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Austrian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 1 - 2 (2021)
ISSN 2310-5593 (Print) / ISSN 2519-1209 (Online)
History
History История
UDC 930.2 DOI: 10.29013/AJH-21-1.2-20-24
A.N. MAKHMUDOVA, 1
1 Fergana Polytechnic Institute, Ferghana, Uzbekistan
ISSUES OF HISTORY WORLD CIVILIZATION IN THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF R.H.SULEYMANOV
Abstract.
Objective: to cover some aspects of the problems of Eastern and Western civilization in scientific research of the famous Uzbek archaeologist R.H. Suleymanov.
Methods: comparison, generalization, systemic analysis, theoretical cognition, the method of analogy and historical method.
Results: The issues of world civilization in scientific research of the famous Uzbek archaeologist R.H. Suleymanov, the relationship of samples of the material culture of ancient beliefs of Eastern and Western civilizations are highlighted. It has been shown that the archaeological research carried out by the scientist in Ancient Sogd is united by the similarity of the ancient myths of the ancient Eastern civilization, including their cultural unity, and is reflected in the samples of material culture.
Scientific novelty: for the first time on the basis of the presented methods, studied aspects of the research of the Uzbek archaeologist R.H. Suleymanov, connected with the problems of Eastern and Western civilizations, including the similarity of ancient myths associated with their cultural unity and reflection in samples of material culture.
Practical significance: the main results and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific and educational activities and the study of the results of scientific research of the archaeologist R.H. Suleymanov.
Keywords: Archeology, ancient myths, civilization, Yerkurgan, Faith, the Uzbek archaeologist R.H. Suleymanov.
For citation: Makhmudova A. N. Issues of history world civilization in the scientific research of R.H. Suleymanov// AustrianJournal ofHumanities and Social Sciences, 2021, No. 1-2. - P. 20-24. DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.29013/ AJH-21-1.2-20-24
Introduction
Rustam Hamidovich Suleymanov is a leading figure in the field of archaeology of Uzbekistan, who for many years has been studying not only the archaeology of the Stone Age in Central Asia but also the problems of the history of world civilizations.
Continuing the tradition of the Uzbek school of archaeology for almost 60 years, starting from the 60s
of the XX century, the scientist took an active part in the study of several archaeological monuments in the Tashkent oasis and Zarafshan valley and the south of Uzbekistan. From 1963 to the 1980s, he excavated the Obi-Rahmat Cave, the largest Middle Paleolithic monument in Central Asia. The thickness of the cultural remains of this cave was 8-9 meters, and it was found that they consisted of 21 cultural layers. This monument
turned out to be more important than Teshiktash. After all, the thickness of the Teshiktash cultural layers is 1.5 meters. Primitive people lived at this address for the first millennia. In the Obi-Rahmat cave, the lower layers are dated to 90,000 years, while the upper layers are dated to 45,000-47,000 years. That is, primitive people lived here for 50,000 years. The bones of a 12-year-old boy were found in the 16th layer of the cave. However, if the Teshiktash man is buried, the human bone found in the Obi-Rahmat cave is crushed, and in the 16th layer, it is found scattered along with the crushed bones of the wild animal - the prey. Anthropologists conclude that the people of Teshiktash and Obi-Rahmat were found to have characteristics characteristic of the Neanderthal and homosapiens races in their appearance. The scientist Rustam Suleymanov made a great contribution to the realization of such great discoveries in archaeology [1].
Also, the typology and periodization of archaeological sites in the Karshi and Guzar oases, carried out by R. Kh. Suleymanovis the best example of such works in Central Asia. The study of population typology is closely related to migration and trade relations. R. Suleymanovis engaged in the study of the most ancient roads and connections from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages [2].
The scientist's research in the ruins of Erkurgan, the largest city in the historical and cultural region of Sogd, is of special importance in his scientific work.
"Over the years, more than fifteen excavations have been carried out in Yerkurgan in residential buildings of the city, industrial, public and defence facilities. One of such excavations, in particular 13 excavations in the area of pottery, which resulted in an unusual set of pottery, was carried out on the natural surface of the Earth. The cultural layer of the city of Yerkurgan and its features reflect the landscape of continuous development of pottery from the 9th-8th centuries BC. until the VIII-IX centuries AD. Nakhshab - ceramics found in Yerkurgan will be a very important source in determining the age of the city. Excavations in Yerkurgan hold a special place in the study of the ancient Sogdian culture. The size and preservation of the city, which existed approximately from the early Iron Age to the early Middle Ages, makes it possible to study the periods of the material culture of Southern Sogdiana [3].
