Archaeology of Mining in Central Asia: Current Projects, Approaches, and Limitations

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances and New Perspectives in Central Asian Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The archaeology of mining in ancient Central Asia has long interested Russian-speaking archaeologists and geologists. Already in 1917, for example, Veber recognized Central Asia as a fertile ground for archaeological inquiry concerning pre-modern mines. Yet, perhaps due to remoteness and political setting, the research produced in this region has not been widely disseminated in western scholarship. More recently, a renewed interest in this field has led to the development of several major international projects that aim to narrate the process of mineral resource extraction among past Central Asian communities, thus greatly contributing to a better understanding of their economy, technology, and ingenuity. This paper explores the history of mining research in premodern Central Asia, focusing especially on the latest approaches and collaborations in the field. It also provides a case study of the ongoing research project on the extraction and exchange of turquoise stones in the inner Kyzylkum desert in Uzbekistan, where this stone has been extracted since prehistoric times. This example also provides a pertinent illustration of the limitations hindering ancient mining research in Central Asia, including the increasing reliance of post-Soviet states on mineral resources and the current difficulties of accessing scientific records in Russia.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Advances and New Perspectives in Central Asian Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35982.0