Use of Natural Resources and their Anthropogenic Management in the Middle Gavasay Valley

Based on archaeological research of the processes of natural resource use, human management, and exploitation in the middle part of the G‘ovasoy irrigation oasis located in the northern part of the Fergana Valley, comprehensive archaeological investigations have been carried out in recent years. Fundamental studies have been conducted at major archaeological sites such as Bibiona (Chust), Qirqxujra, and Balandtepa, where cultural layers, household structures, and traces of production activities are being systematically examined. Using these sites as case studies, the stages of anthropogenic landscape formation, socio-economic processes, and the interaction between production activities, the natural environment, and natural resources have been identified. Particular attention has been paid to investigations at the Bibiona site, dating to the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages and belonging to the Chust culture. In the course of these studies, the natural-geographical conditions of the oasis, the mechanisms of raw material utilization, and the methods of their management were subjected to in-depth scientific analysis. This site is of special importance as one of the earliest rural settlements in the valley, and the archaeological materials discovered there serve as an important source for understanding the cultural development processes of the G‘ovasoy oasis. In addition, the article highlights the archaeological investigations conducted at the site and throughout the oasis, as well as their results. In particular, although the assemblage of ceramic artifacts discovered at the Bibiona site has been classified according to morphological, ornamental, and technological characteristics, the stages of their production and the sources of raw materials had not previously been sufficiently studied. Therefore, the chemical composition of ceramic artifacts and soil samples obtained from the Bibiona site was analyzed using the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) method, which made it possible to determine the ratios of major and trace elements. Furthermore, the surface structure, fracture areas, and technological traces of the ceramic vessels were analyzed at the microscopic level and compared with experimental samples.