- Central Asia, Hellenistic Bactria, Ancient Iranian Religion, History of the Hellenistic World (Focus: Seleucid Empire), Archaeology of the Hellenistic East, Ancient Greek Religion, and 42 moreEurasian Nomads, Archaeology of Central Asia, Hellenistic Pottery, Bactria (Archaeology), Achaemenid archaeology, Achaemenid Persia, Parthian Empire, Zoroastrianism, Iranian Archaeology, Achaemenian Empire, Achaemenid History, Seleucid Empire, Hellenistic Babylonia, Silk Road Studies, Kushan history, Kushan empire (Archaeology), Archaeology of Religion, Identity (Culture), History of Religion, Ancient Seals and Sealings, Glyptics, Hellenistic Mesopotamia, Archaeology of Tajikistan, Votive offerings, Ancient Religion, Iranian Studies, Hellenistic History, Iranian History, History of Conservation and Restoration, Hellenistic and Parthian Central Asia, Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Zoroastrianism (History), Ai Khanum (Ai Khanoum) (Archaeology), Central Asian Buddhism, Central Asian Archaeology, Bactria, Hellenism, Indo-Greeks, Afghan archaeology, Archaeology of the Silk Road, Greco-Bactrian History, Gandhara Archaeology, and Ancient Persiaedit
Der Band enthält eine repräsentative Auswahl der Diskussionen des Forschungsclusters 4 "Heiligtümer. Kulttopographie und Kommunikationsformen im sakralen Kontext", die auf jährlichen Tagungen zwischen 2012 und 2019 geführt wurden. Die... more
Der Band enthält eine repräsentative Auswahl der Diskussionen des Forschungsclusters 4 "Heiligtümer. Kulttopographie und Kommunikationsformen im sakralen Kontext", die auf jährlichen Tagungen zwischen 2012 und 2019 geführt wurden. Die versammelten Beiträge demonstrieren die zahlreichen Facetten der archäologischen, bauhistorischen, philologischen und religionswissenschaftlichen Forschungen zu Heiligtümern.
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This article examines one of the largest find complexes of Hellenistic and Parthian sculpture in Iran, discovered around 1935 at Kal-e Chendar, arguably the most important sanctuary in the land of Elymais in the highlands of Khuzestan.... more
This article examines one of the largest find complexes of Hellenistic and Parthian sculpture in Iran, discovered around 1935 at Kal-e Chendar, arguably the most important sanctuary in the land of Elymais in the highlands of Khuzestan. The starting point is the bronze head of a Hellenistic ruler, already badly damaged and deformed in antiquity, whose former facial features are reconstructed with innovative 3D technology. The portrait is identified here as a king of the early Kamnaskirid dynasty and dated around 140 BC. Further fragments of the same statue enable the reconstruction of the entire figure, whose pose followed the most common format of Hellenistic royal figures. This ‘Hellenistic Ruler’ is now the first larger-than-life representation of a Hellenistic king known for the regions of Iran and further east. A second focus is comparative studies of casting technique and alloy of the further bronze statues of the find complex. They reveal that the stylistic division of the Kal-e Chendar bronzes into a ‘Greek’ and an ‘un-Greek’ group of sculptures is carried through to technical differences, indicating a significant change in the production of bronze sculptures from late Hellenistic to the Parthian period.
Overall, the studies presented here show the potential of research on the hitherto neglected cache of sculptures from Kal-e Chendar, a potential that will be fully exploited in a project begun in spring 2021.
Overall, the studies presented here show the potential of research on the hitherto neglected cache of sculptures from Kal-e Chendar, a potential that will be fully exploited in a project begun in spring 2021.
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The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces,... more
The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces, courtyards and smaller buildings. They are from three phases, which are according to the ceramic evidence of Hellenistic date (end of 4th to mid-2nd century BC). Of special significance for ancient Bactrian religion is a courtyard with seven miniature altars as well as water basins connected to a cult installation containing several votive gifts and offerings. The sanctuary in Torbulok was likely a rural shrine of regional importance, a type of sanctuary previously unknown in Hellenistic Bactria.
The second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network took place on November 2–4, 2017, in the Topoi building in Dahlem, Berlin. This international conference was made possible by the Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches... more
The second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network took place on November 2–4, 2017, in the Topoi building in Dahlem, Berlin. This international conference was made possible by the Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute) and was organized by Dr. Gunvor Lindström (Eurasien-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin ) and Dr. Rachel Mairs (Department of Classics, University of Read..
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Der Oxostempel im heutigen Tadschikistan war eines der der bedeutendsten antiken Heiligtümer der Region. Der monumentale Lehmziegelbau wurde in hellenistischer Zeit errichtet und bestand bis zum Beginn des 3. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. fort.... more
Der Oxostempel im heutigen Tadschikistan war eines der der bedeutendsten antiken Heiligtümer der Region. Der monumentale Lehmziegelbau wurde in hellenistischer Zeit errichtet und bestand bis zum Beginn des 3. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. fort. Der Oxostempel markiert einen Platz, der in mehrfacher Hinsicht durch landschaftliche Kontraste charakterisiert wird, eine topographische Situation, die mit Lagen heiliger Orte auch in anderen Kulturräumen vergleichbar ist. Anhand der zahlreichen Deponierungen von Votiven aus dem Tempelinneren lassen sich sowohl lokale als auch griechische Einflüsse auf die Kultpraxis belegen. Es zeigt sich eine Kontinuität über mehrere Jahrhunderte. Dies betrifft einerseits die Vorliebe für Waffenweihungen, andererseits deutet die Thesaurierung und Deponierung in bestimmten Bereichen des Heiligtums auf die Tradierung von ritualpraktischem Wissen von Generation zu Generation durch das Kultpersonal.
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In 2008 two large vessels from Torbulok entered the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe. They could be identified as a perirrhanterion (vessel for ritual purification) and a second cult vessel. Given this the... more
In 2008 two large vessels from Torbulok entered the collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe. They could be identified as a perirrhanterion (vessel for ritual purification) and a second cult vessel. Given this the findspot was identified as an ancient sanctuary. Excavations and a survey started in 2013. The archaeological investigation will put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East.
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This article provides a survey of the Hellenistic period of a much-neglected area in the archaeology of Central Asia, southern Tajikistan. It integrates data on famous treasures and sites, including the Oxus Treasure, Takht-i Sangin with... more
This article provides a survey of the Hellenistic period of a much-neglected area in the archaeology of Central Asia, southern Tajikistan. It integrates data on famous treasures and sites, including the Oxus Treasure, Takht-i Sangin with the Oxus Temple, and the palace at Saksanokhur with less known Soviet-era discoveries and an analysis of more recently excavated sites and discoveries.
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After the conquest of Alexander the Great, Iran became part of the Seleucid Empire, a realm with strong ties to the West, until ca. 140/30 BC when Iran was incorporated into the Parthian Empire, centred in the East. This paper looks on... more
After the conquest of Alexander the Great, Iran became part of the Seleucid Empire, a realm with strong ties to the West, until ca. 140/30 BC when Iran was incorporated into the Parthian Empire, centred in the East. This paper looks on mostly life-size Seleucid and Parthian period bronze statues discovered in the 1930s at Kal-e Chendar/Shami in Southwest Iran and since rarely studied. It argues that the statues constitute two groups in terms of style and iconography and technologically. This was the result of object studies at the National Museum of Iran that included art historical classification, 3D modelling and reconstruction, visual investigation focusing on casting technique, and pXRF.
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The article (written with Tatjana Filimonova) describes the results of the preliminary studies in Torbulok / Khushdilon conducted in the autumn of 2013. During construction of the local school a large stone bowl had been found, which... more
The article (written with Tatjana Filimonova) describes the results of the preliminary studies in Torbulok / Khushdilon conducted in the autumn of 2013. During construction of the local school a large stone bowl had been found, which could be identified in 2012 as a perirrhanterion, a vessel used in Greek cult, and thus suggested an ancient sanctuary at the site. In 2013, we did a geophysical prospection of the site, examined the finds in the local school museum and opened 3 small test trenches. These works and the results are described here. They served as a preliminary work for the excavations taht we started in 2014 and finished in 2018.
