i. Prehistoric Period

Of the two mounds (kurgans) at Anaw, the north kurgan contains Neolithic and Chalcolithic remains (Anaw I and II), while the south yields Bronze and Iron Age materials (Anaw III and IV). The site was extensively excavated by an American expedition in 1904 led by R. Pumpelly (Explorations in Turkestan: Expedition of 1904. Prehistoric Civilizations of Anau. Origins, Growth, and Influence of the Environment, two vols., Washington, D.C., Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication 73, 1908); Soviet archeologists have recently conducted further research (S. A. Yershov, “The Northern Mound at Anau,” Trudy Instituta Istorii, Arkheologii i Etnografii Akademii Nauk Tadzhiks koĭ SSR 2,1956; E. N. Chemykh, “A Study of the Metal of the Anau Culture,” Kratkie Soobshcheniya Instituta Arkheologii 91, 1962; V. I. Sarianidi, “Ritual Buildings of the Settlements of the Anau Culture,” Sovyetskaya Arkheologiya 1, 1962). The site is most notable for the length of the cultural sequence recovered and the unusual amounts of floral, faunal, geological, and geographical data collected by the Pumpelly expedition from the site and its environs.

Anaw I (ca. 5000 to 3300 B.C.) is late Neolithic/Chalcolithic in character. Rectangular houses were built of mudbrick and “shrine” rooms are reported from recent excavations. Pottery was hand-made; some decorated with geometric designs possibly related to Sialk II. Copper and lead were used, as were turquoise and faience. A stratigraphic and ceramic break in the sequence may correspond to a shift in subsistence patterns. The lowest ten feet of deposit yielded only wild animal bones, indicating a major reliance on hunting. In later Anaw I the ox, pig, and two breeds of sheep were domesticated, and mixed farming became the basis of the local economy. Anaw II (ca. 3300 to 2800) is a cultural continuation of upper Anaw I with some innovations. A hand-made grey ware appears (possibly related to Hissar II). Copper is more common, with larger tools now made of metal, and lapis lazuli and carnelian are introduced. Mixed farming continues, but new domesticates include the goat, camel, dog, and short-horned sheep. Though dating to the Early Bronze Age, Anaw II is culturally comparable to the developed middle Chalcolithic of Namazga II. Anaw III (ca. 2800 to 2000) is a period of economic and technological advance with Anaw culturally linked to early urban developments in Turkmenistan (cf. Namazan IV-V). Copper is abundant; lead and arsenic are now used as alloys. The last wheel and true kiln appear, and grey carinated pottery vessels imitate metal shapes. Stone stamp seals with human, animal, and geometric motifs are common; and marble and alabaster are used for vessels and ornaments. Sheep and goats are the predominant domesticated animals. Links with the Iranian plateau may be seen in ceramic parallels to Hissar III. Anaw IV (ca. 900 to 650 B.C.) is poorly preserved and separated from Anaw III by 8 feet of erosional materials. Ceramics and metals (copper, bronze, and iron) are comparable to those of Yaz I and relate Anaw IV to the Central Asian Early Iron Age.