Jandavlattepa. Preliminary report of the 2003 excavation season

Vložil stancoarcis, 26. Červenec 2008 - 15:27

Jandavlattepa. Preliminary report of the 2003 excavation season

Kazim Abdullaev (Samarkand) and Ladislav Stančo (Prague).

Published in: Studia Hercynia VIII

should be quoted as follows:

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

In the second year of the joint venture project of the Institute for Classical Archaeology of Charles University in Prague and the Archaeological Institute of Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in Samarkand we proceeded the archaeological research of Northern Bactria. Firstly, the archaeological excavations of the Jandavlattepa were extended; secondly we undertook some prospecting journeys in the neighbourhood, especially in the vicinity of Pashkhurt and Baysun. The fieldwork lasted from 29th September to 25th October 2003 and the final documentation was completed on 26-30 October 2003. Among the previously excavated areas we have chosen three sectors for the subsequent research. We continued in the trenches 4 and 7 and opened a new trench (no. 2A) in the eastern part of the tepa, next to the old stratigraphic trench of Uzbek-German mission of 1993. Six archaeologists participated in the second season, three from the Czech Republic (Jakub Halama, Kristyna Urbanova and Ladislav Stanco) and three from Republic of Uzbekistan (Kazim Abdullaev, Shapolat Shaydullaev and V. Ruzanov). The group of twenty to twenty five local workers from the villages of Saitabad and Ak Kurgan supported us in the fieldwork.

Sector 2A

The stratigraphic trench, leaded by Kazim Abdullaev, in the sector 2A revealed a considerable accumulation of the late Kushan and Kushano-Sassanid layers reaching the depth of about 250 cm under present surface. Below them follow the Yuezhi and Saka layers, altogether about 150 cm thick. Further continue the Graeco-Bactrian layers aproximately 2 m thick. The earliest layers removed in this season were of early Hellenistic and late Achaemenid period. Research of those layers have not yet been completed, they are 55-100 cm thick at the moment. Excavations of the trench brought to light very rich and complex archaeological material from all above mentioned periods including pottery (several whole pots), coins, stone objects, terracotta figurines, arrow heads, clay loom weights, beads made of glass and semiprecious stones and others.

Among those finds, some items deserve our special attention: terracotta figurine representing a female deity (Fig. 1). Only the upper part of the figurine is preserved. Some important elements allow us to suggest the attribution of the Goddess Nana. The elongated form of the face with slanting eyes and brows, a small mouth with plump lips relate this figurine to the widespread type of female representation in northern Bactria. The hairstyle is of a short, straight style. There is an object in the shape of a crescent moon on the top of the head. In the centre of the horns of the crescent is a round relief, which corresponds to a solar symbol. Radiating lines disperse from these symbols. An unclear relief on the breast appears to be of a similar motif, but the right hand holds an indistinguishable attribute.

Another fragment of a terracotta figurine (Fig. 2) shows a female head with some different characteristics. First, the eyes have a horizontal and large form. Second, the hairstyle is shorter and there is no headdress. However, one can detect several common elements. For example, the straight hair cut at the level of the chin, the same oval shape of the face and small mouth. It is interesting that a crescent moon appears on the forehead in a relief. This is probably a pendant or tattoo. There is no doubt that these two images belong to the same figurative circle and depict the Goddess Nana. As for the dating, the first figurine can be dated to the second half of the 1st century BC, while the second one has been found in the complex with coins of Vima Kaphizes and Kanishka. It means that this terracotta head is to be dated to the 1st century AD.

Another interesting find is a bronze buckle (Fig. 3) decorated in the steppe nomadic style. In the same layer was found a terracotta figurine of a rider (Fig. 4) modelled in the primitive manner. Among the group of beads made of glass paste and semi-precious stones is one of special importance. It is a lapis-lazuli stone formed as a primitive scarab.

Numismatic material, apart form the Kushan coins, consist of the square copper coin of Eucratides; on the obverse is a helmeted head in profile to the right, on the reverse is an unclear depiction of Dioscuri. Two copper imitations of the tetradrachms of Heliocles were found. On the obverse of one of the coins is a clear portrait of the king in diadem facing right, while on the second coin, helmeted head in profile to the right. On the obverse a standing figure of Zeus, the inscription is in two vertical lines reading: BASIAEOS HAIOKAIOYS and in a horizontal line only ...AI... is preserved. Judging from the realistic manner in rendering and the form of the "sigma" this imitation belongs to an early type. Other coins include specimens of Kanishka, Huvishka, and Vasudeva.

Of course the most numerous finds represent the pottery fragments, which reflect all the periods of habitation of the ancient settlement. The variety of the shapes ranged from the miniature vessels to big storage pots. Beside simple incised ornaments on the Kushan and late Kushan pottery also the stamped ornaments with floral and geometric motifs appear. We have also many examples of relief applications in the form of the lion head on the fine red-slip ware of the late Kushan period.

