The opening up of former Soviet Central Asia to western scholars, combined with archaeological work in Afghanistan throughout the second half of the 20th century, has led to the recognition and definition of a “new” Bronze Age civilization! It was named by a French archaeologist the Oxus Civilization, for a major site of Shortughai near the Oxus River’s banks. Meanwhile, it was named the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex by Soviet archaeologists working simultaneously on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
Shortughai, the city excavated by the French archaeologist, was originally thought to just be an outlying colony of the Indus River Valley Civilization to the south in today’s Pakistan and India. But combining excavations of Shortughai with newly available data from Soviet Central Asia repositions the city. Instead of a far-flung Indus River Valley Civilization city that connected it to Central Asia, Shortughai was in fact part of a Central Asian civilization which had connections with the Indus River Valley Civilization!
The Oxus Civilization is believed to have developed from Copper Age settlements in the 4000s BCE. Current research suggests that it reached its height in the Bronze Age between 2400 and 1900 BCE when settlements developed into cities.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário