Скачать или смотреть Oxus Civilization (BMAC) 2300–1500 BCE

The Oxus Civilization, also called the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), was one of the earliest advanced civilizations of Central Asia and a direct ancestor of later cultures in modern Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and northern Afghanistan.

📍 Where & When

Dates: c. 2300–1500 BCE
Location: Amu Darya (Oxus River) basin

Covered parts of:
Southern Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Northern Afghanistan

🏙️ What Kind of Civilization Was It?

✅ Urban & settled (not nomadic)
✅ Built fortified cities
✅ Practiced irrigated agriculture
✅ Skilled in metallurgy and craftsmanship
Major sites include Gonur Tepe, Dashly, and Togolok.

🏛️ Cities & Architecture

Rectangular mud-brick cities
Defensive walls & towers
Palaces and temples
Central plazas
Advanced canal systems
This proves Central Asia had cities before Persia, Greeks, or Turks arrived.

🔥 Religion & Beliefs

Fire rituals
Water sanctuaries
Sacred drink rituals (possibly soma/haoma)
Strong links to early Indo-Iranian religion
Often connected to the roots of Zoroastrianism

⚒️ Economy & Technology

Grew wheat, barley
Raised cattle, sheep
Produced bronze weapons & tools
Luxury goods (gold, silver, stone seals)
Trade links with:
Mesopotamia
Indus Valley
Iranian Plateau

🧬 Who Were the People?

Not Turkic
Likely Indo-Iranian–speaking

Ancestors of:
Sogdians
Bactrians
Khwarezmians
Genetics show a mix of:
Local Central Asian farmers
Iranian plateau peoples

🐎 Decline (after 1500 BCE)
The civilization declined due to:
Climate change
River shifts
Arrival of steppe pastoralists
Gradual cultural transformation, not sudden collapse
Their descendants continued living in the region, shaping later cultures.

🔑 Why the Oxus Civilization Matters
One of the world’s earliest urban cultures
Foundation of Central Asian civilization
Bridge between East and West
Basis for later Iranian cultures of Uzbekistan

🧠 Key Fact (Very Important)

👉 Uzbekistan’s history does NOT start with Turks or Persians
It starts with the Oxus Civilization, over 4,000 years ago.