Abstract
Since 2002 the Czech-Uzbekistani archaeological expedition has been conducting field research on regular basis in various parts of Surkhan Darya Province, south Uzbekistan, under the aegis of Charles University (Prague) and Termez State University. After 10 years of investigation of the Sherabad Oasis (2002-2011) - including the excavations at Jandavlat Tepa -, we moved to the foothills of Kugitang and Baysun, and most recently also to the vicinity of Jarkurgan.
The first decade of the research was commemorated by the exhibition "Into the Heart of Asia" held in Prague (2012) and Termez (2013). The current exhibition presents our activities of last ten years and their results.
The international team combined survey and excavation in order to to enhance knowledge of the eastern Kugitang foothill steppes and their settlement dynamics. Thus, the sites of Burgut Kurgan, Kayrit Tepa, Bobolangar, Iskandar Tepa, Daganajam, Mirzali, Kapchigay and others were targeted with either larger scale or limited/small scale archaeological excavations.
How did the historical landscape change over time in southern Central Asia? How was the landscape exploited by past local populations? Which period bears witness to the first permanent settlement in the Surkhan Darya foothill zones? Where were located refuges of the local population during the Alexander the Great's campaign? What is proper dating of the Darband Wall? These and other questions were addressed by the Czech-Uzbekistani expedition during the last 10 years. The exhibition seeks to show, whether we succeeded in their answering or not.