Jandavlattepa 2005. Preliminary excavation report.

Jandavlattepa 2005. Preliminary excavation report

Ladislav Stančo in cooperation with Petra Belaňová, Libor Grmela, Jakub Halama, Jan Kysela, Lucie Šmahelová, Kristýna Urbanová

Published in: Studia Hercynia IX

should be quoted as follows:

Stančo, Ladislav et alii 2006: Jandavlattepa 2005. Preliminary excavation report. Studia Hercynia X, pp. 167-172.

Sector 20 (“the Citadel”)[1]

In this season our work concentrated on the so-called “Citadel”, which is separate mound on the NW side of the tepa. We went on with the research of remains of the last period of occupation. Our aim was to make clear the ground plan of the monumental building. In the last season, we found the external wall on the eastern side of the mound (wall “A”) and some parts of the other wall (“inner” = “B”) collateral to the first one. This year we opened row of trenches (4 x 4 or 2 x 4 m each) between trenches 20R and 20N of the last year in order to get as many data about the building as possible. The extension of the excavations on the citadel was about 100 m2 large in this season. The wall “B” has been detected in all of them (20O, 20P, 20Q) and subsequently also in square 20S, to the south of 20R (in the baulk between 20S and 20H). The best preserved part is in the square 20Q where six rows of mud-bricks remained. Other parts have been considerably damaged by the Moslem grave pits of the 18th-19th centuries as well as by natural erosion. However, the graves respect somehow the wall itself and are concentrated next to it on the both sides. The upper parts of the wall must have been visible at that time and the diggers chose the easier work beside the wall. All anthropological material from the graves has been studied by Dr Ziyadullah Shodiev (Samarqand). Although some of the graves are of traditional south - north orientation and typical long oval-shaped pits (20O012/013f; 20P005/006f, 20P012/013f, 20P015/016f, 20P019/020f; 20R012/013f and others), there are many graves of completely different kind: small round pits (diameter 30-40 cm) with messily placed bones, whose number is far from being complete. There is only explanation for this phenomenon: while digging the younger grave-pits, workers found the older pits and then buried remains for the second time somewhere nearby. These secondary burials usually have unclear outlines and seem to have been dug quite shallow.

The wall itself is constructed of the big mud-bricks, which measure 42 or 41 x 42 or 41 x 10 or 11 cm. The bricks are of low quality and easy to break. The clay is not floated well enough to make compact shape and is full of admixtures. The eroded mud-bricks are friable and look like grit. They are easily overlooked in the dry subsurface layers.

Apparently, both the walls, “A” and “B” make up a long continual corridor. After two seasons of excavations we are able to state that south-eastern corner of the building has not survived at all. Only the last (fundamental) row of the mud-bricks remained until now in the southern part of the building, in the baulk between squares 20S and 20H. The erosion has fatally affected the rest of the palace. Thus, we are not able to uncover the ground-plan of the whole building. It is even more unfortunate in the part, where some kind of communication between citadel and the lower town is to be expected.

The clarification – at least partial - of inner disposition of the building was another important task for this season. The squares 20O and 20Z were opened with this intention. We were able to find substantial parts of the floor of the “palace” building. In both these squares traces of an extensive fire that burned the floor were discovered. Maybe, burning roof fell on the ground, at the time of destruction of the complex. The floor itself was constructed of two layers: the lower one was made of pottery fragments (mainly of storage-jar sherds) and the upper one of fine clay. The shapes of the storage jars (pithoi, “khumcha”) are typical for the 4th century AD and help to date broadly the construction of the building. The smaller fragments of the sherd-floor had already been found in squares 20E and 20F in the season 2004.

Walls of even lower quality than “A” and “B” have been found in both squares (20O and 20Z) as well. The same size of the bricks indicates similar date for these constructions, but the stratigraphy is unclear. These walls are probably younger than “A” and “B” and probably belong to the last rebuilding of the palace.

A highly interesting situation has appeared in the final days of the works. Two concentric rows of postholes turned out to have disturbed the floor in these squares. They form a semicircular ground plan, resembling that of a nomadic yurt.

Although the building had been constructed of the mud-bricks, we have several baked bricks on the floor in the square 20Z. They were not a part of any construction and we cannot say for what purpose they were actually used. They measure 32 x 32 x 4 cm.

Square 20Y also brought to light also several interesting discoveries. Northern wall of the “palace” was detected here as well as constructions of an earlier date. The former used the latter as a substructure. The place, where the earlier wall had originally been interrupted by a passage, was filled in with mud-bricks. The earlier wall, the passage and floor belonging to it, were covered with white lime-plaster. It is well preserved, while the plaster of the last building phase does not survive at all. Thus, there are many details showing the worsening of the quality of building methods in the late antiquity.

