The Kulal Tepa A chaeological P ojec : P elimina y epo
o he i s season o a chaeological su ey, au umn 2023
(sou he n Uzbekis an)
Jakub Ha lík– Kah amon Toshaliye – Adam Ho a– Ma ie Hořeníno á–
Shapula Shaydullae – Lau en Mo is
ABSTRACT
This epo in oduces he backg ound and me hods o he su ey pa o he Kulal Tepa A chaeological
P ojec o he Czech-Uzbekis ani A chaeological Expedi ion, which combines ex ensi e su ace su ey,
sys ema ic su ace collec ion, and emo e sensing, and ou lines he p elimina y esul s o i s i s season
in 2023. The su ace assemblages show in he alley o Kulal Tepa only alimi ed pas ac i i y ela ed ei he
o he P ehis o y o o he High Medie al and P e -Mode n pe iods. On he o he hand, his a ea seems o
ha e been s eadily occupied in he An ique and Ea ly Medie al pe iods. Al hough only asmall po ion o he
alley was used du ing he Hellenis ic and T ansi ional/Ea ly Kushan pe iod ( he si e o Iskanda Tepa), he
collec ed ma e ial sugges s asubs an ial de elopmen da ed om no la e han he Kushano -Sasanian pe iod,
esul ing in an iden i ied a e ac sca e s e ching on a ound 80 ha a ound Kulal Tepa. Acombina ion o
mo e o less s able se lemen ac i i ies and i iga ed ag icul u e is sugges ed as ap elimina y in e p e a ion.
KEYWORDS
Cen al Asia; No he n Bac ia; a chaeological su ey; landscape a chaeology; Kushano -Sasanian pe iod.
INTRODUCTION
The Kushan Empi e has long been associa ed wi h excep ional u ban g ow h in he p e -Islamic
his o y o he egion (Li inskiy 1973; Pugachenko a– R eladze 1990, 67–76; Li insky
1996; Le iche 2007) e lec ing he a en ion paid adi ionally by a chaeologis s o he la ge
An ique pe iod u ban cen es.
1
Howe e , u al se lemen s– hei an ipole and complemen a y
pa ne – ha e been s udied conside ably less, usually in he o m o ex ensi e su ey and
exca a ions o only limi ed ex en , p edominan ly es enches (e.g., R eladze– Khakimo
1973; Pidae 1978). The cha ac e o he e idence on he An ique pe iod u al se lemen in
No he n Bac ia is agmen a y o a ious easons and shaped s ongly by he p e ailing
scale o in es iga ions. The ocus o he esea ch has been p edominan ly ei he on he le el
o indi idual si e ( ypically epa si es) o on he (mic o-) egional le el and si e dis ibu ion
pa e ns in he landscape, and u al se lemen esea ch in Bac ia s ill la gely lacs acomplex
pe spec i e on he communi y le el o se lemen , i.e. conside ing also ase lemen ’simmedi-
a e su oundings, which we e ine i ably used and exploi ed by apas communi y o a ious
pu poses, such as ag icul u e, pas u e, p oduc ion, ex ac ion, cul ic and une al ac i i ies, e c.
The Kulal Tepa A chaeological P ojec , which ope a es unde he auspices o he Czech-Uz-
bekis ani A chaeological Expedi ion, was hus ini ia ed o o m anew da ase a ge ing he
1 The e m An ique pe iod is e e ed he e as he la e 4 h cen u y BCE– 4 h cen u y AD. The La e An-
ique pe iod co esponds he e oughly o he 3 d–4 h cen u ies AD.
STUDIA HERCYNIA XXVIII/2, 177–190
178 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXVIII/2
communi y le el o pas u al se lemen ac i i ies, using a ange o exca a ion and su ey
me hodologies. As discussed in mo e de ail elsewhe e in his issue (Mo ise al. 2024), he
impe us o his esea ch is signi ican lacunae in ou knowledge o he scope and ca alys s o
economic de elopmen in he Cen al Asian egion o Bac ia -Tokha is an unde he Kushan
Empi e (1s –3 d cen u ies AD), he opic o ala ge esea ch p ojec a Cha les Uni e si y.2 This
epo in oduces he backg ound and me hods o he su ey componen o he Kulal Tepa
A chaeological P ojec , and an o e iew o p elimina y esul s gained du ing he i s ield
season in 2023. The o e all p ojec and i s backg ound a e p esen ed and discussed in de ail
in Mo ise al. (2024), ollowed by he p elimina y esul s o he i s season o exca a ion.
