Origins of the Silk Roads
Talk by Rowan Flad
Peabody Museum
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Archaeological excavation of a medieval city and presumed Nestorian Christian graveyard The present project includes topographical and archaeological studies of the large ancient settlement on the territory of the Ili River Valley – Uch-Aral, which is also known in Armenian, Persian and Chinese sources of XII-XIV centuries as Ilanbalyk – Ilibalyk – Ilibaly. The ancient settlement was situated on the left river-bank of the Ili River in a distance of two marches from the city of Almalyk which lies in today’s People’s Republic of China. (See map) A large amount of the coins found on the surface of the ancient settlement, and dating from the XI-XV centuries, reveal an intensive urban and commercial life of the city situated on the territory of the Tien-Shan Corridor of the Great Silk Road. |
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The Silk Roads: thematic study – working paper
Tim Williams
This is a working report, which was originally presented at the Ashgabat Silk Roads coordination meeting in May 2011, and formed the basis of the Silk Roads transboundary serial nomination strategy. It was subsequently updated using feedback from State Parties. A fuller version of this report, with all the underpinning GIS data, will be published in 2014.
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