Zoning of Excavations in the Fergana Valley
Zoning of Excavations
The above-ground stone structures (crypts) were divided by M.E. Voronets (1954) and the author of this text (1954) into crypts - mug-khona and stone boxes (see also the table in Zadneprovsky's work). B.A. Litvinsky (1972), not finding differentiating features, combined all varieties of above-ground structures under the concept of "kurums" - similar to a unified catacomb-subterranean culture. The division of the diverse constructions of kurums is a crucial task and will be the subject of a special study. Here, we note that the stone above-ground crypts are mainly concentrated in the territory of Southwestern Kyrgyzstan and hold significant importance for the history of the nomadic population of Kyrgyzstan. The above-ground adobe crypts have not yet been published. They were discovered by N.G. Gorbunova in the cemeteries of the IV district, and the development of their classification is a matter for the future.
Zoning. In the arrangement of monuments with graves of the same type in the territory of the Fergana Valley, a certain regularity is noticeable, which I noted at the time (1954). This is despite the fact that in many cases, in the same area and cemetery, burials in catacombs, substructures, and ground graves are found. However, the ratio of graves of carved types can vary. All this allows for the identification of geographical groups of monuments and the implementation of zoning. My first experience with zoning within Southern Kyrgyzstan was presented in 1960. B.A. Litvinsky sharply opposed this experience, categorically stating: "There is currently no possibility to provide a scientifically justified scheme for detailed zoning" (1972, p. 127). Without delving into the details of the discussion, we note that almost 10 years later, relying on the same materials that B.A. Litvinsky had, and on the monuments I studied, N.G. Gorbunova came to a completely different conclusion, namely about the legitimacy of zoning and that "subsequent works generally confirm the possibility of his (Zadneprovsky's, - Y.Z.) scheme" (1981, p. 84).
In light of the latest data on the studied cemeteries, summarized in Table 1, a more refined zoning can be proposed on the scale of the entire Fergana Valley. The mapping of monuments (Fig. 3) led to the identification of eight groups - districts. Incidentally, we note that our scheme provides a more accurate representation of the location of cemeteries than the works of predecessors.
Table 2. Distribution of cemeteries and burial mounds of different types by districts
*Excluding the Vorukh cemeteries
** Excluding the Kok-Tash cemetery
In total, the author was able to account for 78 excavated cemeteries. It should be noted that all the figures in Table 2 are approximate, oriented, since we do not have precise information about the number of studied burial mounds. Not all districts are equal in size and number of burials. Table 2 presents the ratios of the main types of graves in percentages.
1st district - the interfluve of Ak-Su and Khoja-Bakirgan, Southwest. Here, catacombs predominate, making up 80% of all excavated burial mounds. There are only 4 substructures. Very few ground graves. Catacombs are represented by two types - the Kenkol type and a peculiar - Kairagach type, found only in this district. There are specific features in the material culture, significantly influenced by the proximity to the Tashkent oasis. All this provides grounds to highlight this district as a special local variant of the catacomb burial culture of Fergana.
2nd district - the interfluve of Laylak - Sokh. Contains the largest number of cemeteries from the Davani period. The monuments of this district are the most studied. Here, substructures predominate, the bulk of which is concentrated in this district. Table 2 presents two variants of the percentage ratio of burial mound types: the first - for the entire aggregate, the second without the three Vorukh cemeteries, which contained a lot of ground graves and which are presumed to have constituted a separate group. According to the second variant, substructures predominate in the district - 75%, and the number of ground graves is approximately equal to their number in the 1st district. In contrast to the 1st district, there are significantly fewer catacombs here. Even Yu.D. Baruzdin (1962) believed that the monuments of Isfara-Batken constitute a single archaeological culture, although he did not name it the Karabulak culture. This name appeared later. B.A. Litvinsky (1972) calls it the Karabulak-Vorukh culture.
