Ussr military Topographic map

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USSR Military 
Topographic map 
of the Zarafshan 
area (1:100 000) 
and corresponding 
Google Earth im-
magery (2022).
This gold ornament, thought by Ernst Herzfeld 
to be part of a treasure found in 1910–11 
in a chamber tomb near Nihavend in Iran, 
features ten turquoise inlays. These were analyzed (XRF) 
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and their elemental 
composition overlaps that of the Kyzylkum reference 
samples. In the case of objects with uncertain or unknown 
provenance, scientific analysis can add unprecedented 
insights into their origin and life-history. In this case, an 
assuming that Herzfeld was correct, the results presented 
here inform about the directionality and nature of exchange 
networks connecting the Kyzylkum desert and Parthian Iran.
Turquoise Mining
and 
Exchange
in
Ancient Central Asia
Preliminary Results from the Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan
Mariana Castro | [e-mail]
Polygons
Blue
: Iranian Mines
Yellow
 
 a
Pink
: Kyzylkum Mines
Kyzylkum and 
Ilak Mines
Reference samples (polygons) 
and Met Museum turquoise 
objects (points) 
Future seasons will focus on the following tasks:
1. 
Produce a 
detailed map
of the extensive mining 
regions 
if the Tamdytau and Bukantau using GPS, aerial 
imagery (Google Earth and on-site recording), and 
manual measuring techniques.
2.
Survey
the surface of specific mining areas
to look 
for tools or other chronological indicators (ceramics, 
structures, etc.). Does the intensity of mining works 
correspond with an increase in Central Asian turquoise 
objects in the centuries around our common era?