Comprehensive studies of the Russian-Turkmen Margiana archaeological expedition, working on the basis of the Center for Anthropoecology of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have resumed in Turkmenistan.
About this reports newscentralasia.net with reference to the IEA RAS.
Excavations began in April after a break due to the global pandemic. The field trip was attended by former members of the expedition - employees of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg), the Institute of Mineralogy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Mass, Chelyabinsk Region) and their colleagues from several scientific institutions and museums of Turkmenistan.
Excavations and related work are carried out under an agreement between the IEA RAS and the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan.
Excavations were carried out in two territories with a total area of more than 15002 to the south and south-west of the central complex of the famous Bronze Age monument Gonur-depe (Bayramali etrap, Mary velayat). Scientists have made a paleoanthropological study of bone remains collected from 31 burials.
Archaeologists also carried out work to calculate the density of the ancient population and clarify the specialization of the settlements adjacent to the central temple city.
The palace and the Kremlin at Gonur Depe were repaired and mothballed.
Also, scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences continued the restoration of a unique painting composition and mosaic compositions from the “Royal Necropolis” at the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan. These artifacts were found during excavations at Gonur Depe in 2019.
