Unique Complex of Ancient Tombs Discovered at Gonur Depe Archaeological Site
Amul Info ·
A joint Turkmen-Russian archaeological expedition has uncovered a unique burial complex of five successive graves at the ancient Gonur Depe site. Other discoveries include bronze and stone seals, pottery and ancient tools. The artifacts have been transferred to museums in Turkmenistan for further…
The joint Turkmen-Russian Margiana Archaeological Expedition has completed another season of excavations at the ancient Gonur Depe oasis. This season was particularly significant as practical scientific cooperation between specialists from the two countries resumed after a two-year break.
This year, researchers focused especially on studying the settlement structure of the ancient land of Margush, part of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex. Excavations were conducted at the Gonur-20 and Gonur-27 sites. According to the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the researchers managed to determine the boundaries of ancient settlements and study ancient hearths and ovens. The finds also included bronze and stone seals, ceramic objects, and rare tools used in agriculture and woodworking, including cutters and carving tools.
One of the most significant discoveries of the season was the unearthing of a multi-layered burial complex at Gonur Depe, unlike any previously encountered at the site. According to Nadezhda Dubova, head of the expedition and chief research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who spoke to the TASS news agency, archaeologists discovered for the first time an integrated complex consisting of five burials arranged in sequence.
The researchers established that the burials had been created successively over different periods. Two adults were buried there first, followed later by a child. The largest number of archaeological finds was discovered in the child's grave. All the recovered objects have been handed over for safekeeping to museums in Turkmenistan.
Another important event of the excavation season was the visit to Gonur Depe by specialists from the French Archaeological Mission, who are working at the Ulug Depe site in the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains. The international team discussed ancient migration routes, trade routes and bronze production technologies dating back to the 3rd–2nd millennia BC with their Turkmen and Russian colleagues.
The next stage of the project, scheduled for 2026, will involve laboratory research on the discovered artefacts at museums across the country. New field excavations in the Karakum Desert are planned for spring 2027.