Kulal Tepa is asmall, mounded si e loca ed in a la alley in eas e n Kugi ang piedmon s
(She abad dis ic , sou he n Uzbekis an)– asemi -a id oo hill s eppe zone o no he n Bac-
ia, and an a ea whe e he Czech-Uzbekis ani Expedi ion has been ac i e inc easingly since
2010. P e ious su ey done by he Czech -Uzbekis ani expedi ion (S ančoe al. 2017, 130–132;
S ančo 2020, 152–155) sugges ed ha he main pe iod o occupa ion s e ches be ween he
G ea Kushan and Kushano -Sasanian pe iods (i.e., 1s –4 h c. AD) wi h only alimi ed o no e-
-occupa ion o he si e and i s immedia e icini y in he la e pe iods. This ac , oge he wi h
2 Ru al li e in achanging wo ld: new ligh on economic de elopmen and inequali y in Cen al Asia
unde he Kushan Empi e (PRIMUS/23/HUM/013). P incipal in es iga o : L. Mo is. The p ojec
is implemen ed a he Facul y o A s, Cha les Uni e si y.
Fig. 1: The loca ion o Kulal Tepa wi hin he Loylagan alley. Map by J. Ha lík wi h acon ibu ion
o A. Vilím Augus ino á. Basemap: Bing.
179J. HAVLÍK– K. TOSHALIYEV– A. HORA– M. HOŘENÍNOVÁ– S. SHAYDULLAEV– L. MORRIS
he p esence o he La e Hellenis ic epheme al se lemen a Iskanda Tepa nea by, eplaced
la e by he T ansi ional/Ea ly Kushan pe iod bu ial g ound, and he only limi ed landscape
damage caused by mode n ag icul u al ac i i ies, make he si e ap omising candida e o
in es iga ing landscape use de elopmen in ama ginal a ea h ough he An ique pe iod, as
well as bene i ing om and con ibu ing o he expedi ion’sb oade esea ch agenda in his
a ea. Being he i s p elimina y epo on he su ey in he alley o Kulal Tepa on esea ch
midway, his a icle aims nei he o be acomp ehensi e o e iew o he collec ed da a no
o answe he esea ch ques ions, bu o summa ise he cou se o he i s season o su ace
su ey and p o ide e lec ions on i s p elimina y esul s.
RESEARCH AREA AND BACKGROUND
Being loca ed on he wes e n edge o ala ge sedimen a y basin known as he Tajik dep es-
sion, he Kugi ang moun ains, cha ac e ised by d ama ic angula peaks ( he highes poin a
Ay ibaba, 3139 m.a.s.l.) wi h s eep walls and sha p ocky idges, o m he p esen -day bo de
be ween Tu kmenis an and Uzbekis an. A he middle and lowe al i udes be ween ca. 500
and 1200 m.a.s.l., he s eep idges al e na e wi h d y olling s eppes in e wo en wi h deep
cu i e alleys and nume ous d y s eam beds de ining he ansi ional oo hill landscape.
The semi -a id, con inen al clima e is he e dis inguished by d as ic empe a u e a ia ions
be ween bo h day and nigh , and summe and win e . While he p edominan expanse o
hilly d y s eppes is equen ed by shephe ds wi h hei locks h oughou he yea , limi ed
pocke s o ege a ion, so called mic ooases, si ua ed along he pe ennial s eams and in he
icini y o sp ings allow he de elopmen o ho icul u e and small -scale ag icul u e, and
hus na u ally a ac s as able human occupa ion.