During the excavations we uncovered several dozens of small finds. Most of them can be related with the Kushano-Sasanian period; therefore we can speak of almost pure Kushano-Sasanian context. The finds show variability of the material culture in this period. Most common finds are pottery fragments. Except the kitchen ware (large cooking pots), all other pottery is made on fast potter’s wheel. As far as table ware is concerned (which we call it “fine ware/red slip ware” = FW/RSW), we distinguished several basic shapes: 1. shallow open bowl with vertical rim, decorated with “sunburstpattern burnished” (Fig. 1); 2. high bowl with a slight narrowing in the middle of its height, decorated in a similar, but more simple way, with only burnished vertical lines on the exterior (Fig 2). A significant shape among the storage vessels is represented by the type cited above: a small pithos with striking neckband (in Russian terminology “khumcha”, Fig. 3). A special kind of decoration should be noticed here: besides the last years anthropomorphic jug we found a strange zoomorphic appliqué this year. It depicts frontally a head of an anima difficult to identify. Opinions vary from donkey or camel to ram (arkhar) (Fig. 4). The pottery decoration differs evidently from that of lower town Shakhristan). The fact, that the last phases on the citadel and on the shakhristan are different from each other, is obvious. We lack the bowls decorated with lion’s heads on the citadel, for example, although they are well represented in the final phase in lower city. Vice versa there is no trace of the above described “citadel pottery complex” in these shakhristan final layers.

The other small finds include loom-weights, spindle-whorls, fragments of glass vessels, glass-paste beads, stone beads, querns (grinding stones), bronze and iron objects (knives, a needle, an arrow head) and of course coins. The coins are badly preserved and we are not able to attribute them exactly to particular rulers. Anyway, general characteristics indicate again the Kushano-Sasanian mints. The works on the citadel in seasons 2004 and 2005 brought to light 13 of these coins as well as 4 coins of Great Kushans. The latter are from earlier constructions. The detailed description of pottery and small finds is currently being prepared for the first volume of Jandavlattepa Excavation Reports.

Sector 7 (Shakhristan)

Trenches 9D, 10D, 11C, 12C, 12D

The walls revealed in trenches 7C, 9C and 10C (and 7D) during 2003 and 204 excavations indicated that we could investigate more in detail the constructions of the latest building activity in this part of tepa in 2005 season.

The main aim was to excavate an area north-westerly and easterly from trenches 10C, 7C, 9C where remaining sections of previously excavated walls were supposed. An area of 77 sq. meters was excavated in the end. Total area excavated during last four seasons in sector 7 is 237 sq. metres. Most of the trenches are of a square ground-plan 4 by 4 metres. They are separated from each other by 1 meter wide baulks. These facilitate elaborate documentation of the archaeological situation and help us to orientate in the
complicated situation. Unfortunately, for the lack of time we are not able to remove these baulks in the end of season and much information remains unrevealed. The baulks occupy some twenty percents of the excavated area.

All the area is scattered with many grave pits from the modern period. They disturb the Kushan walls and layers and make the research difficult.

Trenches 9D and 11C were opened in the neighbouring area north and east of trench 9C.

It was confirmed that wall 9C004C (originally excavated in trench 9C) in southern-northern direction extends northwards into the trench 9D. This wall represents the latest building phase in this part of tepa as it affects other constructions running in the western- easterly direction in trenches 7C, 7D. We were unable to determine the use of this wall as we cannot assign to it any other construction in the close neighbourhood. It is clear by now, that the older structures, which were disrupted by the wall, formed a part of a house. The latest wall is built in a flimsy fashion from crumbly mudbricks. The mudbrick’s proportions vary between 32 and 39 centimetres.
Mudbricks assigned to the older phase of building activity are made from rather clayey substance and they are often of even proportions. Some bore typical kushan stamps (excavated 2003 in trench 7C).

Remains of two ovens (tandir) were uncovered in eastern part of trench 9C and 9D. We are not able to say whether these were built in the inner or outer part of the house unit. Normally, they would be situated inside of the house, but it is likely that these ovens were placed rather in a sort of a courtyard. They are related to a huge wall running in a southern-northern direction from trench 9C and 9D, which was disturbed, by the latter flimsy wall described above. This earlier wall was linked in a right angle to two walls in 7C and 7D trenches (excavated in 2003). Placing of ovens in the outer part of a house would indicate rather an open settlement. This phenomenon is usual for early Middle Age dwellings in open settlements (as Shurob Kurgan, near Kampyrtepa). This peculiarity may be significant for the last stable (settled) dwellings on the tepa.

Trench 11C was opened east of trench 9C.
Excavations revealed remains of several pithoi here. A floor level in which these pithoi were sunken is not preserved. Further excavations will reveal relation of a platform or disrupted walls in this trench to the neighbouring area. The bottoms of the pithoi that were discovered are probably related to the latest wall in 9C and 9D trench. If this is proven by future excavation, it will become evident that not much of the latest settlement is preserved. An exact border between grey floor level in 9C trench (excavated 2004) and constructions in 11C trench must be hidden in the baulk as we did not find it.

