Kara-tepe, Karakalpakstan: Agropastoralism in a Central Eurasian Oasis in the 4th/5th century A.D. Transition

Elizabeth Baker Brite, Gairatdin Khozhaniyazov, John M. Marston, Michelle Negus Cleary, Fiona J. Kidd

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper reports on the results of archaeological field excavations at the site of Kara-tepe, in the semi-autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in northwestern Uzbekistan. Investigations at the site in 2008–2009 turned up an unusually rich assemblage of remains from a household context. Combined analysis of the household botanical and faunal remains has allowed us to reconstruct the agropastoral practices of local inhabitants in this oasis region during a critical period of social and environmental change in the Early Medieval transition (4th–5th centuries a.d.). The results of the study raise important new questions about agropastoralism in the oases of Central Eurasia, highlighting continuities of practice between oasis and steppe populations, and revealing dynamic changes in these systems over time.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)514-529
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Field Archaeology
Volume42
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2 2017

Keywords

  • Agropastoralism
  • Central Eurasia
  • archaeobotany
  • faunal analysis
  • household
  • oasis
  • steppe

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Archaeology
  • Archaeology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Kara-tepe, Karakalpakstan: Agropastoralism in a Central Eurasian Oasis in the 4th/5th century A.D. Transition'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this