The alley o Kulal Tepa (a ound 800 m.a.s.l.) is loca ed in he no he n pa o he eas e n
Kugi ang piedmon s ca. 4 km o he eas om he illage o Loylagan, which is si ua ed along
he banks o he Loylagan Say i e . One o he uppe e aces o Loylagan Say ans o ms
g adually in o apa allel side alley su ounded on bo h sides by la ele a ed pla eaux ha
ollow he o ien a ion o anameless mino seasonal s eam. Being o med by acombina ion
o collu ial and allu ial p ocesses, he alley o Kulal Tepa is ela i ely la in i s na u e, gen ly
sloping owa ds sou h -eas and he alley o She abad Da ya. Excep o d y s eam beds ed
occasionally in win e and ea ly sp ing by ainwa e , he e is no sou ce o wa e in he icin-
i y o Kulal Tepa, and no e en his o ical mili a y maps sugges any p esence o eshwa e
sou ces, such as sp ings o wells. The only po en ial s able sou ce o wa e o he alley o
Kulal Tepa is he oday de unc wa e channel– a yk– unning unde he sou he n slopes o
he alley, which ook wa e di ec ly om he Loylagan Say ca. 5.5 km ups eam (Fig. 1). This
wa e channel was pa ly ebuil in conc e e du ing he So ie pe iod, howe e , bo h e ain
ea u es and es imony o locals con i m i s use also in he P e -So ie pe iod. The exis ence o
ap edecesso o his wa e channel in he An ique pe iod is one o he wo king hypo heses
o explana ion o o he de elopmen o ape manen se lemen in his, o mos o he yea
o he wise d y, alley.
The moun ain i e alleys o he eas e n Kugi ang piedmon s, especially hei la i e
e aces, ep esen ajec o ies o nowadays communica ion, and o ace ain deg ee, his
p obably also applied o he pas mobili y (c . Ha lík– Shaydullae 2024, 20–22). Loca ed
a ound 2.5 km as he c ow lies om he i e , Kulal Tepa is placed jus by he mode n oad,
which p o ides easy access o one o he ew c ossings o he moun ains in he wes e n di-
ec ion ( o Sogdiana) h ough he Da ai Tangi go ge. Gi en i s loca ion, he si e was al eady
180 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXVIII/2
known o local a chaeologis s be o e he ini ia ion o he Czech -Uzbekis ani su eys in he a ea
(Bobokhojae – Annae – Rakhmano 1990, 26–27; S e chko 2005, 42; c . S ančoe al.
2020, 146 and Mo ise al. 2024 o he summa y), howe e , i had no been in es iga ed in
de ail be o e. Six yea s a e he i s b ie econnaissance su eys in 2010–2011, since 2017 he
Loylagan Say alley has become one o he key a eas o in es iga ion o he Czech -Uzbekis ani
Expedi ion: Adisco e y o he La e Hellenis ic si e o Iskanda Tepa jus abou 350 m o he
sou h -wes o Kulal Tepa (S ančoe al. 2017, 130–132) was ollowed by la ge -scale exca a ions
(S ančoe al. 2020) and geophysical su ey ha led o iden i ica ion o he Yuezhi -T ansi ional
bu ial g ound su ounding he olde se lemen (L. S ančo and J. Kysela, wo k in p og ess).
The ex ensi e su ey o he su ounding a ea has shown se lemen ac i i ies anging
ch onologically be ween he La e B onze Age and he P e -Mode n pe iod, loca ed p edom-
inan ly in he close icini y o he pe ennial i e , as a ule on i s i s e ace o on he su -
ounding slopes (Vilím Augus ino á 2024). Among he se lemen si es, he exca a ions o
asmall walled hill op se lemen a Mi zali Ku gan nea he hamle o Khojay Go shown he
occupa ion ime span ch onologically co esponding o ha o Iskanda Tepa and Kulal Tepa
(S ančoe al. 2022, 106–110; Baza o 2024), p o iding e idence o he An ique pe iod human
ac i i ies loca ed di ec ly in he Loylagan Say i e alley. In he immedia e icini y o he Ku-
lal Tepa, he emains o asmall epa mound, Tig man Tepa (see below), damaged by mode n
ag icul u e, as well as an ex ensi e a e ac sca e we e iden i ied. In e ms o ch onology, he
po e y dis ibu ed in he ields and on he summi o he small epa e ealed he same da ing
as he ma e ial collec ed on he summi and slopes o Kulal Tepa. Howe e , an ex ensi e su ey
did no allow he Czech -Uzbekis ani eam o de ine nei he he dimensions o he sca e no he
exac she d densi ies, which could ell mo e abou he pas use o he space on he alley bo -
om and he po en ial o igin o he a e ac s. The complemen a y su ey ocusing on he non-
-se lemen componen s o he cul u al landscape, namely he ku gan mounds and o he s one
ea u es (s one se ings and cai ns; see Ha lík– Ha líko á– S ančo 2018) supplemen ed his
iew and demons a ed he pas landscape exploi a ion a beyond he na ow s ip a ound
he i e . Al hough he ku gans nea Loylagan ha e been iden i ied and in es iga ed al eady
since he 1970s (Duke 1975), hei sepulch al unc ion has no been sa is ac o ily con i med
ye (c ., Li inskiy– Sedo 1984, 134; S a k 2008, 274–275; Ha lík– Ha líko á– S ančo
2018). The en a i e ch onological a ibu ion o he Loylagan ku gans o he pe iod be ween
he La e An iqui y and P e -Islamic Middle Ages has been sugges ed (Duke 1975; Bolelo 1994;
Ha lík– Ha líko á– S ančo 2018, 157), co esponding in an in e es ing way also o he la e
phases o he Kulal Tepa alley occupa ion (see below; c . Mo ise al. 2024).