On pages 100-101 of the present article the editors have inserted a passage that does not reflect my opinion, but that of Yusuf Yakubov, a well-known Tajik colleague. It is about the question in which rituals the stone bowl has been used. I would have liked to discuss this with Yusuf Jakubov and there was ample time to do so during my stays in Tajikistan. But the editors have inserted the passage here without discussion and without my knowledge. My most important objection to the 'zoroastrian' interpretation introduced here by Jakubov is methodological: from the fact that Zoroastrianism was widespread in the Pamir until modern times, and that this religion also included elements of other religions and earlier times, it can not be inferred that these elements are related in their origin to the Zoroastrian religion.
Please post me if you would like to see the pictures given in the plates in a better quality.
On pages 100-101 of the present article the editors have inserted a passage that does not reflect my opinion, but that of Yusuf Yakubov, a well-known Tajik colleague. It is about the question in which rituals the stone bowl has been used. I would have liked to discuss this with Yusuf Jakubov and there was ample time to do so during my stays in Tajikistan. But the editors have inserted the passage here without discussion and without my knowledge. My most important objection to the 'zoroastrian' interpretation introduced here by Jakubov is methodological: from the fact that Zoroastrianism was widespread in the Pamir until modern times, and that this religion also included elements of other religions and earlier times, it can not be inferred that these elements are related in their origin to the Zoroastrian religion.
Please post me if you would like to see the pictures given in the plates in a better quality.
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The portrait of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran (inv. 2477) is the most prominent archaeological testimony of the Hellenistic presence in Iran. It shows the spread of Hellenistic largescale sculpture in the regions east... more
The portrait of a Hellenistic ruler in the National Museum of Iran (inv. 2477) is the most prominent archaeological testimony of the Hellenistic presence in Iran. It shows the spread of Hellenistic largescale sculpture in the regions east of the Tigris River, of which there is otherwise very little evidence. Furthermore, it is one of the few preserved original Hellenistic large-scale bronzes. Nevertheless, this extraordinary piece of art is rarely illustrated in handbooks on Hellenistic sculpture or ruler portraits, and only a few specialists are familiar with this bronze. The head represents a ruler, likely a king of the Seleucid dynasty, which ruled Iran in the third and second centuries BC. But due to the portrait’s intense deformation, the ruler represented could not be identified until now. In August 2015 a project was started with the aim of reconstructing the original facial features. Although this aim has not been achieved, the investigations at the National Museum of Iran have already yielded extraordinary results.
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The article, published in 2017, presents the preliminary results of the excavations of a Hellenistic shrine in Torbulok, today Tajikistan.
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Passend zum Reformationsjubiläum stellen wir im Folgenden die Ofenkeramik aus einer baubegleitenden Stadtgrabung in Zossen bei Berlin vor, die zu einer Fundgattung gehört, die seit der politischen Wende 1990 zwar in großen Mengen bei... more
Passend zum Reformationsjubiläum stellen wir im Folgenden die Ofenkeramik aus einer baubegleitenden Stadtgrabung in Zossen bei Berlin vor, die zu einer Fundgattung gehört, die seit der politischen Wende 1990 zwar in großen Mengen bei Stadtkerngrabungen im Land Brandenburg gefunden wurde, aber bisher nur wenig Aufmerksamkeit erfahren hat. In den Jahren 2005/2006 sanierte die Stadt Zossen ihren Marktplatz, wobei auf der Nordseite des Platzes, über 500 Fragmente reliefverzierter Ofenkacheln entdeckt wurden, die zu einem sogenannten Reformationsofen gehört haben.
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The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces,... more
The excavations at Torbulok in the Southwest of Tajikistan put another sanctuary on the map of religious sites of the Hellenistic Far East. Until 2016 more than 550 square meters were excavated with a complex of several terraces, courtyards and smaller buildings. They are from three phases, which are according to the ceramic evidence of Hellenistic date (end of 4th to mid-2nd century BC). Of special significance for ancient Bactrian religion is a courtyard with seven miniature altars as well as water basins connected to a cult installation containing several votive gifts and offerings. The sanctuary in Torbulok was likely a rural shrine of regional importance, a type of sanctuary previously unknown in Hellenistic Bactria.
