Main Results of Archaeological Work in the Surkhandarya River Basin in Uzbekistan

Archaeological excavations in the Surkhandarya River Basin show that the nomadic graves of the Rabat necropolis located in the foothill hilly areas of Northern Bactria belong to the second half of the 1st c. BCE — the fi rst half of the 2nd c. CE. This is probably a site of the great Yuezhi. Above-ground burials in naus-type crypts dating from the same period were found on the ruins of the settlement, near the flat part of the Surkhandarya valley, most likely belong to the Yuezhi before the formation of the Kushan Empire. The two types of graves, differing in their form and burial rite, location area, etc., only confirm the fact that the Great Yuezhi and Kushans of the Imperial era are not exactly the same ethnic groups. The discovery of Serkharakat, Chinartep and other necropolises in the upper reaches of the Surkhandarya River confirmed our assumptions about the patterns of distribution of ancient monuments and additionally reveals the diversity of cultural groups of the period from the pre-imperial Yuezhi to the Kushan Empire.