SURVEY OBJECTIVES
The design o he a chaeological su ace su ey aims o b ing ase o me hods complemen a y
o he ocus o he Kulal Tepa exca a ions and in es iga e he mounded si e and i s su ound-
ings as pa o acon inuous cul u al landscape. The su ey ocuses on abe e unde s anding
o he local le el ans o ma ion o he piedmon s eppe landscape and i s (economic) use in
along - e m pe spec i e. Al hough he pe iod con empo aneous o he occupa ion span o
Kulal Tepa, i.e., he An ique pe iod, ep esen s he main ocus o he esea ch p ojec , hu-
man ac i i ies ela ed o he o he pe iods canno be omi ed. Special a en ion is paid o he
ac i i ies subsequen o he abandonmen o Kulal Tepa, ine i ably in luencing he s a e o
p ese a ion o he a chaeological emains in he Kulal Tepa alley. Using di e se esea ch
componen s (see below), he objec i e o a chaeological su ey is o assess he cha ac e
181J. HAVLÍK– K. TOSHALIYEV– A. HORA– M. HOŘENÍNOVÁ– S. SHAYDULLAEV– L. MORRIS
and in ensi y o pas human ac i i ies in he immedia e icini y o Kulal Tepa, including he
pla eaux su ounding he la alley bo om: How did he se lemen s uc u e change o e
ime? Is i possible o iden i y apas , Kushan, Kushano -Sasanian pe iod, o la e , mic o -oasis
su ounding he epa? A e he e any aces o pas ac i i y oci, an ancien ield sys ems o
i iga ion channels? We e he e o he se lemen s sca e ed in he alley? In ab oade pe -
spec i e, he su ey aims o con ibu e o cla i ying he ela ionship be ween well -de ined
epa mounds (a ypical ocus o Cen al Asian a chaeology) and hei su oundings.
Fig. 2: The alley o Kulal Tepa. View om he no h -wes . The mound o Kulal Tepa is isible as
heda k spo in he dis ance. The a yk leading o Kulal Tepa men ioned in he ex is si ua ed
on he o he side o he alley ( op igh ). Pho o by J. Ha lík.
METHODOLOGY
DEFINING THE SURVEY AREA
The landscape o he eas e n Kugi ang piedmon s is cha ac e ised by he ugged and mani old
na u e o he as piedmon s eppe. Al hough he d y s eppe en i onmen usually p o ides
a chaeologis s wi h nea -ideal condi ions o pedes ian su ace su ey (spa se o no ege-
a ion co e , good passabili y as well as only limi ed ex en o he a ea used o ag icul u e
o building pu poses signi ican ly acili a es he ecogni ion o su ace ea u es as well as
a e ac collec ion), he de ining landscape uni s o be used o sys ema ic su ace sampling
may encoun e many p ac ical p oblems. While employing small geomo phological uni s
may in he ield ep esen a e y ime -consuming ask, la ge uni s such as i e basins a e
usually oo la ge o be co e ed wi h su icien in ensi y wi hin he ime ame o asingle
p ojec . Gi en he aims o he su ey pa o he Kulal Tepa A chaeological P ojec o ien ed
owa ds iden i ica ion o pas ac i i ies ela ed o he occupa ion o he se lemen mound
and e alua ion o hei ex en and dis ibu ion, an adap i e app oach was applied based on
he Euclidean dis ance om he epa, na u ally esul ing in he concen ic polygons o almos
egula ly ci cula shape. Ano he decisi e ac o in de ining he su ey a ea is he easibili y
and p ac icabili y o he ield pa o he p ojec . Being limi ed by only h ee ield seasons o
ou weeks du a ion, he dis ance om he ee o he epa mound o be su eyed was se o
1.000 m, which can be ex ended– in he case o acon inuous occu ence o a e ac s– up o
2.500 m, ei he by co e ing acon iguous a ea o wi h aless ime -consuming ansec me hod
(see below). The same dis ance was also used o he de ini ion o a ea o he ex ensi e su -

182 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXVIII/2
ey and emo e sensing. While co e ing all he ex en o he Kulal Tepa alley ( o he wes i
opens owa d he i e , o he sou h he alley ge s na ow and disappea s in he small hills in
he di ec ion o he illage o Ega chi), his in e al also almos p ecisely co esponds o he
dis ance be ween Kulal Tepa and Loylagan Say o he sou h and he no name say o he no h.