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review of Sylvia Winkelmann, Klaus Marquardt: Alte Kunst aus Afghanistan. Zeugnisse aus der Zeit vor und nach Alcxander dem Großen. Rahden/Westf.: Verlag Marie Leidorf 2013., Gnomon 88, 2016, 734-738.
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The Temple of the Oxus in modern-day Tajikistan was one of the most important ancient sanctuaries in the region. The monumental mud brick structure was built in the Hellenistic period and lasted until the early third century CE. The... more
The Temple of the Oxus in modern-day Tajikistan was one of the most important ancient sanctuaries in the region. The monumental mud brick structure was built in the Hellenistic period and lasted until the early third century CE. The temple marks a place that in many ways is characterized by scenic contrasts, a topographical situation comparable to holy sites in other cultural spaces as well. The numerous depositions of votives in the inner part of the temple attest to both local and Greek influences on worship practices; continuity over several centuries is apparent. This involves the preference for dedications of arms and armour on the one hand; on the other, the accumulation and deposition in certain areas of the sanctuary indicates that knowledge of ritual practices was handed down from generation to generation by cultic personnel.
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A project begun in 2015 is dedicated to the fragments of a hellenistic ruler portrait in the National Museum of Iran. Despite its poor condition the piece is extremely important, as it is one of very few preserved portraits from... more
A project begun in 2015 is dedicated to the fragments of a hellenistic ruler portrait in the National Museum of Iran. Despite its poor condition the piece is extremely important, as it is one of very few preserved portraits from Hellenistic times. Moreover, the statue proves the spread of Hellenistic large scale sculpture in the regions east of the Tigris River, of which there is otherwise very little evidence.
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Votivdeponierungen im Oxos-Tempel (Baktrien) – Tradierung griechischer Kultpraxis? In: A. Schäfer/M. Witteyer (Hrsg.), Rituelle Deponierungen in Heiligtümern der hellenistisch-römischen Welt. Internationale Tagung Mainz 28.–30. April 2008. Mainzer Archäologische Schriften 10 (Mainz 2013) 97–114.more
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Study of large vessels made of stone found at Torbulok. They can be identified as cultic vessels of Hellenistic date. The findings point to the existance of a sanctuary.
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short description of the research project in German and Russian
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with many pictures of objects found at Takht-i Sangin (Oxus temple) and Kurgansol (fortress of early hellenistic date)
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November 14-16 2018, Institute of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient... more
November 14-16 2018, Institute of Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague
The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have reconstructed the history of the following centuries. However, our understanding of the (mutual?) acculturation following the campaign remains limited.
The aim of the conference is to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia. It will take a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers.
As in the previous meetings of HCARN group, the conference will bring together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of Hellenistic Central Asia.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Locating the events of Alexander´s campaign: Combined analysis of archaeological and textual sources
• Settlement patterns and dynamics in the late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods
• Structural changes in the local society
• Elites and their adapting to the new reality
• Material culture: local or introduced?
• New fieldwork at relevant archaeological sites
We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers on relevant topics, from both established scholars and early career researchers. Abstracts of no more than 300 words, along with the author’s name, title and institutional affiliation, should be submitted to
hcarn3@ff.cuni.cz
no later than 31 May 2018.
Thanks to the generosity of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, we anticipate being able to offer some travel funding to participants, on a case by case basis.
Ladislav Stančo (Charles University)
Gunvor Lindström (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut)
Rachel Mairs (University of Reading)
The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have reconstructed the history of the following centuries. However, our understanding of the (mutual?) acculturation following the campaign remains limited.
The aim of the conference is to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia. It will take a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers.
As in the previous meetings of HCARN group, the conference will bring together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of Hellenistic Central Asia.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Locating the events of Alexander´s campaign: Combined analysis of archaeological and textual sources
• Settlement patterns and dynamics in the late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods
• Structural changes in the local society
• Elites and their adapting to the new reality
• Material culture: local or introduced?
• New fieldwork at relevant archaeological sites
We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers on relevant topics, from both established scholars and early career researchers. Abstracts of no more than 300 words, along with the author’s name, title and institutional affiliation, should be submitted to
hcarn3@ff.cuni.cz
no later than 31 May 2018.
Thanks to the generosity of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, we anticipate being able to offer some travel funding to participants, on a case by case basis.
