Mantellini & Rondelli & Stride_final

Simone Mantellini (University of Bologna, ITALY)

Bernardo Rondelli (University of Milan – Bicocca, ITALY)

Sebastian Stride (University of Barcelona, SPAIN)

Analytical Approach for Representing the Evolution of the Water Landscape in Samarkand Oasis (Uzbekistan)

Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

Turkmenistan

Afghanistan

Iran

• The Project was launched in 2001: • It includes the three following archaeological teams:

– Uzbek-Italian Archaeological Mission (University of Bologna, IA AN RUz Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan) – Franco-Uzbek Archaeological Mission (CNRS, ENS, IA AN RUz) – Japano-Uzbek Archaeological Mission (International Institute for Japanese Studies, IA AN RUz)

• As well as the following institutions:

– Samarkand State University, Samarkand Institute for Foreign Languages, Complex Systems and Artificial Intelligence Research Center (Milan Bicocca), Barcelona University

Picture 6

Expeditions currently contributing their data to the Map of the Middle Zeravshan Valley

IAANU = Institute of Archaeology Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan Samarkand Region IAANU and International Resaearch Center for Silk Road, Kyoto IAANU IAANU and University of Bologna Mission Archéologique Franco-Ouzbèque (CNRS Paris and IAANU) IAANU and Museum of the Orient, Moscow

Area of Investigation (Satellite Image LANDSAT - 5)

Ze ra

vsh an

Contemporary extent of irrigated agriculture along the Zeravshan river course as seen on a Landsat TM-5 Mosaic.

Samarkand

From South - East

The Middle Zeravshan Valley on a LANDSAT 5 Image with DEM

Soviet map of agricultural land types in Samarkand Region (1970)

IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE

NOMADIC PASTORALISM

Data streamlining for parallel research on pastoralism and agriculture in the Zeravshan Bassin

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE

NOMADIC PASTORALISM

Landscape

IRRIGATION NETWORK

PASTURELANDS

FIELDS

SETTLEMENTS

HERDS

GRAVEYARDS

SITE DISTRIBUTION ATTRIBUTE DATA

CAMPSITES

Natural and artifial watercourses create several jazireh or mesopotamias: Fertile and irrigable lands between rivers and major canals

Akdarya-Karadarya (Miankal) Bulungur-Zeravshan Dargom-Zeravshan Dargom-Eskìangar Paiaryk-Bulungur-Akdarya

Middle Zeravshan Valley Main Watercourses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1 1

4

6

2

Zeravshan Akdarya Karadarya Bulungur Paiaryk Dargom Eskìangar Narpai

5 7

Mesopotamias (doabs or jazireh)

3

2 8

1 From WEST

RESOURCES: WATER > IRRIGATION

EARTH > TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE

STONE & WOOD > TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE & HYDRAULIC DEVICES

Flow-Research • Site recognition and Remote Sensing

AERIAL PHOTOS

1960 – 1970

CORONA

1960-1974

LANDSAT TM5

1999

LANDSAT TM7

2001

ASTER

2002

SRTM

2003

Aerial Photos (’50s) Topographical Maps (’50s)

GIS Storage & Tools • Maps Overlap • Landcover Classification • Raster Analysis and pattern recognition • Mobile GIS for localization

Site analysis: • Description • Collection of archaeological finds •Topographical Survey

Middle Zeravshan Valley Archaeological Map 2001 - 2006

Koktepa

Afrasiab

Kafir Kala Sazagan Kuldortepa

The Middle Zeravshan Valley has been subject to great development and reclamation projects during the Soviet period, chiefly between the Sixties and the Eighties.

SAMARKAND

South-western area of Samarkand

Level of Destruction Sites Taylak and Urgut Districts

Preserved Sites Destroyed Sites

Level of Destruction Sites Taylak and Urgut Districts TOTAL AMOUNT OF SITES: 511 Destroyed Sites 194

38 %

Preserved Sites 317

62 %

• •

Evaluated number of sites: 3000. Evaluated destruction over the last 40 years: 40%. PRIORITIES

•

• •

Systemisation of Soviet Data, both published and archival. High Resolution Survey for morphological study Selected Test Trenches

Topographical Survey Cinematic GPS:

160

140

120

100

ter s a R

t

cto e V o

r

80

100

120

140

DEM

Site plan of the Soviet Period

160

180

20 0

220

Epistemic Dimensions

• Structural-Mereological dimension (Part-Part and Part-Whole relations)

Quantitative dimension (Rim Diameter, Lip Thickness, Height,... )

Archaeometrical dimension (Raw Materials, …)

• Spatial dimension

• Temporal dimension • Teleological dimension

• Parts • Elevation • Shape (bottom / middle / top) • Complexity

Main Achaemenid Sites (6th – 4th centuries B.C.)

Early Medieval (5th – 8th centuries) Settlement Pattern

Site Dimensions

ancient

recent

Development of Samarkand and Its Territory Samarkand in the representation of P. Gentelle (2003)

Samarkand:1.10.000 - 1953

Samarkand today from Satellite Image

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