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 NOMADIC
AGRICULTURE Landscape PASTORALISM

IRRIGATION NETWORK PASTURELANDS

FIELDS HERDS

SETTLEMENTS GRAVEYARDS CAMPSITES

SITE DISTRIBUTION
ATTRIBUTE DATA
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 1. Zeravshan
2. Akdarya
3. Karadarya
4. Bulungur
4 1 5. Paiaryk
6 6. Dargom
7. Eskìangar
2 8. Narpai
5
7
Mesopotamias
3
(doabs or jazireh)

2
8

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 Preserved Sites

194 317

38 % 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

cto r
e
80

to V
a s ter 100 120 140 160 180 20 0 220

R
DEM

Site plan of the Soviet Period

 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

 sebstride@yahoo.it

bernardo.rondelli@disco.unimib.it
simone.mantellini@unibo.it
bernardo.rondelli@disco.unimib.it sebstride@yahoo.it simone.mantellini@unibo.it