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HISTORY OF THE STUDY OF THE JARKOTON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Ra’no Ergasheva Muzaffarbek kizi
Student at Namangan state university
Abstract:
This article analyzes the study history of the Zharkoton archaeological monument of
the Bronze Age of the Pottery culture. Since 1969, regular research has been conducted by
scholars from Tashkent state university and the institute of Archaeology of the Academy of
sciences. During archaeological excavations, a temple with a complex structure, economic
facilities, residential buildings, ceramics, metal objects and religious artifacts have been
discovered. The Jarkoton site holds great scientific significance for studying the socio-
economic life, beliefs and lifestyle of ancient peoples through its unique architectural style,
religious symbols found in artistic samples and material cultural monuments. This site has been
recognized as an important source for the study of proto-urban civilizations in Central Asia.
These archaeological findings not only reflect the richness of Uzbekistan’s historical heritage
but also play an important role in shedding light on the ancient stages of human history and
continue to attract significant interest in academic circles today.
Keywords:
Jarqoton, fire worship temple, jewelry, ceramic dishes, household items, holy
drink – khaoma.
ENTER
As a result of a meeting of the first President of the Respublic of Uzbekistan, I. A. Karimov,
with historians and archaeologists in 1998, the Resolution “On improving the activities of the
Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the republic of Uzbekistan” was adopted.
Based on the tasks in the paragraphs of this Resolution related to archaeology, a Concept for the
Development of the Science of Archaeology in Uzbekistan was developed. The Concept
became the main reason for the development of the field of Archaeology.
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 846 “On
Approval of the National List of Immovable Property Objects of Tangible Cultural Heritage” of
October 4, 2019, provided information for the implementation of search and excavation work at
archaeological monuments in the country. The Jarkoton settlement was also identified among
these monuments.
RESEARCH
Jarkoton, located on the left bank of the Bostonsoy stream, a tributary of the Sherabad River, in
the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region, is a monument dating back to the second half
of the II nd millennium BC. Its area is 100 hectares.
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Academician A. Askarov specifically noted that the formation of cities is historically necessary,
mainly due to the sedentary economic life of the population and the presence of three other
factors related to it. These are:
Firstly, favorable natural conditions, new fertile soil, water and other geographical factors;
Secondly, productive irrigated agriculture;
Thirdly, the emergence of agricultural technology that ensures agriculture [1. P – 25]. These are
due to the fact that the conditions were ripe for the emergence of a stratified society based on
economic factors in the emergence of the city, which was formed religiously, militarily and
politically. The radical changes that occurred in economic life, the discovery of an artificial
irrigation system in agriculture, provided the release of water from rivers to new lands through
main canals. The use of plows and animal power in tilling the land, the discovery of the wheel
and complex kiln in pottery, the technology of metal smelting and casting, the transition to the
use of domestic animals as transport, the invention of astronomy, astrology, sundials, calendars,
complex counting systems based on accumulated knowledge about the environment, and other
things led to stratification in social life.
Such advanced monuments consisted of three parts:
1. The arch section covered an area of 5 hectares. It was surrounded by defensive walls. The
remains of the palace here were excavated and studied. It was square in shape (36x36 meters in
size) and surrounded by a wall 4.5 m thick. The arch was entered through a special gate. In
collaboration with A. Askarov and his students, a whole metal smelting workshop was opened
here, and two two-tier circuler metal smelting furnaces were opened, built close to each other at
the “Metallurgical Plant”.
2. Shahriston – 50-75 hectares. In its highest part there was a temple of fire worship. The temple
was surrounded by a wall 4,5 m thick. It consisted of two parts, the sacred fire pit and the
production area. The fire pit was discovered in 1973 by an archaeological expedition led by A.
Askarov. The sacred part of this place was square in shape (35x35 m), where there were
elements related to the worship of sacred fire and water (sacred wells, altars, a khilkhona, a
treasury and a raised area with 4 main altars). In the production and economic part of the
temple there is a room for preparing the sacred drink – khaoma, workshops for preparing tomb
inventories, and a food warehouse dedicated to the temple. Glazed, decorative ceramic vessels,
clay human figurines, a vessel depicting the mythical bird Geruda – Humo, a ceramic pipe, and
other items were found here. One of the greatest achievements of archaeological researches was
the discovery of the grave of a tribal elder in one of the rooms during the excavation of
residential complexes built on a wide foundation platform in the Shahristan part. This is the
largest of the 4 rooms, with an area of 39 kv. m. A fireplace with a chimney is located inside its
western wall. Based on the material sources found in the grave, it was possible to determine
whether the elder was the leader of the community or his profession during his lifetime. The
elder’s grave contains more than 50 items, of which 17 are items related to the elder’s
profession. The deceased’s relatives placed various ceramic vessels, two bronze bowls, a
silverware jar, and two ladles in the grave so that his soul could reach the afterlife without any
worries. The items prove that the owner of the grave was a master goldsmith and blacksmith.
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3. The cemetery covered an area of 15-20 hectares [2. P – 189]. When the graves were opened
and studied, it was found that men were buried with their right side facing backward. Human
bones and small cylindrical conical vessels with a conical shape were found in seven graves.
