Kyzyl-Koshun - a new archaeological site in Southern Kyrgyzstan

The emergence of domestication in the Fergana Valley is one of the most discussed problems in the Central Asian archaeology. A new archeological site of Kyzyl-Koshun was discovered in 2022 during the exploration works of the joint Russian-Kyrhyz expedition in Southern Kyrgyzstan. This article presents preliminary results of research at the site located 15 km from the Neolithic sites of Obishir-5 and Surunugur. In the field season of 2018, geophysical surveys were done at the site for establishing the thickness of deposits and prospects for archaeological study. These works made it possible to establish that the estimated thickness of loose sediments could reach 2 m. A number of local anomalies of reduced electrical resistance were detected, which indicated good prospects of archaeological context. After completion of geophysical research at the site in 2023, a 1 sq. m test pit was made where five lithological layers were identified. Three of them showed archaeological context. A small archaeological collection was obtained from the test pit, including lithic objects, pottery fragments, and paleofaunal evidence. The discovered collection of lithic artifacts included blades and end-scrapers which find similarities with evidence from the Obishir-5 and Surungur sites. The Kyzyl-Koshun pottery complex belongs to the Chust culture of the Bronze Age, which widely occurred in the Fergana Valley.