North of 10C and west of 7D was opened a trench 10D. Two walls forming a corner were uncovered in southern part of the trench. The southern-northern running one is an extension of a wall excavated in 10C in previous season and the other one running in the western-eastern direction extends in the baulk between trenches 7D and 7C. They all form a rectangular structure, which is probably another part of the house unit. This quoin was partly disrupted and an oven was built over part of it. Another wall was uncovered in the western-northern part of the trench. It runs in westerly direction but its remains in the neighbouring trench 12D have not been discovered yet. This wall could once be a part of a larger structure related to the constructions in southern part of the trench. Later, a flimsy wall in between both structures disrupted it. The purpose of the wall is not known but it was probably built in the same time as the oven. A peculiar structure of slantwise sloping intact mudbricks in the western part of the trench could have once strengthened the former structures.

The trench 12C was opened west from trench 10C.An extension of a wall in western-eastern direction (excavated in 2004 at 10C trench) was examined in this trench 12C. This wall terminates in the western part of the trench and another wall continues one meter further from it. The gap between the walls forms probably another entrance into a house unit. It is hard to determine whether it is a part of the same house as is examined in the eastern part of this section of excavations. Both walls were coated with mud plaster and built from quality clayey mudbricks. Remains of four furnaces or fireplaces were uncovered south of this wall. They were probably situated outside of the house and they can testify a sort of production activity.

The trench 12D was excavated north of 12C trench. An extension of a northward-southward running wall, which is related to the main constructions in 12C, was excavated here. Works in the trench proceeded only two weeks and we were not able to determine other remains here as we excavated only the uppermost destruction of mudbricks.

Excavations of sector 7 lack higher number of significant contexts that would provide precise absolute chronology. Despite it, we believe, that the precise analysis of ceramics will provide quite sufficient data for establishing more sophisticated chronology. We suppose that our excavations concern inhabitation of the tepa from 2nd till beginning of 4th century- after the Great Kushans and before the final inhabitation of the Citadel.

Description of the large-scale excavations in the sector 2 is currently being prepared by Kazim Abdullaev and will be published in the first volume of Jandavlattepa Excavation Report.

Jandavlattepa: complete bibliography (- 06/2006)

Abdullaev, K. - Stančo, L., 2003: Djandavlattepa: Preliminary report of the 2002 excavation season. Studia Hercynia VII, 165-168.

Abdullaev, K. - Boháč, L. - Stančo, L. 2003: Археологические работы на Джандавляттепа Шерабадского района Сурхендаринскрой области. Археологические Исследования в Узбекистане 2002 год. 15-20.

Abdullaev, K. - Stančo, L. 2004a: Археологические работы на Джандавляттепа. Археологические Исследования в Узбекистане 2003 год, 19-25 (Russian).

Abdullaev, K. - Stančo, L. 2004b: Jandavlattepa: Preliminary report of the 2003 excavation season. Studia Hercynia VIII, 156-160.

Abdullaev, K. - L. Stančo 2004c: Excavation of Jandavlattepa, Sherabad District, Northern Bactria. Circle of Inner Asia Art 19/2004: 3-10.

Abdullaev, K. - Stančo, L. 2005: Jandavlattepa: Preliminary report of the 2004 excavation season. Studia Hercynia IX, 273-275.

Huff, D. 1997: Deutsch-Uzbek Ausgrabungen auf dem Džandaulattepe und in Džarkutan, Süduzbekistan, 1993-1995. Mitteilungen der Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte, 18: 83-95 (German).

Пидаев, Ш. Р. 1974: Материалы к изучению древних памятников Северной Бактрии. B: Древняя Бактрия. Ленинград. 38-40 (Russian).

Rtveladze, E. 1974: Razvjedočnoe izučenie Baktrijskych pamjatnikov na juge Uzbekistana. In: Drevnjaja Baktrija, 74-85 (Russian).

Schachner, A. 1995/1996: A Special Kind of Pattern Burnished Decoration on Late Kushan Pottery in Bactria and Afghanistan. SRAA 4, 151-159.

Stančo, L. 2003: Džandavláttepa – Předběžná zpráva o archeologickém výzkumu v roce 2002, In: Orientalia Antiqua Nova III, 121-124 (Czech).

Stančo, L. 2005: Současná archeologie severní Baktrie. Auriga XLVII, 54-64 (Czech).

Stančo, L. 2006a: Antropomorfně zdobený džbánek z Džandavláttepa. Studia Hercynia X, In print (Czech).

Stančo, L. 2006b: Pozdně antická severní Baktrie. Orientalia Antiqua Nova VI, In print (Czech).

[1]Head: L. Stančo; K. Urbanová, J. Kysela, P. Belaňová participated.

For the characteristics of the kushano-sasanian complex see L. Stančo, Pozdně antická severní Baktrie. In: Orientalia Antiqua Nova VI, In print (Czech).

The term has been taken from the A. Schachner, A Special Kind of Pattern Burnished Decoration on the Late Kushan Pottery in Bactria and Afghanistan. SRAA 4, 151-159 (1995/1996).

See L. Stančo, Antropomorfně zdobený džbánek z Džandavláttepa (in Czech) in this volume.

Head: J. Halama; L. Šmahelová, L. Grmela participated.

The one in 9C trench excavated in 2004 season.