Sector 4

Shapolat Shaydullaev extended works in the area of the gate and city walls in the south part of the tepa. The exterior facade of the wall was cleaned in its upper part and the contours of rectangular tower were discovered to the east of the gate. It is too early to say anything about the details of these constructions at the present time, because they have not yet been fully studied archaeologically.

Sector 7

Although we were working in the three different sectors of the western part of tepa we decided to concentrate our attention to one of them and to carry on the excavations on the bigger scale. Again, Ladislav Stanco leaded works in this sector and two students of archaeology from Prague, Jakub Halama and Kristyna Urbanova, participated. In this season we opened four new squares. 7C, 7D following the direction of the 7A and B (south-north) and gradually 9A and 9B next to the 7A and B to the east. We gained area of about 106 m2 including removed control blocks between squares 7A - 7B and 7A - 9A. These control blocks we removed after we uncovered the architecture in the all three trenches with aim to gain clear picture of the situation.

Square 7A and 7B

The limited works were conducted in the 7A and 7B. We just cleaned the wall ("W 1") in the 7A, which is compact construction simply fallen down in the west direction. The mud-bricks are intact and measure 32 x 32. In the 7B, where we removed the thick layer of destruction we found the floor made of limewash (preserved only in some parts). They were found not many finds directly on the floor. We should mention several fragments of one storage pot (pithos) with a small stamp in the form of the deer on the rim. Curiously enough, another fragment of this pithos was found in the same area about one meter higher. The coin of the Graeco-Bactrian king Demetrios found in this square last year in the layer of late Kushans is the other evidence that the layers are mixed.

Square 9A and 9B

Kristyna Urbanova was entrusted to supervise the work here. Our aim was to make clear the situation in 7A and extended the sector to the east (and to the south in the future) where the terrain is flat and where the architecture remains are just under the surface. After removing 35-40 cm of subsurface greyish soil we uncovered the partly destroyed walls of mud-bricks (32 x 32 cm). The three walls seems to enclose the small inner room, but the extent of it is not clear, because the construction was damaged by the three grave pits and one large shallow pit with the horse skull. Therefore we miss the south wall.

The situation in the square 9B was similar to the neighbour 7B. The thick destruction layer, full of mud-bricks and their fragments appeared just under the surface.

Square 7C

Jakub Halama was responsible for the excavation of this square. Unlike in the 9A and B, the situation allowed him to remove more then two meters of soil. Just under the surface two walls appeared. Both of them are oriented from east to west, almost parallel to each other with the distance of about two meters. Two grave pits destroyed parts of the walls in the western and eastern section respectively. We did not reach the floor of the object, despite of being two meters deep. The northern wall (no. 2) was covered with earthen plaster, at least in its western part. The eastern part could be built in another (later) phase of this building, because it was without plaster and it was also preserved much higher then the other part. Both parts were separated and slightly damaged by a strange small wall made of clayey mud-bricks. This "wall" (no. 3) was probably of latest building phase and was oriented from south to north, continuing in the square 7D. While removing some broken mud-bricks, we found several of them marked with the signs. They are typical for the architecture of Central Asia and could be the source of interesting information, if carefully studied and published. We found out, that in one wall appears only one type of the sign. The south wall (no. 1) is the best-preserved structure of the whole sector. Its height reaches 2 m and we do not have the floor of the
object yet. There were some traces of plaster on the wall.

Square 7D

Ladislav Stance led the works in this square. We should mention that the squares are following from 7A to 7D up the slope. Thus, 7D is located on the highest point of the excavations close to the topographical measure point. Again, it was necessary to remove a massive layer of destruction (mud-bricks), especially in the southwest corner of the trench. The traces of structures in the northern part were found in the depth of about 180 cm under present surface, only under the hard compact clayey layer. The corner of the building, on the contrary, was found in the southeast corner of the trench. Its main wall (east to westorientation, no. 7D/1) occurs about 40 cm under present surface, but was badly damaged in the upper part. The late clayey wall, which was mentioned in 7C (wall 7C/ no. 3), is perpendicular to no. 1, but seems to be of later construction phase.

Among interesting finds from sector 7 were several /E coins of Kushan period, several fragments of bone hairpin, iron and bronze arrowhead, fragment of iron finger ring and
decorated pottery as was mentioned in 2A (including lion heads). One pottery handle with applied zoomorphic face - probably monkey was found in 7D (Fig. 5).

The second excavation season on the site of Jandavlattepa shows clearly that the site was well chosen and is worthy of our attention and could bring many important archaeological data not only for the Kushan and Graeco-Bactrian periods but also for the transitional phases - the period of Sakas and Yuezhi.

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