Agriculture in the Karakum: An archaeobotanical analysis from Togolok 1, southern Turkmenistan (ca. 2300–1700 B.C.)

Abstract

Southern Central Asia witnessed widespread expansion in urbanism and exchange, between roughly 2200 and 1500 B.C., fostering a new cultural florescence, sometimes referred to as the Greater Khorasan Civilization. Decades of detailed archeological investigation have focused on the development of urban settlements, political systems, and inter-regional exchange within and across the broader region, but little is known about the agricultural systems that supported these cultural changes. In this paper, we present the archaeobotanical results of material recovered from Togolok 1, a proto-urban settlement along the Murghab River alluvial fan located in southeastern Turkmenistan. This macrobotanical assemblage dates to the late 3rd - early 2nd millennia B.C., a time associated with important cultural transformations in southern Central Asia. We demonstrate that people at the site were cultivating and consuming a diverse range of crops including, barley, wheat, legumes, grapes, and possibly plums and apples or pears. This, together with the associated material culture and zooarchaeological evidence, suggest a regionally adapted mixed agropastoral economy. The findings at Togolok 1 contribute to the ongoing discussion of dietary choices, human/landscape interactions, and the adaptation of crops to diverse ecosystems in prehistoric Central Asia.

The Domestication and Dispersal of Large-Fruiting Prunus spp.: A Metadata Analysis of Archaeobotanical Material

“…Some Prunus sp. fragments recovered by the authors from Bronze Age sites in Turkmenistan (Adji Kui 1 and Togolok 1) [90,91] resemble published drawings of insititia stones from Samovodene [89]; however, ethnobotanical remains of Prunus species col- S1.…”

“…Some Prunus sp. fragments recovered by the authors from Bronze Age sites in Turkmenistan (Adji Kui 1 and Togolok 1) [90,91] resemble published drawings of insititia stones from Samovodene [89]; however, ethnobotanical remains of Prunus species collected in Central Asia, including insititia and cerasifera plums, look dissimilar to the archaeological specimens and the unclear taxonomic division hinders precise identification of such types of remains. S1.…”

Agriculture along the upper part of the Middle Zarafshan River during the first millennium AD: A multi-site archaeobotanical analysis

“…Finding lentils and chickpeas in Penjikent and Afrasiab is noteworthy for the Middle Zarafshan Basin, since they had not been recovered prior and were not mentioned in the textual sources for this region prior. Fava bean is a rare legume in Central Asia, and the earliest evidence comes from two sites in Turkmenistan–Togolok [ 44 ] and Adji-Kui [ 45 ]–dated to the late third and early second millennia BC. Fava bean has also been reported at Mugh, and the authors of the report suggested that the beans were morphologically similar to ones from Afghanistan [ 46 ].…”

“…evidence comes from two sites in Turkmenistan-Togolok [44] and Adji-Kui [45]-dated to the late third and early second millennia BC. Fava bean has also been reported at Mugh, and the authors of the report suggested that the beans were morphologically similar to ones from Afghanistan [46].…”