Understanding the functioning of artificially created water supply systems for settlements and agricultural production and their precise dating has always been key to understanding the dynamics of settlement patterns as such. For the Sherobod Oasis in southern Uzbekistan, we had attempted to reconstruct the irrigation system based on the historical maps, field observations and correlation with settlement patterns. Our conclusions were based on the assumption that the most accurate depiction of the remains of water canals in the landscape in this area is the Soviet topographic maps from before World War II. However, these lack precision and the depicted phenomena may be selective. After our publication in 2019, the possibilities for reconstructing the historical landscape were multiplied by the publication of a groundbreaking dataset – the images referred to as Hexagon. Moreover, at present, a Holocene floodplain level with archaeological sites dated to the Kushan, medieval and post-medieval periods is preserved along the Sherabad River. This floodplain is incised by the modern, dynamically evolving braided channel. This configuration indicates significant hydrological changes in the area, which we aim to place into a chronological framework through the study and dating of fluvial sediments. In this paper, we will use Hexagon along with new direct observations and dating of sediments to verify and perhaps redefine our model of historic water management in this otherwise archaeological relatively well-known oasis in southern Uzbekistan.

First Author: Ladislav Stanco

Co-Authors: Jan Petřík, Martin Hanáček

Keywords:
irrigation systems
Uzbekistan
hexagon
sediments
settlement pattern
Sherobod River