Located 10 km north ofthe present city opposite, this monument turned out to be the only surviving ancient city of the ancient Sogdian period. The city square was defended by two rows of fortress walls covering more
than 150 acres. In the early Middle Ages, Sogdia became one of the centres of cultural and artistic processes, which reflected the developmental features characteristic of the entire medieval culture. Excavations in the area of the city potters and blacksmiths of Yerkurgan testify to the development of crafts during this period. Archaeological excavations carried out in the villages of the Nakhshab region that existed in the 5th-7th centuries show that during this period there were no significant differences in the everyday structure of the urban and rural population. During this period, new statues of heavy thick-skinned women of the candidal type appeared. Male statues are relatively rare in antiquity, and they often consist of individual heads of the silent, as well as statues of Saka-Parthian warriors. The 5th and 6th centuries saw complete changes in their status, clothing and character attributes. As a result of many years of excavations carried out by the scientist, the stratigraphy of the city was determined, that is, the landscape of overlapping cultural layers from the VIII-IX centuries BC. to VI century BC. The huge palace of the rulers of Nakhshab, huge huts and mausoleums of the nobility, the remains of the central temple of the city, the remains of architectural architecture and monumental art were discovered and explored. It has been established that the scale of cultural ties of ancient Nakhshab extended from Iran, India, northern steppes to the deserts of China [1].
The multi-layered excavations carried out by R.H. Sulaymanov in the territory of Erkurgan testify to the rapid development of the city territory in the VII-VI centuries BC. The scientist mentions during his studies that in the VI-V centuries BC this settlement was completed by the formation of a city surrounded by thick defensive walls with towers.
The main objects of the city, which has a special place in the history of the Karshi oasis, were studied in Erkur-gan. Extensive research has been carried out in the city since the 1840s, and these studies continue to study the archaeology of this ancient city, and the collected data allow to illuminate the pages of the ancient history of Uzbekistan.
Numerous artefacts found at the Erkurgan monument testify to the intense life of the Kashkadarya oasis in the ancient and early Middle Ages in accordance with the historical and artistic processes in the Central Asian region.
In the scientific researches of the scientist and the resulting monograph «Ancient Nakhshab» («Ancient
Austrian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 1 - 2 (2021)
History
ISSN 2310-5593 (Print) / ISSN 2519-1209 (Online)
Nakhshab»), the ruins of the ancient city of Erkurgan were recognized as the mother of the cities of the Kash-kadarya oasis. At the same time, Erkurgan is noted as the first city of its kind, unlike other cities in the Karshi oasis. The city began to form in the early Iron Age (IX-VIII BC) during its development, the city palaces, mausoleums, arches and inner and outer walls were built. According to R.H. Suleymanov, Erkurgan was one of the capital cities of the Karshi oasis. Later it was considered the basis for the development of Nakhshab and Karshi [1].
Main Part
In this study, historical, objective, scientific, and comparative methods were used. The issues of Central Asia, our region from ancient times, when different cultures, religious and secular beliefs interacted with each other and with the cultures of other peoples, made a worthy contribution to universal culture, are widely covered in the research of the scientist. As a generalization of this research, the scientist admits in his book "Secrets of Forgotten Civilization" that "Yerkurgan, the first capital of the Nakhshab region, is interpreted as an element of the interdependence ofmyths and cultures ofthe peoples ofthe world, common human values" [2]. The scholar analyses archaeological finds, some myths and legends that still live in the memory of the local people, referring to the similarities and parallels in the Indian Vedas, Greek and Roman, Slavic and Celtic myths. Such a comprehensive comparative approach leads to convincing conclusions" [2].
R.H. Suleymanov interprets archaeological findings and ethnographic data as the patrons of famous women in Central Asian folk legends such as "Devi Safed", "Bibi Rasanda", "Bibi Seshanbe" and believed that local peoples believed in them according to national traditions. Based on the unique sources found as a result of archaeological research, R.H. Suleymanov noted that «women's patrons» were connected with the weaving profession [2]. For example, Bibi notes that the notion that Tuesday helps people to go to heaven has existed in ancient times and that these «grandmothers» who are considered patrons of the spinning and weaving profession may be related to folklore recollections of the ancient gods of fate of the Sogdians, ancestors of Uzbeks and Tajiks.
