Archaeology
The impact of the Mongol conquests on earthen cities in Central Asia
The conquest campaigns of the Mongol Empire took place in the first half of the thirteenth century, deposing the Persianate Khwarazmian Empire and seizing its territories from Kazakhstan to the Persian Gulf and the Caucasus.
Historical accounts, such as those by Rashid al-Din (AD 1247–1318) and Ata Malik Juvaini (AD 1226–1283), describe scenes of mass destruction and violence, massacring and enslaving populations.
Based on these descriptions, the destruction has been long been suggested to be the cause of the depopulation of the region’s earthen-built cities. However, a new study by Dr Katie Campbell from King’s College at the University of Cambridge, now suggests that the depopulation rather than the destruction, is the primary reason for urban abandonment, as the remaining populations lacked the manpower and resources to maintain the earthen structures and supporting irrigation systems.
Archaeological evidence in Central Asia has found little supporting evidence of the direct destruction by the Mongols that supports the described historical narrative; however, convincing examples can be found elsewhere in parts of Russia and Eastern Europe.
Instead, previous excavations report a trend of architectural abandonment and desolation, contradicting the Mongol destruction accounts.
According to the study, abandonment events can be tracked from the 12th to the 14th century at the sites of Merv and Otrar following the Mongol conquest, with evidence of renovations, and occasionally, destruction. It is probable that the economic, political, and environmental stresses caused by the Mongol disruptions exacerbated pre-existing issues and hastened urban decline in cities which were already struggling.
According to Dr Campbell, “Both archaeological and ethnographic evidence demonstrate the importance of maintenance to earthen-built cities, and the potential for significant disruption to urban infrastructure, especially architecture and irrigation, which would occur from a decrease in population.”
“The specific properties of earthen architecture, especially the availability and affordability of mud as a building material, led to low-level reuse, and a widespread pattern of the eventual movement of cities after it was no longer possible to maintain them,” added Dr Campbell.
With the extensive economic and population disruptions caused by the conquests, the cities no longer had a sizeable population to undertake their basic maintenance, initiating the deterioration of the urban fabric that was difficult or impossible to reverse. This likely meant that earthen buildings, and sometimes entire cities, were abandoned and rebuilt across the region.
Dr Campbell said: “As the result of the archaeological findings and accompanying historical patterns, I argue that textual sources describing the destruction and desolation of cities by the Mongols should be considered within the context of patterns of construction and maintenance, which had persisted in these earthen cities for centuries.”
“Although it is likely that the Mongols caused some damage to the urban fabric, they did not literally destroy entire cities. Nonetheless, they did cause a crisis of urbanism in Central Asia, predominantly because they disrupted cycles of maintenance by sending the urban population into flight,” added Dr Campbell.
The result was a series of destroyed medieval cities that were likely destroyed by natural erosion rather than by the Mongol attacks.
https://doi.org/10.1386/ijia_00118_1
Header Image: Otrar – Image Credit : Mikhail Gurulev – CC BY 4.0
The Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Caserta and Benevento have announced the discovery of a vast Iron Age necropolis in Amorosi, located in the Italian province of Benevento.
The necropolis was found in the Valle Telesina in the vicinity of the Volturno River during works for a new power plant being constructed by the Terna Group.
Excavations over an area of 13,000 square metres have identified 88 burials belonging to the “Pit Tomb Culture”, an Iron Age people that inhabited Campania before the emergence of the Italic Samnites.
The burials date from the 8th to the mid-7th century BC, and are a mix of male and female burials containing associated grave goods and funerary offerings. Ceramics of various shapes were placed as offerings at the feat of the deceased.
Image Credit : Superintendency of Archaeology
The male burials mainly contain weaponry, while the female burials have ornamental objects such as fibulae, bracelets, pendants, worked bone and amber.
According to the archaeologists, the burials are the interred remains of high status individuals, evidenced by the “objects of extraordinary prestige” that includes finely decorated bronze belts or bronze-rolled vessels.
The most significant discoveries are two monumental mound burials indicated by the presence of substantial stone circles measuring approximately 15 metres in diameter. The archaeologists theorise that the mound burials belonged to the elite members of the culture, possibly the ruling chieftain.
Samples of soil taken during the excavations were sent for an archaeobotanical analysis to provide data on the environment and flora, in addition to an anthropological analysis of the bone remains.
Header Image Credit : Superintendency of Archaeology
Sources : Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Caserta and Benevento
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
Archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture (Peruvian State) have uncovered ceramic vessels from the Chancay culture in the Chancay district of Lima, Peru.
The discovery was made following reports by locals of illegal excavations, an endemic problem in the region known as “Huaqueo” involving the exploitation of archaeological sites for artefacts to be sold on the black market.
Around 20,000 archaeological pieces are illegally extracted and trafficked out of Peru annually, which poses a constant danger to the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.
Following a joint inspection by officials of the Municipality of Chancay and the Ministry of Culture, archaeologists have recovered ten pre-Hispanic ceramic vessels belonging to the Chancay culture at the Lauri Archaeological Site.
The Chancay culture emerged after the fall of the Wari civilisation around AD 1,000 on the central coast of Peru. Parts of the southern Chancay area were conquered by the Chimú in the early 1400s, and by around AD 1450 the Inca had dominated the entire Chimú territory.
Among the recovered vessels are ceramic jugs, pots and plates, which the Chimú manufactured using moulds.
The vessels are decorated with the “black on white” style, a technique commonly associated with the Chimú that involved painting a white background on a rough matt surface, followed by a dark colour for the decorative elements.
According to the Peruvian State: “The initial evaluation of the vessels confirmed that they are noticeably deteriorated, and in some cases fragmented due to their exposure to adverse environmental conditions or their violent manipulation. Subsequently, the pieces were transferred to the institutional headquarters for their preservation.”
Header Image Credit : Ministry of Culture
Sources : Peruvian State
This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily
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