PMU: Prehistoric Mining and Metallurgy in Uzbekistan

在中亚发现的最早的金属可以追溯到公元前6 /5千年金属加工的开始。经常提到中亚的铜矿，特别是乌兹别克斯坦的铜矿是原料来源，但没有地球化学数据加以证实。此外，在矿区很少进行系统的挖掘，如果是，那么通常是在已经从书面资料中知道的中世纪遗址。史前采矿在以前（俄罗斯/苏联）的调查中一直起着次要的作用，为什么在文献中只能找到对中亚铜矿床的范围及其在史前时期的意义的粗略描述。因此，关于含铜矿床开采开始的信息所知甚少。另一方面，乌兹别克斯坦境内史前采矿的痕迹往往被中世纪和现代采矿活动破坏或掩盖，因此史前开采的矿藏只能根据分析方法加以证明。伊朗高原或高加索地区的铜矿床的地球化学数据已经可用，但乌兹别克斯坦铜矿床的地球化学特征几乎没有。因此，拟议项目的主要目的是，根据对矿床的选择性调查和抽样，建立一个数据基础，以便调查乌兹别克斯坦铜矿的史前开采潜力。该项目的另一个重点是对塔什干国家博物馆和乌兹别克斯坦其他地区博物馆的考古物品进行抽样和分析。根据铜器时代和早期铁器时代之间物品的年代分类以及矿床的详细地球化学特征，有关史前资源使用及其随时间分布的新知识有望在更广泛的背景下将乌兹别克斯坦铜矿床作为原材料供应商的重要性置于更广泛的背景下。

The earliest metal finds in Central Asia date the beginning of metalworking to the 6th/5th millennium BC. Often the Central Asian copper deposits and in particular those of Uzbekistan are mentioned as raw material sources, but without substantiating this with geochemical data. Also systematic excavations in the mining areas were rarely carried out, and if, then usually at medieval sites that were already known from written sources. Prehistoric mining always played a minor role in the previous (russian/soviet) investigations, why only a rough description of the extent of Central Asian copper ore deposits and their significance in prehistoric times can be found in literature. Therefore, only little information about the beginning of the exploitation of copper bearing deposits is known. On the other hand, the traces of prehistoric mining in Uzbekistan are often destroyed or covered by medieval and modern mining activities, for which reason the prehistoric exploitation of deposits can only be proved on basis of the analytical approach. Geochemical data are already available for the copper deposits of the Iranian highland or the Caucasus, but there exist practically no geochemical characterisations for the copper deposits of Uzbekistan. So the primary aim of the proposed project is, based on selective surveys and sampling of the ore deposits, the establishment of a data basis in order to investigate the potential of the Uzbek copper deposits in terms of their prehistoric exploitation. Another focus of the project is the sampling and analysis of archaeological objects in the National Museum of Tashkent and other regional museums in Uzbekistan. Based on the conjunction of the chronological classification of the objects between the Chalcolithic and the Early Iron Age and the detailed geochemical characterisation of the ore deposits new knowledge about the prehistoric use of resources and their distribution overtime are expected placing the importance of the copper ore deposits of Usbekistan as suppliers of raw materials in a wider context.