The scientist divides the set of mythical images that reflect the general processes of cosmogonic and human destiny into two plots related to two activities in the weaving profession: spinning is a symbolic expression of the destiny of individual individuals, weaving is associated with the cosmogonic act (creation of the whole
universe). According to the scientist's description of the objects found in Erkurgan, the mythological plots related to the thread of human destiny were known to the ancient Sogdians, and according to their imagination, the creation of the universe is associated with textile processes. Archaeological excavations by the scientist have revealed the image of two women holding a lily, a wreath and a bundle of yarn on the outside of one of the pillars of the Yerkurgan city pyramid, which has two strong brick roofs. [3, 9]
The lotus usually represented a concept related to the afterlife. The wreath, on the other hand, began to reflect the symbol of divine authority in the East after Alexander the Great. The scientist pays special attention to the main image in this scene, that is, the twisted thread connected with the thread of human destiny. The image of a woman in a mourning scene holding a red thread on a coffin found in the ancient Tuprakkala of Khorezm and a ceramic statue of a woman in Panjikent, Samarkand oasis, prove that the above image is not accidental for Central Asia [4].
Among the prehistoric dakhma of Central Asia, small circular discs made of pottery and stone are often found. The owner of these destinies must have been a gift to the sponsor of the spinning. The second practice is to weave fabric from finished yarn, which in ancient times was a symbolic expression of cosmogonic creativity. The Rig Veda preserves the mythology of the «kawi» deities who pulled seven ropes and twines, that is, the cave gods who determined the separation of space and time [5]. Similar ideas have been preserved in some places among other peoples. Pottery and clay "posangs" oflooms found in the temples show that this site was known to the ancient Sog-dians as well. In this sense, the mausoleum of the rulers of Yerkurgan of the 3rd-5th centuries deserves special attention [6]. The third century was the last and most prosperous period ofYerkurgan when an ihram and a mausoleum, an arch and a palace were built in the city, and the walls of the fortress were replaced and repaired [6].
Studying rare finds on the history of ancient material culture, the scientist paid attention to the restoration of the general processes of historical and cultural development of the studied era through theoretical research, which allows, as a result of comparing materials about different epochs and regions, to restore the missing links and details of the overall picture or, on the basis of a new specific find, to create a complete picture of culture. One of these questions was related to the excavations in the
ihram of the ancient city of Erkurgan. Sources recorded by Arab geographers and historians report idolatry, fire temples, in which the inhabitants of the cities and villages of Sogdia performed their religious rites, worshipped idols. It is known from written and archaeological sources that the deity Nana was worshipped on the territory of Khorezm, Samarkand and Penjikent. His name is derived from the very ancient Mesopotamian goddess Inanna. Evidence that their combination in the view of the ancient inhabitants of Bactria, Sogdiana and Khorezm and Eastern Turkestan from the way the local earth deity Spydermate occurring in the system of Zo-roastrian gods were analyzed on the basis of studies of Erkurgan conducted by the scientists. The fact that under the image of this deity, found in East Turkestan, both his names are written-Nana, Sandramat, that is, Spandarmat, also confirms the above. Such a syncretism of the gods, or the merging of two deities who perform similar functions in different beliefs, in the image of one deity, is a frequent phenomenon in the history of Eastern culture.
Excavations carried out by R.K. Suleymanovin Erkurgan showed that the urban ihram of the III-VI centuries was one of the most important objects and that fragments of a female goddess made of clay were found in it, while during repeated repairs and reconstructions of ihram, statues of deities made of clay and painted over wooden fragments were broken and poured under the walls and floor, and newly made statues were installed in the main coffin of the temple. Fragments of three of these deities, made at different times, have come down to us. It was noted that this ihram was built in honour of a female deity and in the IV-VI centuries was considered the patron saint of this city and the entire Karshi oasis. From the Zoroastrian system of gods, two main female deities are known - Spenta-Armaiti or Spandarmat, the goddess of earth and life, and Anahita-Haravati-Ardvi-sura, the goddess of water, moisture and love. The finds of several objects in ihram were of great importance for archaeologists, which helped to determine the meaning, essence and function of these deities, to find an answer to the question of which of these gods was embodied in the image of a goddess in Erkurgan.
In particular, in the temple of Ihram, along with the fragments of the statues of the gods, an image of Silen, made of akik, and a figurine of a frog made of lead alloy, in the shape of a snake, several bronze mirrors and a pendant - a chogrok, made of gold in the shape of a hedgehog, were found. In ancient ideas, the mirror was also inter-
preted in connection with water. These physical pieces of evidence related to the deity, discovered by the scientist in the ihram of Erkurgan, emphasize his connection with water. His resemblance to Aphrodite and Isis, the water gods of the Greeks and Egyptians, appears to be because at the same time he was the patron saint of love, procreation and fertility.
