Current work site: Penjikent (Tajikistan Republic)
Head of expedition: Pavel Lurye
Continuous excavations on the Penjikent site have proceeded since 1946 when Leningrad archaeologists and experts in Asian Studies organ-ized the Tajik-Sogdian Expedition with the aim to conduct systematic exploratory work in Penjikent. A.Yu. Yakubovsky was appointed head of the Expedition; he was briefly succeeded in this post by M.M. Dyakonov, after which the management of the Expedition passed on to A.M. Belenitsky and B.I. Marshak.
Situated on a high terrace of the Zeravshan River, Ancient Penjikent (5th–8th c.) occupies 13 ha on the outskirts of modern Panjakent, Tajikistan. During the early Middle Ages Penjikent was the capital of the easternmost semi-independent province in Sogdiana, governed by non-hereditary rulers who minted their own coins. The city grew around two temples with large courtyards located next to each other. Both the temples and the palace during that period were decorated with wall paintings. In the 6th c. the city kept expanding and reached its heyday in the early 8th c., when it was primarily built-up with two- and three-storey houses. The aristocratic residences had special receptions or guest areas, usually ornamented with wall paintings and wooden carvings. In 722, Penjikent was invaded by Arabs; the city temporarily returned to life in the 740s before being finally abandoned in the 780s.
The total excavated area achieved over 70 years of work on the Penjikent site cannot be matched by any archaeological project on any other city of that period in Central Asia or the adjacent regions. Nearly half of the area has been unearthed on the most recent building horizon; the citadel on the neighbouring hill, the residences scattered around the city and the necropolis have been investigated. Archaeologists have obtained a strikingly clear picture of life in the early mediaeval city. Its temples, street network, fortification system, bazaars, workshops and houses of different status have been closely studied. The excavations have yielded a considerable number of artefacts (metal, glass and bone objects; coins; pottery); the archaeological material is clearly stratified and is not limited to accidental finds. A reference chronological scale was developed for ceramic objects which enables us to date pottery fragments to within a quarter of a century.
Every season brings new discoveries of Sogdian monumental art such as wall paintings or wooden carvings. Unique conservation and restoration methods have been developed for these types of ancient art in Penjikent; some of the restored paintings have been transferred to the Penjikent and Dushanbe museums; others are held in the State Hermitage Museum.
For many years, the Penjikent Expedition has provided a team-oriented environment for work and study and has grown into a real summer university for many archaeologists , specialists in Asian Studies and artists. The Expedition has developed effective techniques for cleaning up adobe structures and documenting the architectural features of the excavated buildings and finds, taking advantage of the more recently available state-of-the-art equipment.
Ancient Penjikent remains the principal work site for the Expedition, organised by the State Hermitage jointly with the History, Archaeology and Ethnography Institute (Tajikistan Academy of Sciences). The Expedition is also implementing a number of smaller excavation projects targeted at other sites in the surrounding regions. One new site that has moved to the foreground of archaeological research in the past few years is Khisorak (situated in the mountainous area 230 km east of Penjikent) which has yielded some excellent material.
Contact details:
E-mail: pavlvslvria@gmail.com