RESEARCH COMPONENTS AND SAMPLING STRATEGY
The esea ch design consis s o h ee main esea ch componen s aimed a p o iding a a ie y
o scales o in es iga ion o he physically di e se en i onmen o he Kulal Tepa alley:
1) Sys ema ic emo e sensing– isual analysis o sa elli e image y
2) Ex ensi e opog aphical (on -si e) su ey
3) Sys ema ic (o -si e) su ey
Remo e sensing in he o m o isual in e p e a ion o sa elli e image y co e s asqua e a ea
5 × 5 km cen ed in Kulal Tepa. This phase o esea ch was p eceded by he s udy o ca og aphic
da a, mos impo an ly he So ie mili a y maps (Карты Генштаба) o he a ea in a ious
scales, an al eady well es ablished and impo an app oach in Cen al Asian a chaeology (c .,
Rondelli– S ide– Ga cía -G ane o 2013 o discussion). S udy o ca og aphic sou ces
enabled mapping he depic ed an h opogenic ea u es as well as he pa hway and wa e way
ne wo k co esponding o he second hal o he 20 h cen u y ( he mos accu a e maps co e-
spond o 1960s–1970s, howe e , o ace ain ex en hey clea ly e lec an olde si ua ion cap-
u ed on he sou ce maps no a ailable o ou eam (c ., in o ma ion on pa icula map shee s).
Subsequen ly, sa elli e image y o a ious da es was employed o map all he an h opogenic
ea u es o a chaeological signi icance in he de ined a ea. In addi ion o he eely a ailable
mode n sa elli e image y (Es i, Bing, Google Ea h), he U.S. declassi ied image y (CORONA
KH-4 and HEXAGON KH-9) was employed, allowing ou eam o assess he g ound si ua ion
in he la e 1960s o la e 1970s.
As desc ibed abo e, he ex ensi e opog aphic su ey co e s a oughly ci cula a ea co -
esponding o adis ance o 2.5 km om he ee o Kulal Tepa. Because he a ea o he Kulal
Tepa alley has been in es iga ed se e al imes by means o pedes ian su ey (S ančoe al.
2017, 132; Ha lík– Ha líko á– S ančo 2018), he su ey eam ook ad an age o a ela i ely
good s a e o i s explo a ion, making his esea ch componen o ap edominan ly supplemen-
a y cha ac e . In 2023 he ex ensi e opog aphical su ey consis ed mainly o he a ge ed
g ound - u hing o da a coming om emo e sensing and su eying he loca ions o which less
a en ion has been paid so a . The ex ensi e su ey aimed o in en o y an h opogenic ea u es
in he wide icini y o Kulal Tepa, i.e., in he a ea ha is impossible o co e in an in ensi e
sys ema ic way wi hin he limi ed ime ame o he Kulal Tepa A chaeological P ojec . The
ocus o his componen is on awide ange o ea u es occu ing in he piedmon landscape
(ku gan mounds, cai ns, s one se ings, wa e channels, campsi es, collapsed walls, abandoned
co als, pe oglyphs, e c.) as well as su ace inds and a e ac sca e s. Da a collec ion was
ca ied ou in as anda dised way ollowing he p ocedu e es ablished al eady wi hin he
amewo k o p e ious esea ch o he Czech-Uzbekis ani mission (Ha lík– S ančo– Ha -
líko á 2017; Ha lík– Ha líko á– S ančo 2018; Ha lík – Dědko á – Toshaliye 2023), hus
o ming acompa ible da ase . Indi idual ea u es we e ho oughly desc ibed in e ms o hei
cons uc ion (size, heigh , shape, composi ion, e c.) and s a e o p ese a ion. The emphasis
is egula ly placed on a isual analysis o loca ion o pa icula ea u es in he landscape, as
well as on aspa ial ela ion o o he ea u es o bo h na u al (i.e., ca dinal di ec ions, e ain
ea u es, i e beds, e c.) and an h opogenic (i.e., se lemen s, i iga ion, pe oglyphs, e c.)
cha ac e including hei isual in e connec i i y.