3rd district - the valley of Haidarken. One cemetery, Obishir, has been studied, the arrangement of graves in which could not be reliably traced. The allocation of this district is explained by the fact that Haidarken is a separate geographical area, one of the intermountain depressions stretching in a chain from west to east - from the Isfanin depression (the interfluve of Ak-Su-Khoja-Bakirgan) in the west to the Naukat depression in the east. Only further work on the cemeteries here will show whether the allocation of this district is justified or to which other district it should be attached.
4th district - valleys of the northern slope of the Alai Range. Here, there is a different ratio of grave types. We provide two variants of the percentage ratio: the first - according to the calculations of N.G. Gorbunova (1981), the second - according to the author's calculations, which exclude data on the substructures of the Kok-Tash Vadil cemetery, which relate to a later time. According to our calculations, it turns out that catacombs are represented here less than in the 1st district, but 3-4 times more than in the monuments of the 2nd district of the Karabulak culture. Moreover, in these cemeteries, a peculiar type of catacomb, the Hangiz type, which predominates in the district, is distinguished by its construction. In the Hangiz cemetery, N.G. Gorbunova discovered above-ground brick structures (crypts). Cultural features were noted by me in 1960 and are also noted in the works of N.G. Gorbunova. There are sufficient grounds to consider the monuments of this district as yet another separate, local variant of the catacomb burial culture of Fergana.
5th district - valleys of the northern slope of the Turkestan Range. Here, unique above-ground stone structures and the only group of mug-khona on the left bank of the Syr Darya in Niyazbek are concentrated. There is still insufficient material to resolve the question of the connection of the monuments here with the northwest of Fergana or to highlight an independent district.
6th district - southeast Fergana. Previously, only three burial mounds were known here. Currently, their number has increased, and the district occupies a vast territory. Here, burial mounds of the same type are represented in small numbers, and it cannot be said that any one type predominates. As data accumulates, it will be necessary to clarify the general boundaries of the district and possibly require its division into parts.
7th district – north of Fergana. Three cemeteries have been studied, among them the fairly widely excavated Gurmiron, which stands out for its specific type of catacombs, as well as the Munchak cemetery near Papa, where B. Matbabaev discovered burials in catacombs, and in 1986, unique burials in coffins made of reed bundles with a large amount of accompanying inventory. The latter deserves special consideration. It is still unclear what their relationship is with Gurmiron. Based on the materials from Gurmiron, one can speak of a local variant of the catacomb burial culture of Fergana.
8th district - northwest Fergana. Here, unique above-ground stone crypts are concentrated (practically unknown outside of Fergana), stone arches, and other varieties, united under the common term "kurums." The uniqueness of the culture of the nomads in this district is so pronounced that it is reasonable to highlight it as a separate archaeological culture, which A. Litvinsky (1972) called the Asht culture.
In conclusion, it can be stated that for the five districts there are types of burials characteristic only to each of them. That is, the districts are distinguished by the predominance of a particular type of grave. The monuments of two districts are highlighted as separate archaeological cultures - the Karabulak culture and the Asht culture. The cemeteries of the 1st, 4th, and 7th districts can be considered as local variants of the catacomb burial culture of Fergana. The legitimacy of the allocation of the 3rd and 5th districts requires additional evidence. The same applies to the 6th district. The status of these districts can only be clarified after the publication and accumulation of new materials.
The following regularities are observed in the arrangement of cemeteries. 1. Burials in catacombs are widely and universally distributed. 2. The greatest variability is noted in the types of catacombs. 3. The local Fergana type of catacombs - Hangiz type - is quite widely spread. 4. Burials in substructures are concentrated mainly in one or two districts. 5. Stone above-ground crypts and the so-called kurums are concentrated only in Northwest Fergana.
The proposed zoning represents a development of my work from 1960 and mainly coincides with the zoning of N.G. Gorbunova (1981). Without going into specifics, it can be stated that the main disagreement relates to the area of interpretation and consists in the fact that all the groups she identified are considered parts of one culture and even more so - she mechanically combines the monuments of nomads and farmers of the Davani period into the concept of the Kugaiko-Karabulak culture, which, in my opinion, is hardly permissible.
Varieties of catacombs in the Isfara Valley
