Archaeobotanical results from Sarazm, Tajikistan, an Early Bronze Age Settlement on the edge: Agriculture and exchange

A previously unpublished macrobotanical dataset from Sarazm, Tajikistan, reveals critical insights into Early Bronze Age agriculture and exchange in Central Eurasia. The study, analyzing seeds from the 4th to late 3rd millennia BC, identifies domesticated wheat and barley, highlighting their role in the northeastern spread of agriculture. Additionally, wild fruit remains—including Russian olive, hackberry, sea buckthorn berry, wild pistachio, and capers—suggest foraging practices alongside agricultural activities. Sarazm's strategic location at the eastern edge of a settlement chain provides key evidence for understanding how agriculture diffused into mountainous and steppe regions. The analysis, conducted in the late 1980s by George Willcox but published only recently, underscores the importance of this site in reconstructing Early Bronze Age economies and exchange networks.

Spengler, R. N., & Willcox, G. (2013). Archaeobotanical results from Sarazm, Tajikistan, an Early Bronze Age Settlement on the edge: Agriculture and exchange. Environmental Archaeology, 18(3), 211–221. https://doi.org/10.1179/1749631413y.0000000008