183J. HAVLÍK– K. TOSHALIYEV– A. HORA– M. HOŘENÍNOVÁ– S. SHAYDULLAEV– L. MORRIS
Fig. 3: Cen al pa o he Kulal Tepa alley. Example o he sys ema ic su ey g id and classi ica i-
on o sampling poin s. Top igh : scheme o acollec ion uni . A ows indica e he ajec o ies
o he ield walking. Basemap: Bing. Map by J. Ha lík.
The sys ema ic su ace su ey o he immedia e icini y o Kulal Tepa ep esen s he dominan
esea ch componen o he Kulal Tepa su ey, aiming o analyse he a e ac dis ibu ion in
he en i ons o he mounded si e. To co e ameaning ul whole wi hin he pilo season, only
he la alley bo om wi hin he dis ance o 1500 m om he Kulal Tepa mound became he
subjec o he 2023 su ey. To de ine his pa icula geomo phological class, he opog aphic
posi ion index (TPI) based geomo phological classi ica ion was used. Calcula ed using he
SRTM digi al ele a ion model, he esul ing 2023 su ey a ea co e s in o al 172 ha, which
we e success ully walked in h ee weeks by a eam o h ee people (Pl. 3/1–2).
The sys ema ic su ey amewo k was designed o bes i he cha ac e is ic en i onmen
o he olling piedmon s eppe consis ing o la pla eaux, i e e aces, hillslopes, a ines,
i e beds, and man -made wa e channels, as well as epa mounds and o he emnan s o pas
human occupa ion. The esea ch design d aws inspi a ion om he adi ion o sys ema ic
(p obabilis ic) sampling me hods o landscape a chaeology in he Nea Eas (c ., Redman–
Wa son 1970; Redman 1987; U 2002; U – Ka sgaa d– Oa es 2011; McMahone al. 2023)
as well as in Cen al Eu ope (Sm ž– Kuna– Káče ik 2011). Quan i ied obse a ion and con-
olled a e ac collec ion was conduc ed using ap ede ined g id (25 × 25 m) ha ollows he
di ec ion o he alley by i s o ien a ion (Pl. 3/1). The collec ion was ca ied ou as walking
10 × 10 m a ea loca ed in he geome ic cen e o asqua e (= 16% o he squa e su ace; see
Fig. 3). The collec ion (sampling) uni s (CUs) we e di ided in o h ee ca ego ies: Main da ase
(25% o CUs spaced in dis ances o 50 m om each o he ), 1s supplemen a y da ase (25% o
184 STUDIA HERCYNIA XXVIII/2
CUs spaced in dis ances o 50 m om each o he loca ed be ween he obliga o y CUs), and 2nd
supplemen a y da ase ( he emaining 50% o CUs loca ed in achessboa d -like pa e n). While
he main da ase ep esen s an obliga o y collec ion uni class, ensu ing an o e all 4% su ey
in ensi y, he wo supplemen a y da ase s a e o be ea ed sepa a ely in e ms o s a is ics.
