaeological team composed of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the National Archaeological Center of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences began excavation work at the Monzhatepe site in Namangan Oblast, Uzbekistan in September this year. The Monza Tepe Site is located on a steep cliff on the north bank of the Syr Darya River, adjacent to the ancient city of Barand Tepe to the east. Previous studies have shown that the Monza Tepe site is a burial site that was contemporaneous with the Barand Tepe city site, and is currently the most clearly related ancient tomb site between a city site and a tomb in the Fergana Basin. It plays an important role in the development process and historical research of ancient urban civilization in the basin. Liu Tao, the leader of the Central Asian Archaeological Team at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese executive leader of the Sino Ukrainian Joint Archaeological Team, said that through the joint efforts of archaeologists from both countries, a total of 7 tombs and 2 buildings were discovered on site, and a large number of cultural relics such as silk fragments, leather products, bronze mirrors, circular square hole coins, and bead decorations were unearthed. Liu Tao introduced that the excavated silk fragments are well preserved, and obvious weaving structures can be observed. Since the first discovery of silk at the site in 1986, silk and other relics have been found again, "said Wang Xing, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a member of the Sino Ukrainian Joint Archaeological Team. The large house site found on the top terrace of the tomb, which may be related to the worship of fire, has a special shape and rich connotation, providing rare information for exploring the funeral customs, religious beliefs, and even cultural features of the early Middle Ages in the Fergana Basin. It is reported that in 1986, 9 large cave tombs were discovered and excavated in the area where the Monza Iron Pendant Site is located. Covered reed coffins made of reed bundles and multiple well preserved human bones were unearthed. The burial items were diverse, and colorful silk clothing fragments were unearthed. In some coffins, necklaces, earrings and other accessories were also found. Research shows that the age of these tombs is approximately between the 5th and 8th centuries. The purpose of this year's excavation is to further confirm the scope of the Monza Tiepei tomb area, the distribution pattern of the tombs, and to reorganize the detailed features and age information of the tomb structure and accompanying objects. At present, excavation work is still proceeding according to plan. The archaeological team has implemented temporary protection measures for a large number of organic matter relics discovered on site, including silk, leather, reed weaving, etc. At the same time, the archaeological team is also taking measures to extract the relevant relics as a whole, and plans to carry out subsequent fine cleaning indoors, striving to preserve and extract on-site information to the maximum extent possible. Liu Tao said that the Fergana Basin is a region with relatively developed historical and cultural heritage in Central Asia. The excavation of the Monza Tepe site tombs has provided a visual representation of the burial system, customs, beliefs, and architectural forms of the early Middle Ages in the Fergana Basin, enriching our understanding of the cultural landscape and connotations of the Fergana Basin. The discovery of silk, Han style bronze mirrors, circular square hole copper coins, and relics related to the worship of fire religion confirms the important position of the basin in the ancient Silk Road and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. Professor Anarbayev from the National Archaeological Center of the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences said that the concepts, methods, and techniques demonstrated by Chinese scholars in implementing preventive protection, whole box extraction, and indoor fine excavation at archaeological sites not only contribute Chinese wisdom to field excavation in Uzbekistan, especially the improvement of on-site cultural relic protection, but also showcase new achievements in the development of Chinese archaeology to the world. (New Society)
Edit：Momo Responsible editor：Chen Zhaozhao
Source：
Special statement: if the pictures and texts reproduced or quoted on this site infringe your legitimate rights and interests, please contact this site, and this site will correct and delete them in time. For copyright issues and website cooperation, please contact through outlook new era email：lwxsd@liaowanghn.com
Recommended Reading Change it 
Home
