Pottery excavated from the site of Sazakan. Profile picture
Joint archaeological teams conduct investigative excavations at the Rabat site. Profile picture
With the proposal of the "Belt and Road" initiative, in December 2013, Northwest University of China signed a cooperation agreement with the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan to form a Joint Archaeological Team of China and Uzbekistan to carry out archaeological work in Uzbekistan, with a view to discovering the remains of the Yueshi culture on the ancient Silk Road and making efforts to restore the historical features of the Silk Road.
The Chinese team of the joint archaeological team has absorbed researchers from Northwest University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Museum of China, the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute and other units, with multidisciplinary backgrounds in history, archaeology, language, biology, physics, chemistry, and computers. In addition to the Ukrainian team members from the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, teachers and students from Tashkent University, Fergana University and Timez University also joined in. "This joint archaeological work is the inheritance and development of the tradition of people-to-people exchanges and the spirit of mutual learning and mutual learning on the Silk Road." Professor Wang Jianxin, leader of the joint archaeological team and director of the Silk Road Archaeology Center of Northwest University, said.
With the full cooperation of the members of the archaeological teams of the two countries, breakthroughs have been made in archaeological work. Using an archaeological model that combines large-scale systematic regional investigation with small-scale excavations, from September to November 2015, the archaeological team found the site of Sazagan belonging to the remnants of the Kangju culture in the front area of the northern foothills of the Xitian Mountains, southwest of Samarkand, echoing the historical facts of Zhang Qian's arrival in Yueshi through Kangju in the "History of Dawan Lie", which is exciting.
In 2016, a joint archaeological team discovered the ruins of Rabat in the small town of Baisun in southern Uzbekistan. Wang Jianxin introduced that from the perspective of the tomb shape system and burial customs of the cemetery in the site, the site is similar to the remains of the ancient nomadic culture from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century BC in the Dongtianshan area of Xinjiang, China. At the same time, in terms of temporal and spatial scope and cultural characteristics, the Rabat site is more consistent with the ancient Chinese literature on Yueshi, which can be inferred as the archaeological and cultural remains of Yueshi. So far, the Sino-Ukrainian joint archaeology has achieved phased results, which provides us with richer physical evidence for us to further understand the prosperity of the ancient Silk Road and to deeply study the history of cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia from a global perspective.
In addition to archaeological excavations, the concept of cultural relics protection has also been running through the entire joint archaeological work. "We can't just protect cultural relics." Wang Jianxin said. From the first day of excavation, the joint archaeological team has maintained a responsible attitude, and all excavations must be backfilled for protection after the completion of archaeological work.
In February 2019, the "Sino-Ukrainian Joint Archaeological Achievements Exhibition - Archaeological Discoveries of Yueshi and Kangju" was opened at the State History Museum of Uzbekistan. For the first time, 80 artifacts excavated at the sites of Sazargan and Rabat, including glass, jade and agate, were exhibited.
"Uzbekistan has a long history of exchanges with China. Over the years, the cooperation between archaeologists of the two countries has achieved very important results, and the Joint Archaeological Project of Ukraine and China has provided important information for the study and discussion of trade exchanges and cultural exchanges between the two countries in history. Dr. Amurddin Berdyn Murodov, head of the Joint Archaeological Project and former director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, said.
Up to now, the joint archaeological team has held international conferences and exhibitions in Termez, Tashkent, Xi'an and Beijing around the achievements of Sino-Ukrainian joint archaeology. The two countries shared the joint archaeological results in a timely manner, which was widely praised by the archaeological community and the public. At present, the project is still continuing to advance, and the cooperation institutions of the two countries have maintained active communication and consultation on cooperation matters after the improvement of the epidemic situation.
"The archaeological research of the Silk Road provides a scientific basis for the protection and inheritance of the cultural heritage of the Silk Road, and will also promote mutual understanding and friendship between China and the people of countries and regions along the 'Belt and Road'." Wang Jianxin said.
Typography: Cai Huawei
People's Daily ( 2022-01-14 17th edition)