Thei pu pose is o make su ey in ensi y highe ei he , a) in he a eas which e ince signs o
pas an h opogenic ac i i y, such as e ain anomalies de ec ed ia sa elli e image y o pe-
des ian su ey (1s supplemen a y class), o , b) in he icini y o obliga o y collec ion uni s,
which gi e e idence o loca ion o highe densi y a e ac sca e s (1s and 2nd supplemen a y
classes). This app oach allows bo h auni o m analy ical assessmen o a e ac dis ibu ion
in he esea ch a ea and amo e de ailed insigh in o he spa ial, unc ional, and ch onological
cha ac e is ics o iden i ied anomalies and a e ac concen a ions. Addi ional 10 × 10 m squa e
collec ion uni s may be placed in a a ge ed way a loca ions no co e ed adequa ely by he
p ede ined g id. Being kep ca e ully sepa a e om he es o he sys ema ic CUs in e ms
o s a is ics, his oppo unis ic sampling may p o ide e en mo e de ails on he unc ion and
ch onology o pa icula poin s o in e es . Subsequen sampling using supplemen a y CUs
was in 2023 employed only in he icini y o Kulal Tepa and asmall low epa mound labelled
Tig man Tepa nea by (see below). Acciden al diagnos ic inds ou side o he p ede ined CUs
loca ion we e also collec ed, ea ed as ‘g ab samples’ wi h no s a is ical alue. S anda dised
o ms we e employed o assess no only he dis ibu ion o a e ac s in he su ace ma e ial,
bu also he a e sabili y, ag icul u al condi ions, ege a ion co e , soil e osion, e c., i.e.,
condi ions ha a ec su ace collec ion and ob usi eness o su ace inds. This esea ch
design allows o he o he ways o addi ional sampling using he same g id: sys ema ic em-
ploymen o me al de ec o s, a ge ed poin o ansec sampling o selec ed a eas beyond he
main su ey zone, o use o es pi s o limi ed size o compa e su ace and subsu ace inds
assemblages will p o ide complemen a y da a o he main sys ema ic su ey da ase .
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE SURFACE DATA
An impo an ac o a ec ing condi ions o all he su ey esea ch componen s a e ubiqui-
ous aces o in ensi e ag icul u al ac i i ies o he So ie and pos -So ie pe iods, espe-
cially he pe iod a e he hal o he wen ie h cen u y. The ex en and scale o he impac o
mechanised ag icul u e on he landscape a e no compa able o de as a ing consequences o
collec i isa ion in lowland a eas o Uzbekis an (c ., Rondelli– S ide– Ga cía -G ane o
2013; S ančo– Tušlo á eds. 2019; Ha líke al. 2022)– he piedmon en i onmen did no
gi e space o c ea ing an ex ensi e ne wo k o wa e channels. Howe e , bo h his o ical
sa elli e image y and ield obse a ions show asu p isingly la ge a ea unde cul i a ion in
he So ie pe iod, lea ing aces o ploughing in almos e e y a ea la enough o be accessed
by a ac o . Among he a eas isi ed by ou eam, he Kulal Tepa plain is ine i ably he wo s
a ec ed by mode n ag icul u e due o i s well i igable posi ion and la opog aphy. Unlike
he su ounding ele a ed pla eaux, sec ions o he Kulal Tepa plain ha e occasionally been
unde cul i a ion un il oday. As men ioned abo e, acco ding o he accoun s p o ided by he
locals, he alley o Kulal Tepa has al eady been cul i a ed in he p e -So ie pe iod, aking
ad an age o he wa e channel ha ca ied wa e om Loylagan Say. The i s season o he
sys ema ic su ey ully con i ms he sugges ion ha he in ensi e human occupa ion o his
a ea da es back a leas o he (La e) An ique pe iod.
Wi hou adoub , he damage caused by ag icul u al ac i i ies had anega i e impac on he
p ese a ion o he e ain ea u es. Al hough some o he ea u es (especially ku gan mounds)
185J. HAVLÍK– K. TOSHALIYEV– A. HORA– M. HOŘENÍNOVÁ– S. SHAYDULLAEV– L. MORRIS
a e highligh ed by plough ma ks a oiding hem ( his phenomenon acili a es o ace ain
deg ee hei iden i ica ion on he sa elli e image y; c . Ha lík – Dědko á – Toshalie 2023,
ig.10), he e is no way o de e mine how many ea u es had been des oyed be o e he im-
age y was cap u ed du ing he la e 1960s and ea ly 1970s. Among he ela i ely small numbe
o e ain ea u es eco ded du ing he 2023 season, ku gan mounds ep esen amajo i y (13
mounds), expanding he o al numbe o in en o ied ku gan mounds in he Loylagan a ea o
88 (c ., Ha lík– Ha líko á– S ančo 2018, ab.1). Besides his, he ex ensi e su ey e ealed
se e al mo e s one ci cles and cai ns. Only a ew she ds o unce ain da ing ha e been de-
ec ed in he icini y o he iden i ied ea u es. Remo e sensing has e ealed se e al dozens o
o he anomalies loca ed bo h inside and ou side he esea ch a ea ha signi ican ly esemble
ku gan mounds. These ea u es a e o be g ound - u hed du ing he o hcoming seasons.