These were symbols of the Zoroastrian religion. However, the remains of a cremation ground
were also found in this very place. During the excavation of the cemetery, grape and berry
seeds were found in the humus, which indicated that gardening was also quite developed.
From the analysis of the research, it can be concluded that the special cemeteries built outside
the settlement in Jarkoton were an important sign of the higher level of social development of
the society compared to Sopolli. During this period, the specialization of pottery in the Jarkoton
society was at a superior level in product production. In addition, the number and quality of
items found in the graves also indicate a relatively strong property stratification.
According to research, the life of the ancient city was divided into five stage:
1. Sopolli – 1700-1500 BC;
2. Jarkoton – 1500-1350 BC;
3. Kozali – 1350-1200 BC;
4. Molali – 1200-1000 BC;
5. Boston – 1000-900 BC.
As a result of continuous research work carried out at this monument since 1973, it became
possible to make many clarifications about the urbanization processes that took place in these
areas [3. P – 60]. The remains of dwellings, a temple, a pottery district, metal smelting
workshops, and more than 1,000graves were excavated and studied and the site. Residential
buildings were built of large-sized raw bricks (55x29x9 cm) with one or more rooms. The
floors and walls of the rooms were plastered with straw mud. The streets are norrow, and the
road leading to the temple is paved with gravel. In addition, a stone plowshare, numerous
ceramic vessels (pots, jugs, bowls, cups, plates), brass needles, awls, daggers, ceramic axes,
flint axes, brass jewelry (many ingots with colored stones, bracelets, carnelian, mirrors), beads
made of precious stones and bone, brass ingots, tribal seal stamps, remnants of fabric, and other
items were found in Jarkoton. The ceramic vessels were made so elegantly and resoundingly
that this indicates that pottery was very developed at that time.
There are a number of common features that allow us to compare the Jarkoton settlement
complex with the nomadic states. In particular, the fact that examples of writing typical of the
nomadic states of Mesopotamia were also found here is of great scientific importance. Sh.
Shaydullayev’s article on pictographic signs – inscriptions found in the south of Uzbekistan
was published in the press [3. P – 62]. According to the researcher, the discovery of a 47
character inscription on pottery from the Jarkoton monument shows that our ancestors created
pictographic writing in the bronze age and expressed their thoughts in various symbols
In 1994-2003, excavations were carried out at the Jarkoton settlement in collaboration with the
German Archaeological Institute. As a result of the excavations, a human bust, i.e.a statue of a
man made in the portrait genre, was found. It was made of clay and dried in the sun, but was
not well preserved because it was not burned in a fire [4].
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ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 06,2025
Journal:
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page 2002
From the analysis of the research conducted, it can be concluded that by the middle of the 2 nd
millennium BC, Jarkoton had become a strong stronghold of tribal associations of the
population engaged in farming in those regions. Apparently, through this stronghold, the
migration of the population from the north to the foothills of Hissar and the western regions of
Southern Tajikistan took place. The topography of the monuments found in these regions and
the process of their periodization showed that they were consistent. In addition, it is also known
that the development of this process created ample opportunities for the growth of the
population and the development of productive forces in the settlements of the sedentary farming
population on the right bank of the Amudarya in the second half of the 2 nd millennium BC.
According to scientists, life in Jarkoton ceased by the 10 th century BC due to a number of
natural and social reasons. Jarkoton, considered the first city of the bronze age, lost its position
as a cultural center, and traces of life that had flourished here for many years faded away.
In conclusion, it should be noted that when talking about the bronze age cities of Southern
Uzbekistan, it is worth noting that the monuments of this period have been studied only through
archaeological research, and the political-administrative structures and socio-economic
relations of this period have been studied on the basis of comparative analysis, without written
sources. Therefore, the conclusions of researchers about these processes have often been based
on assumptions. For example, A. Askarov and B. Abdullayev considered the Jarkoton stage of
the development of the Bronze Age (mid 2 nd millennium BC) to be the period of the collapse
of the primitive communal system, and the Kozali and Molali stages (late 2 nd millennium BC)
to be the period of the emergence of property inequality relations. V. I. Sarianidi, on the
contrary, suggests not to overestimate the general level of social development of Bactria, where
state relations began to form at the end of the 2 nd millennium BC – the beginning of the 1 st
millennium BC. Each scientist who studied the monument gave conclusions baset on the results
of the research. In many cases, these conclusions led to a veriety of opinions. However,
scientific research has fully confirmed that all the features and signs of the early city were
reflected here. As mentioned above, the remains of a portrait sculpture were found. If this
sculpture had been burned in a fire, it would have survived to the present day. The examples of
sculpture and art in Jarkoton have not yet been well studied, and examples of applied art have
not been revealed. Studying these is one of the important tasks facing modern archaeologists. It
is the duty of us archaeologists to establish museums in these places and preserve the
monuments for future generations. Museums, on the other hand, create an opportunity to
directly expand the scope of research and take a closer look at them in practice, expanding the
circle of local and tourist interest.
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3. Эшов Б. Ўрта Осиёнинг қадимги шаҳарлари тарихи. – Т. “Фан ва технологиялар”. 2008.
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https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/jarqo-ton-yodgorligi-xususida-ayrim-mulohazalar
