The rise of the early urban civilization in southwestern Central Asia

South Turkmenistan emerged as a significant ancient farming region and northern outpost of the East, playing a pivotal role in the rise of early urban civilization in southwestern Central Asia. Archaeological evidence from Neolithic to Early Bronze Age sites (ca. 3300–2350 BC) reveals that this area's rapid development during the Middle Chalcolithic, Late Chalcolithic, and Early Bronze Age laid the foundation for large proto-urban centers in the Middle Bronze Age. The Murghab delta's intensification of interregional contacts during the late 3rd millennium BC, part of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), was driven by advanced technical, technological, and cultural development, as well as the influx of new population groups. Gonur Depe, a notable center from this period, functioned as an administrative, religious, production, and trade hub, mirroring later developments in Ancient Merv.

Kircho, L. B. (2020). The rise of the early urban civilization in southwestern Central Asia. The World of the Oxus Civilization, 110–142. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315193359-6