Study of Macrocharcoal Remains from Charcoal Interlayers at the Surungur Archaeological Site Depositions (Fergana Valley, Southern Kyrgyzstan)

  • S.V. Zhilich ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia —ZooSCAn, CNRS — IAET SB RAS International Research Laboratory, IRL 2013 Email: snezhy@yandex.ru
  • T. Chargynov Kyrgyz National University Named after Jusup Balasagyn Email: tima_chargynov@mail.ru
  • S.V. Shnaider ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia -ZooSCAn, CNRS - IAET SB RAS International Research Laboratory, IRL 2013 Email: sveta.shnayder@gmail.com
DOI_disc_logo https://doi.org/10.14258/tpai(2022)34(1).-09
Keywords: Fergana Valley, Surungur, Holocene, macrocharcoal analysis, archaeological site, ash interlayers

Abstract

The paper researches the adaptation of ancient people to climate change and their influence on the surrounding landscapes on the example of the Surungur archaeological site (Southern Kyrgyzstan). The charcoal interlayers from Surungur depositions (excavations of 2021) were studied by the method of macrocharcoal analysis. Charcoals of different types were found in the samples: wood, grass, charred bones and amorphous charcoals. Amorphous coals are coals without a visible ordered structure with inclusions of other type macrocharcoals and containing spherulites. Spherulites are spherical crystals of calcite (5–20 mkm) formed in large quantities in the digestive system of ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, deer), preserved during combustion and visible in polarized light under a microscope. Based on the reconstruction of the used fuel types and the comparison of the data on climate in different time periods, we can conclude that throughout the period of the sites’ existence, ancient people used all types of fuel. During periods of warm and humid climate, trees were readily available and wood was mainly used, while during periods of dry and cold climate dung and probably bones were used more.

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Author Biographies

S.V. Zhilich, ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia —ZooSCAn, CNRS — IAET SB RAS International Research Laboratory, IRL 2013

Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Researcher, International Research Laboratory ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia — ZooSCAn, CNRS — IAET SB RAS, IRL 2013

T. Chargynov, Kyrgyz National University Named after Jusup Balasagyn

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology, Source and Historiography, Department of History and Regional Studies, Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn

S.V. Shnaider, ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia -ZooSCAn, CNRS - IAET SB RAS International Research Laboratory, IRL 2013

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher, International Research Laboratory ArchaeoZOOlogy in Siberia and Central Asia — ZooSCAn, CNRS — IAET SB RAS, IRL 2013

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Published
2022-04-04
How to Cite
Zhilich S., Chargynov T., Shnaider S. Study of Macrocharcoal Remains from Charcoal Interlayers at the Surungur Archaeological Site Depositions (Fergana Valley, Southern Kyrgyzstan) // THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2022. Vol. 34, № 1. P. 163-180 DOI: 10.14258/tpai(2022)34(1).-09. URL: https://journal.asu.ru/tpai/article/view/11244.
Issue
Vol 34 No 1 (2022)
Section
FOREIGN ARCHAEOLOGY

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