State News Agency of Turkmenistan TDH

Altyn-depe was the crafts centre. Economic base of the proto city was made of developed specialized crafts (pottery, metallurgy, metal and stone processing) together with land and livestock farming. At that time, South Turkmenistan and, particularly Altyn-depe, was the periphery of the system of ancient civilizations. The technology of production of artificial minerals like burnt soapstone and quartz cristobalite (the latter is formed at high temperature treatment of silica composed sediments) appeared in Altyn-depe in the middle of early Bronze.

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Altyn-depe was a temple complex. It was monumental cult complex with four-tier tower (12 m), funeral complex and the altar that used to be the centre Altyn-depe. Numerous art items (painted ceramics, small terracotta sculptures, stone, bronze and silver stamps, beads and other) were found during archaeological excavations. 864 beads including nine gold, 101 lapis lazuli, 639 turquoise and other were found in the sanctuary. Like many temples of Mesopotamia, the Altyn-depe temple was dedicated to the god of Moon. It is indicated by golden bull with the moon on its forehead made of turquoise (7.5 cm height) and wolf head (1.5 cm height). As is known, the bull, which turns the land into the source of abundance, was the ongon of the forefather of turkmens Oguzkhan.

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Altyn-depe was not local civilization. It has close ethnic, cultural and trade connections with developed civilizations of those times. While the first line of cultural relations goes to Mesopotamia, the second to the Indus Valley, to the cities and settlements of Harapps civilization. Harraps ivory articles were found among the items placed to rich grooves and in the treasuries encased in walls. All these facts visually indicate that Altyn-depe civilization was developing in close contact with the main cultural centres of ancient East being some kind of the bridge between Mesopotamia and the cities of Indus Valley. Trade caravans went from Altyn-depe to the south to prosperous cities of Elam and Babylon and to the north and east to the places inhabited by the nomads. The archaeologists find the items of Altyn-depe craftsmen in rather distant places from the centre of their production – in Fergana Valley. Such contacts supported comprehensive development of the crafts and culture.

It would not be a great exaggeration to say that modern civilization was established by money. It is by right related to such great invention of human though as pottery table, wheel and script of course. The earliest mention of the money is dated by the middle of II millennium BC – clay plate from Mesopotamia between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the south of modern Iraq indicates the payment made by certain silver measure. Later in the Ancient East, metal bullions or stone weights of certain weight or measurement started to function as the money. The appearance of scale weights, which were necessary for accurate weight measurement of goods, is marked by numerous archaeological findings dated by the end of IV and III millenniums BC – the Neolith and Early Bronze Ages. These scale weights were found by the archaeologists on the territory of Turkmenistan in Anau, Kara-depe, Namazga-depe, Yilgynly-depe and many other monuments of those times (photo 2).They were also used in later stage when people of northern Kopetdag foothills developed fertile delta of Murgab River where the Kingdom known nowadays as the country of Margush or Ancient Margiana appeared.

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Few centuries passed since this civilization disappeared before the coins – common payment means for us have come to circulation in the world. It is considered that the first metal plates with picture indicating that these are the money were made in Lydian Kingdom on the territory of modern Turkey in VII BC. To confirm the set weight of the piece of electra (the alloy of gold and silver) it was engraved with the picture. The king guaranteed the accuracy of the coin weight by this stamp. Different values of the coins with certain stamp for each weight standard appeared approximately at the same time. The invention was so successful that soon, the coins started to be made in other Mediterranean states and after, this method spread far to the East by caravan routes owing to the development of international contacts.

In the middle of IV BC, simple stamps of geometric figures, animals of gods on the coins were replaced by the portrays of the kings. Alexander Macedonian was the first one to appear on the coins. Plenty of coins with his easy-to-recognize profile was found in Turkmenistan and now they are the part of numismatic collections of the museums of the country and other big world’s museums (photo 6). The great conqueror made real money reform in his huge empire. He brought all previous monetary systems in conquered countries to single standards, having introduced so-called attic system, which existed for several centuries without any changes. Attic system existed on the territory of Turkmenistan during the Seleucids – the ancestors of Alexander as well as during the Arsacids – the rulers of Parthian Kingdom. Is was based on silver coins – the tetradrachm weighed little more than 17 grams, the drachm – 4.3 grams and obol, small coins with the weight of 1.6 grams.

