Archaeologists discover 2,200-year-old Greek camp in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — An international team of archaeologists has discovered unique evidence of an ancient Greek military camp dating back approximately 2,200 years in southern Uzbekistan.

According to researchers, the find represents a rare example of a temporary military fortification from the Hellenistic period that existed on the far eastern frontiers of the world formed after the campaigns of Alexander the Great.

The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

The archaeological site is located on the Iskandar-tepa hill in the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region, near the Loylagan valley. The hill, which stands about 20 meters high, occupies a strategic position on the historical border between ancient Bactria and Sogdiana.

The study was carried out by an international team of scientists led by Ladislav Stanco from Charles University in Prague. Jan Kysela, Tomas Tencer, Peter Milo, and Uzbek archaeologist Shapulat Shaydullaev also participated in the work.

Geophysics revealed a hidden military camp

The site was first identified by a joint Czech-Uzbek archaeological expedition in 2017. Initial excavations confirmed the presence of a cultural layer from the Hellenistic period, but the purpose of the object remained unknown for a long time.

The application of modern geophysical methods, namely magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar, played a decisive role.

The studies revealed an oval defensive ditch nearly 400 meters long, which surrounded the top of the hill and formed a fortified area covering approximately 1.2 hectares.

This system was practically invisible on the surface and in satellite images. Only geophysical surveys allowed researchers to reconstruct its full configuration.

Subsequent excavations confirmed the presence of the ditch. In certain places, its width reached about seven meters with a depth of up to 85 centimeters, while in other sections it was about four meters wide with a depth of approximately one meter.

Along the inner edge of the ditch, archaeologists found regularly spaced holes from wooden posts, which likely served as the foundation for a palisade or another light defensive structure.

According to the researchers, the site was not a permanent fortress, but a temporary fortified military camp.

Water storage system

One of the most interesting finds was numerous large ceramic vessels, known as khums, buried directly into the ground.

While individual vessels were already known from previous excavations, it was the geophysical survey that allowed the scale of their distribution across the camp territory to be established.

Lime deposits were preserved on the inner walls of several vessels. Analysis revealed no traces of plant product storage, leading scientists to conclude that their primary purpose was water storage.

This corresponds to the natural conditions of the locality. There are no natural water sources at the top of the hill, so the garrison likely brought water up from below or collected rainwater.

In addition, archaeologists discovered a linear structure on the northern slope that could have functioned as an ancient water-supply channel.

Researchers believe that the water supply system was one of the key elements for the camp's functioning.

Coins of Greco-Bactrian kings

The age of the site was determined based on the analysis of ceramics and metal finds, primarily coins.

Among the discovered specimens, coins were identified from the reigns of the Greco-Bactrian kings Diodotus II, Euthydemus I, and Demetrius I.

The main stage of the camp's existence dates back to the second century BC, although individual traces of the site's use may date to the first century BC.

Thus, the camp functioned after the death of Alexander the Great, when the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom controlled a significant part of Central Asia, and a network of military fortifications ensured the security of trade routes and border territories.

The authors of the study emphasize that the camp was most likely not used directly by the army of Alexander the Great. However, it is important evidence that the Greek military-political system created after his conquests continued to exist in the region for many generations.

The camp later turned into a necropolis

After its military use ceased, the significance of the hill did not disappear.

Geophysical reconnaissance revealed about 90 oval pits, located mainly along the eastern and western fringes of the site.

According to scientists, they represent burials of a later period, approximately from the first century BC to the first century AD, associated with the arrival of the Yuezhi tribes.

Some burials overlay the earlier structures of the camp, indicating the gradual transformation of the former military site into a necropolis.

A rare testament to the military history of Central Asia

The authors of the study compare Iskandar-tepa with the Boysary-tepa site in central Sogdiana, where signs of a temporary fortified camp were also discovered.

In their opinion, Iskandar-tepa possesses almost all the characteristic features of a Hellenistic military camp: a strategically advantageous location, an oval defensive system, a wooden palisade, the absence of permanent stone structures, and evidence of a short-term stay by a garrison.

The researchers note that such sites are extremely rare to identify using archaeological methods, because temporary wooden fortifications disappear completely and shallow defensive ditches break down over time due to erosion.

It was the use of modern geophysical technologies that allowed what seemed at first glance to be an ordinary hill to turn into unique evidence of the existence of a military infrastructure on the eastern frontiers of the Hellenistic world.

More than two thousand years later, Iskandar-tepa provides scientists with a rare opportunity to study how military units provided defense, water supply, and control over a strategically important territory on the border of ancient Bactria and Sogdiana.