The 2023 pilo season succeeded in co e ing he Kulal Tepa plain in asys ema ic way wi hin
adis ance o 1.5 km om he epa. Mo e han 4000 a e ac s, p edominan ly agmen s o
his o ical po e y, bu also o saddle que ns, hand s ones, and o a y que ns we e collec ed,
indica ing a ela i ely in ensi e pas land use o he su eyed a ea. The highes a e ac den-
si ies we e de ec ed in he di ec icini y o he Kulal Tepa and asmall, se e ely damaged
nameless epa mound (14 × 25 m, heigh up o 1 m) loca ed ca. 130 m o he sou h -wes (c .,
S ančoe al. 2017, no. 244). Due o mo e han o y agmen s o que n s ones (bo h saddle
que ns and o a y que ns) disco e ed a he op o he mound (appa en ly collec ed du ing
ploughing) and in i s di ec icini y, he epa was labelled Tig man Tepa (i.e., ‘mill hill’; Pl. 3/2
inse ). The ch onological ange o ma e ial disco e ed in he a ea o bo h epa mounds is e y
simila : po e y a ibu ed o La e An iqui y, mos p obably o he 3 d–4 h cen u ies AD (i.e.,
he Kushano -Sasanian), is clea ly dominan among diagnos ic agmen s (Fig. 4). Asmalle
amoun o he collec ed ma e ial p obably indica es also la e , La e An ique/Ea ly Medie al
occupa ion o he 5
h
cen u y AD. I is possible o p elimina ily assume ha bo h epa mounds
isible oday– Kulal Tepa and Tig man Tepa– e lec asingle se lemen uni da ed om hese
pe iods. The na u e o he pas occupa ion o he a ea o ca. 2–4 ha (Pl. 3/3 inse ) ha s e ches
be ween hem (Anuclea ed se lemen des oyed by ploughing? Ag oup o sca e ed build-
ings o shel e s which le no e ain emains? An open space ac i i y a ea?) emains o now
an open ques ion. Asigni ican ly lowe p opo ion o he ce amic ma e ial coming om he
slopes o Kulal Tepa allows he a ibu ion o ea lie occupa ion phases o he so -called G ea
Kushan pe iod (i.e., 1s –2nd cen u ies AD). Only wo disco e ed she ds ( wo ish pla e esem-
bling im agmen s; see Mo ise al. 2024, ig. 11) sugges e en ea lie occupa ion o Kulal
Tepa be o e he u n o ou e a, i.e., in he G aeco -Bac ian and/o Yuezhi -T ansi ional pe iod.
Asigni ican numbe o a e ac s is o be ound in amuch wide a ea beyond he co e
Kulal Tepa– Tig man Tepa zone, c ea ing an a e ac sca e co e ing almos con inuously
he su ace o he alley bo om wi hin a adius o 1000 m a ound Kulal Tepa, i.e., mo e han
80 ha in o al (Pl. 3/3). In he no h -wes e n, sou h -wes e n, and sou h -eas e n di ec ion,
he sampling o acon iguous block o landscape was du ing he i s season supplemen ed
by h ee ansec s ollowing he p ede ined g id (mo e simila ansec s a e planned o be
su eyed du ing he ollowing seasons o sample he wide a ea a ound Kulal Tepa in amo e
ex ensi e way). A e ac coun s p elimina ily sugges signi ican ly lowe a e ac densi ies
o no su ace ma e ial a all in he a ea beyond he 1000 m adius. La e An ique po e y is
clea ly p edominan in he su ace eco d o he Kulal Tepa plain. Howe e , dis inc i e Ea ly
Medie al (P e -Islamic pe iod) po e y has also been de ec ed in he a ea o Kulal Tepa sca -
e as well, hough in smalle quan i ies. La e , he High Medie al o Ea ly Mode n/Mode n
ce amic assemblages a e ep esen ed only by a ew isola ed agmen s (Pl. 3/4). Compa ably
highe a e ac densi ies we e iden i ied in he sou he n pa o he alley. This end may
233PLATES
Pl. 3/3: Kulal Tepa su ey. A e ac coun - sys ema ic collec ion uni s only. Basemap: Bing. Inse :
Kulal Tepa– Tig man Tepa co e a ea. Basemap: Es i. Map by J. Ha lík.
Pl. 3/4: Kulal Tepa su ey. P elimina y da ing o he ce amic ma e ial wi hin he collec ion uni s.
Quan i y o inds is no aken in o accoun . Map by J. Ha lík. Basemap: Bing.