Having studied thousands of coins, archaeologist numismatist Eugene Zeymal justified character features of the first centuries of money operations in Central Asia including Turkmenistan. He made a conclusion that money circulation and own coinage were started gradually there. At early stage, foreign coins came to the region as treasure. After, it was used as samples for making of domestic imitations. Own monetary emission was started only at the final stage of this process in the Parthian period (photo 7).

Exhibition “Margiana: The Kingdom of the Bronze Age on the territory of Turkmenistan” is opened in New Museum, which is located on the famous Museum Island in the centre of German Capital. The exhibits from museum collections presented at the exhibition were presented for the first time abroad. It became possible due to the support of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and adoption of the Law on Protection, Import and Export of Movable Values of National Historical and Cultural Heritage that came into force two years ago.

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Current exhibition organized in the year, which is held in our country under slogan “Turkmenistan is the Heart of the Great Silk Road”, gives the opportunity to numerous foreign visitors to see the artefacts witnessing that old period of history when international contacts between separate kingdoms of the East have just been originated.

Visual evidence were received by the archaeologists during the excavations on the territory of ancient Margiana. Funeral attributes and jewelleries of its citizens strike the imaginations with its magnificence. These are high artistic items of stone, metal, ivory and clay, which in skilful hands of potters and sculptors is turned into the finest ceramic vessels of fancy shapes and figures of gods of pagan pantheon, which accompanied the residents of Gonur and other ancient Margiana settlements through all life.

These precious findings that used to be hidden under the layer of earth are the exhibits of several museums of Turkmenistan today, while the houses, king’s palace and sanctuaries around became the facilities of Ancient Merv State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

Archaeological collections of the State Museum of the State Cultural Centre of Turkmenistan, the Museum of Visual Arts of the country and Mary Local History Museum give the idea on the level of arts development in one of the earliest sources of the world civilization with the centre of huge ancient settlement Gonur-Depe, which is located in Karakum etrap, Mary Velayat today.

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Gonur-Depe is wonderful and unique archaeological monument. This is the largest of more that three hundred settlements of the Bronze Age located in the old delta of Murgab River and until our days hidden in the sands of Karakum Desert. All of them existed in the second millennium BC and were abandoned by people when the drought came or Murgab waters were not able to irrigate this fertile land.

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The residents of Margush country were excellent potters – the furnaces for tempering of clay vessels gave very high temperature what allowed to make the items of very high quality. They knew how to melt the bronze and make not only agricultural tools, weapons, chisels, awls and other tools but also wonderful jewellery as well as how to work with the gold and silver making beautiful vessels and jewelleries out of it.

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The technology of painting and selection of inlays, preparation of mineral stones for such inlays are worth special mention. To make it easy to work with as well as to make it more solid the minerals were treated with high temperature. Sometimes before the tempering they were saturated or covered with various pigments.

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Same as other people of that epoch, people of ancient Margush placed the most precious things to the graves of their deceased relatives. The walls of the tombs as well as special wooden chests containing funeral donations were decorated with rich mosaic unlike the living quarters.

Treasures of precious jars were placed in hidden places of the tombs including under the floor from probable riders. For example, one of such hidden place had 24 jars made of gold, silver and bronze. There are also numerous ceramic jars, hewn stones, stone and bronze items among archaeological findings what indicates the residents of Margush were worshiping sheep and other animals.

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The exhibition will last until October 15 and after Berlin, it will be presented in two other German cities. During four month, it will be held in Archaeological Museum of Hamburg and after, in Reiss Engelhorn Museum in Mannheim until June 2019.

Bright catalogue was published specially for this event. It is designated for scientists and for other history lovers who will have an opportunity to see the original items from fantastic ancient Turkmen kingdom.