Ladislav Stančo (Charles University)
Gunvor Lindström (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut)
Rachel Mairs (University of Reading)
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This is the final program of the International Conference and Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network, to be held in Berlin, November 2-4, 2017. Guests are very welcome! Please register with an email to:... more
This is the final program of the International Conference and Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network, to be held in Berlin, November 2-4, 2017.
Guests are very welcome! Please register with an email to:
Kristina.Junker@dainst.de.
Guests are very welcome! Please register with an email to:
Kristina.Junker@dainst.de.
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Preliminary program of the International Conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Central Asia". Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network 2-4 November in Berlin organized by... more
Preliminary program of the International Conference "Ritual Matters. Archaeology and Religion in Hellenistic Central Asia".
Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network
2-4 November in Berlin
organized by Eurasien-Abteilung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts
Second Meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network
2-4 November in Berlin
organized by Eurasien-Abteilung des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts
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Evolving ritual practices, divine iconography, and the construction and renovation of cult spaces all speak to wider processes of cultural and political change in Pre-Islamic Central Asia. The archaeological record has much to contribute... more
Evolving ritual practices, divine iconography, and the construction and renovation of cult spaces all speak to wider processes of cultural and political change in Pre-Islamic Central Asia. The archaeological record has much to contribute to our understanding of religious practices in the region over the longue durée, but much remains to be done in terms of developing critical approaches to this material and exploiting scholarly expertise across disciplinary boundaries. This conference will bring together specialists in the field of Central Asian archaeology to present new fieldwork and explore areas of common interest. The conference also serves as the second meeting of the Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network, following a productive workshop at the University of Reading in April 2016. We understand both 'religion' and 'Hellenistic' broadly, extending to all areas of ritual practice, in the wider period of the late first millennium BCE and early first millennium CE, across Central Asia from Sogdiana to Gandhāra and beyond. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: • Integrating analysis of archaeological and textual sources. • Zoroastrianism in Central Asia: problems of interpreting archaeological evidence. • New fieldwork at sanctuary and temple sites. • Religious change and innovation. • Cultural interaction and religious interaction. • Theoretical and methodological approaches to archaeological evidence. We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers on relevant topics, from both established scholars and early career researchers. Abstracts of no more than 200 words, along with the author's name, title and institutional affiliation, should be submitted to Gunvor Lindström (gunvor.lindstroem@dainst.de) and Rachel Mairs (r.mairs@reading.ac.uk) no later than 31 May 2017. Thanks to the generosity of the Eurasia Department of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, we anticipate being able to offer some travel funding to participants, on a case by case basis. Gunvor Lindström (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut)) Rachel Mairs (University of Reading)
Research Interests: Hellenistic History, Central Asian Studies, Central Asia (History), Archaeology of Religion, Central Asian Buddhism, and 15 moreBactria (Archaeology), Hellenistic Bactria, Central Asia, Zoroastrianism (History), Seleucid Empire, Archaeology of Central Asia, Kushan history, Ai Khanum (Ai Khanoum) (Archaeology), Central Asian Archaeology, Bactria, Hellenism, Indo-Greeks, Afghan archaeology, Archaeology of the Silk Road, Greco-Bactrian History, Sogdiana, and Gandhara Archaeology
Thema: Erscheinungen des Göttlichen – Divinisierung
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The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have... more
The events directly connected with the campaign of Alexander the Great in Central Asia are described vividly and in detail by ancient Greek authors and have been thoroughly evaluated by modern historians. Numismatic studies have reconstructed the history of the following centuries. However, our understanding of the (mutual?) acculturation
following the campaign remains limited. The aim of the conference was to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia at that time. It takes as much as possible a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers. As in the previous meetings of HCARN group in Reading 2016 and Berlin 2017, the Prague conference brings together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of the Hellenistic Central Asia.
following the campaign remains limited. The aim of the conference was to discuss what actually happened in Central Asia at that time. It takes as much as possible a local point of view and ask how local people experienced these turbulent developments, and how they coped with the strange newcomers. As in the previous meetings of HCARN group in Reading 2016 and Berlin 2017, the Prague conference brings together archaeologists, historians, and numismatists working on various aspects of the Hellenistic Central Asia.