Palynological evidence of cultivated grain crops at the archaeological site of Kurteke (Tajikistan)

The history of the emergence and spread of cultural cereals is one of the controversial problems in modern archaeology. Today there are only a few archaeological sites with macrofossil data on agriculture for the whole region of Central Asia; these sites are located on the plains. In this regard, the Eastern Pamir is a blank spot. Active study of this region was conducted in the 1950s-1980s, and the most detailed reconstructions are available for the Medieval settlement of Bazar-Dara. At that time it was assumed that wheat, rye, legumes, and barley could be cultivated in that region. Today, only barley can grow at an altitude of about 4000 m. This article presents the results ofpalynological study of the Kurteke multilayered archaeological site (3980 m a.s.l.). Dry wormwood steppes and xerophilic plant communities of the shibliak type - sporadic growth of shrubs and low trees of pistachio, wild almond, and pomegranate - were reconstructed from the pollen spectrum in the upper part of the section (presumably dated to ca. 3500-2000 (1500) BP). That sample contained pollen of cereals (12 % of all pollen), 2/3 of which can be identified as cultivated (presumably, common millet and foxtail millet). This, the pollen data suggest the existence of agriculture in harsh highland conditions. Further research at Kurteke will make it possible to establish the entire agricultural complex.