These cultures significantly influenced Sumerian cities, Indian trade, and Persian art.
They established one of Asia's most influential civilizations.
Discovery
In the 1970s, Russian archaeologists explored Turkmenistan's Kara-Kum Desert.
The search for a lost civilization in this desert was successful.
Anau Culture
Anau is a city in Turkmenistan and the capital of the Ahal province, located 8 km southeast of Ashgabat.
The name "Anau" originates from the Persian phrase "Âbe nav," meaning "New Water."
The Anau culture developed within Southern Turkmenistan, succeeding the Neolithic Jeitun culture.
It began as a Chalcolithic culture around 4500 BC.
Anau was an important stop on the Silk Road for an extended period.
Anau Settlement
The settlement consists of two mounds: north and south.
In 1886, Russian General A. V. Komarov mistakenly believed the northern mound to be an ancient burial ground and plundered it, dividing it in two.
American geologist Pumpelly visited the site in 1903 and identified twenty settlement layers in the trench.
Pumpelly conducted excavations in 1904, using different methods than the Russian plundering.
Researchers such as R. Pumpelly, Marushchenko, and Khurbansokhatov have been involved in studying the site over the years.
The northern mound contains remains from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages, while the southern mound contains remains from the Iron Age.
In 1917, Raphael Pumpelly led a 60-year study in the Anau region.
Anau was a planned, fortified city where people grew wheat, produced artifacts, and traded with neighbors.
Excavations were interrupted in 1904 due to a locust plague and famine.
Excavations have continued since the 1900s and are currently being conducted by the University of Pennsylvania.
The lowest layers of the northern mound provide evidence for the Neolithic to Chalcolithic transition.
These layers are divided into Anau IA and Anau IB periods.
Imported lapis lazuli and copper products have been discovered.
Anau IA ceramics differ from Jeitun ceramics, using sand tempering instead of plant-based additives.
Anau IA ceramics are similar to Tepe Sialk I and II layers and are found in northeastern Iran and southern Turkmenistan.
The Namazga culture also originated from Jeitun, but later.
The Anau IB2 Period, starting in 3800 BC, is contemporary with the Namazga I Period.
Chronology
The superseded four-period chronology of Anau by Kuftin's 'Namazga' classification in six periods (used today for dating prehistoric archaeological finds in flat regions of south-eastern Central Asia up to the Iron Age).
B.A. Kuftin identified six cultural periods at the prehistoric site of Namazga
Pottery
Designs on painted pottery from middle strata, north kurgan, culture I.
Pithos characteristic of Middle and Lower Strata, North Kurgan, Culture 1
Pithos of red Monochrome Ware, Polished with a Burnisher and Blackened in Blotches, North Kurgan, Culture II
Pithos characteristic of North Kurgan, Culture I
Pithos from Middle Strats nf North Kurgun. Culture I.
Designs on painted pottery from North Korgan.Figs. 1 and 2, Middle Strata, Culture I, Group, Pica. 3 and 4. Upper Strata, Culture II, Group c
Gonur Tepe
Margiana was the satrapy center in the Persian Period and a Bronze Age kingdom in Turkmenistan.
The Margiana culture existed approximately 4000 years ago and was contemporary with Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations.
Viktor Sarianidi, a Greek archaeologist born in Uzbekistan, studied the Kara-Kum ruins starting in the 1950s.
In the 1970s, Sarianidi discovered ruins near Gonur Tepe in Turkmenistan.
Excavations began in the early 1980s.
Canals from the Murgab River provided water to the city.
Gonur was a planned city comparable to Sumerian and Indus Valley urban centers.
The Northern Gonur complex was approximately 100 \, m \times 180 \, m and had a high city wall and towers.
Viktor Sarianidi renamed Gonur to Margush.
Artifacts discovered at Gonur Tepe blended Sumerian and Indus Valley styles.
Sarianidi's team found agate, lapis lazuli, gold, and silver jewelry similar to Sumerian jewelry.
The art featured motifs such as men with beards and women in braided dresses.
Sumerian cylinder seals were discovered, indicating trade with the Sumerians.
Gonur Tepe's tradesmen were influenced by cultures from all over Bronze Age Asia.
Clay seals with inscriptions in the Indus language were found.
Clay bullae with unknown symbols, suggesting a prototype writing system, were also discovered.
A system of cities with planned urban architecture spread across Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; with a trade network that spread across continents and a unique prototype writing system. It was emerging in the 2000s BC.
Chemical analyses have revealed that Sumerian artifacts contained gold, silver, and lapis lazuli from Asia.