Gonur Depe

Gonur-depe

Turkmenistan · Mary

Ancient cityExcavation ongoingUNESCO · 1999
Approximate period2,300 BCE — 1,500 BCEBronze Age See on the map ↓

In brief

Gonur is one of Margiana's principal Bronze Age centers; a substantial proportion of its radiocarbon dates fall within approximately 2300–1500 BC. It is listed as a separate component in UNESCO's Ancient Merv entry.

What was found?

  • 1Palace and temple complex

    This is the large building complex at the center of the settlement. It is among the principal examples of Gonur Tepe's monumental architecture.

  • 2Round seal depicting griffins

    It depicts two bird griffins touching one another with their wings spread. Its fine details document the craftsmanship of seal makers and depictions of fantastic animals.

  • 3Double-sided stone amulet

    It is made of talc-chlorite stone; one face bears a winged griffin, while the other bears a bull whose tongue and tail are depicted as snakes. It is a symbolic object combining animal imagery.

  • 4Ritual vessel with animal figures

    It has terracotta animal figures on its rim and snake-shaped additions on its inner walls. Its similarity to vessels known from Gonur sanctuaries supports the interpretation of ceremonial use.

  • 5Cylinder seal depicting animals

    Its body bears fantastic animals, while its base bears two scorpions positioned in opposite directions. It is an example of the cylinder seals rarely found at Gonur.

What does it point to?

Gonur Tepe is an important center for researching Bronze Age urbanization in Southern Turkmenistan. Seals, amulets, and ritual vessels show that animal depictions recur across different types of objects; their meanings have not yet been fully deciphered.

What did it teach us?

  1. It shows that Bronze Age settlements in Southern Turkmenistan also included large cities.
  2. It documents the presence of crafted objects such as seals and amulets among grave finds.
  3. It shows that depictions of fantastic animals were not limited to seals.

Images

Gonur ruins
David Stanley · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In autumn 2024, seals depicting griffins, a double-sided stone amulet and a ritual vessel with figures were found in graves at the Gonur 20 satellite settlement.

Record

Culture
Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex
First modern dig
1972
Team / historical
Turkmen-Russian Margiana Archaeological Expedition; Nadezhda Dubova
Coordinates
38.2161°, 62.0367°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. anthropology.uw.edu.pl
  3. iaw.unibe.ch
  4. turkmenistan.gov.tm

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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    Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook
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