Work of Archaeological Expedition Supported by RGS Completed in Turkmenistan

A group of researchers from the Complex Southern Turkmenistan Archaeological Expedition of the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences has completed work in Southern Turkmenistan. The main task of this season was the study of the horizon dating back to the Early Paleolithic era, as well as the study of new architectural complexes of the Ilgynly-depe monument. The project is being implemented with the support of the Russian Geographical Society.

The studied layers at the excavation date back to the end of the 5th beginning of the 4th millennium BC. Thanks to the use of microstratigraphic methods, a team led by Natalya Solovyova, director of the Rescue Archaeology Center, was able to reconstruct the stages of construction, repair, and use of ancient buildings. Nikolai Tabolenko, a volunteer of the RGS, participated in the expedition. He managed to make several significant finds for science.
Ilgynly-depe is an early agricultural settlement in the south-east of Turkmenistan. It is located along the eastern foot of the Kopet Dag, about 240 km southeast of Ashgabat. The settlement was founded at the beginning or middle of the 5th millennium BC and existed for about 1,500 years.

Thanks to the work of the Complex Southern Turkmenistan Archaeological Expedition, the study of the northern outskirts of the Fertile Crescent, the region where humanity first mastered agriculture, began. Communities of the first pastoralists and farmers originated here, which marked the beginning of complex transformations that led to the emergence of modern civilization and various cultures.

The archaeologists' attention was attracted by living quarters with massive two-chamber stoves, which were used for cooking and, probably, handicraft needs. One of them is perfectly preserved: the walls with black plaster and a complex multi-level floor indicate a high level of construction skills of ancient craftsmen. Decorative elements resembling anthropomorphic figures were found on the facade of the furnace.

The yard plots adjacent to the living quarters contained traces of economic activity. Among the finds are fragments of pottery, animal bones, traces of industrial and ritual practices of ancient man. Stone tools, pieces of clay furniture, as well as traces of rituals, including cattle bones, indicate the complexity of the rituals performed by the inhabitants of the settlement. The identified remnants indicate a developed spiritual life of the community.

The work of the 2024 field season showed that Ilgynly-depe will be a source of new discoveries for a long time and will allow a better understanding of the early history of Central Asia.

In 2024, the Russian Geographical Society sent 86 volunteers to nine archaeological expeditions. Participants from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Cherepovets, Tver, Sevastopol, Tyumen, Krasnoyarsk, Lugansk, Yevpatoria, Kaluga, Vologda, Perm joined the archaeological excavations. It is noteworthy that foreign citizens from Belarus and Sri Lanka also showed interest in the project. The role of the RGS is to provide publicity for archaeological expeditions and fund volunteers.