As a result of many years of research, the scientist emphasizes the Parthian influence on coins and pieces of fine art minted by the rulers of ancient Nakhshab during this period. Thanks to excavations in the tomb of the ruler, built in the III century, the scientist reveals the features of the burial of that period. The fact that the mausoleum, discovered by the scientist, rises on a high pyramidal base, is built in the form of a rectangular porch-hall towards the city gates, and several unique architectural foundations and decorations testify to the greatness of the architecture of that time. The discovery of the bodies of elderly men and women in these rooms testifies to their Zoroastrian tradition, that is, that their bones were removed from the flesh and buried in two large clay vessels. Here were found fragments of coloured ceramic sculptures depicting the image of the deceased, as well as decorations, and next to the gums - more than two hundred "posangi" of a loom [7, 10, 11].
According to the scientist, the looms found in the Erkurgan dakhma date back to the 4th century. The fact that R.H. Suleymanov could not hide his surprise when he noticed the interrelationships of ancient beliefs and began to prove it with great effort can serve as an example for young researchers. As an example, it is possible to cite the following views of the scientist: "How can that be explained? It is inconceivable that a loom was operating in the mausoleum, which could only be accessed by the ruler's relatives. The number of clay pots with a diameter of 10 cm is also much higher than necessary. The only conclusion that is closest to the truth is that the "posangi" is a peculiar religious gift of the ancient Sogdians who believed in the fate of the ruling couple in the afterlife. Apparently, according to the mythological notions in Nakhshab in the III-IV centuries, the goddesses of destiny, whose symbolism was associated with weaving, played a major role in the afterlife and subsequent revivals" [2, 12]. R.H. Suleymanov notes that similar notions prevailed in Rome during this period [8, 13].
Conclusion
In conclusion, archaeological research conducted by the scientist in ancient Sogdia has shown that the
similarities of ancient Eastern civilizations, including those in ancient myths, which go back to their cultural unity, are united and reflected in the samples of material culture. With the help of the excavations carried out by the scientist in Erkurgan and the objects found there, we become aware of the beliefs, spirituality and way of life of our ancestors. These findings are valuable in illuminating the hidden pages of the ancient history of our national culture, helping us to grasp our deep roots and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves as an integral part of humanity. Numerous material objects found by
R.H. Suleymanov at the Erkurgan monument testify to the active life of the Kashkadarya oasis in the ancient and early Middle Ages in accordance with the historical and artistic processes in the Central Asian region.
Acknowledgements
Authors acknowledge the immense help received from the scholars whose articles are cited and included in references to this manuscript. The authors are also grateful to authors/ editors/publishers of all those articles, journals and books from where the literature for this article has been reviewed and discussed.
References
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Suleymonov R. H. Dakhma Yerkurgan. Obshhestvennye nauki v Uzbekistane. 1989. No:11 ( in Russian). Isamiddinov M.X. Stratigraphy of the Yerkurgan settlement in southern Uzbekistan. CA, 1978. No. 3 (in Russian). Suleimanov R. Kh., Nefedov N. Excavations of the sanctuary of the temple of the Yerkurgan settlement. Istorija material'noj kul'tury Uzbekistana. Issue 15, 1979.
Suleymonov R. H., Turabekov M. Stages of development of the Yerkurgan fortification system. Istorija material'noj kul'tury Uzbekistana, No. 4, 1978.
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9. Nosirovna M. A. The role of Suleymanov Rustam Khamidovich in the study of urban development of ancient period in Uzbekistan. Problemy sovremennoj nauki i obrazovanija. 2019. No: 12-2 (145).
10. Habibulloyevna M. D. Archaeological study of anthropogenic landscapes of Uzbekistan. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal. 2020. P. 424-429.
11. Murodova D. Anthropogenic landscapes and their archaeological study in the process of urbanization. Збiрник наукових праць ЛОГОХ. 2020. P. 96-98.
12. Murodova D. Kuva city and its role in Ferghana city planning. Збiрник наукових праць ЛОГОХ. 2020. P. 70-71.
13. Turgunovna M. S., Habibulloyevna M. D. Problems of palaeolithic archaeology and landscape of Uzbekistan. Solid State Technology. 2020. P. 1708-1717.
Information about the authors
Makhmudova Azizakhon Nosirovna, Independent researcher, Teacher of the Department "History of Uzbekistan", Fergana Polytechnic Institute, Ferghana, Uzbekistan.
Address: 43 Fergana Str., 150100, Fergana, Uzbekistan, tel.: +998-(99) 362-47-33
E-mail: a.maxmudova@ferpi.uz
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001 -8448-9998
