Kurgansol

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Kurgansol is a fortress in southern Uzbekistan that Alexander the Great had built during his campaign in Bactria .

Historical background

In the years 328 BC BC and 327 BC BC Alexander the Great first subjugated Bactria and then moved against Sogdia . The subjugation of Sogdia was made more difficult by the so-called Sogdian uprising, but it was possible in the summer of 327 BC. After the death of the leader of the uprising, Spitamenes . During this campaign in Central Asia, the Macedonians established in 328 BC The fortress Kurgansol near today's Baysun on a rocky plateau. The facility was only rediscovered in the 2000s with the participation of archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) .

investment

The circular fortress with an inner diameter of about 30 meters was surrounded by a four-meter-thick brick wall with six watchtowers. Several residential buildings and numerous everyday objects from Alexander's time were found within the wall. This included dishes, bottles and storage vessels. In 2009, archaeologists from the DAI uncovered a clay bathtub, which is the first find of its kind in Central Asia. Great importance is attached to the Kurgansol archaeological site today, as it is one of the few surviving evidence of Alexander's campaign in Central Asia and, above all, allows conclusions to be drawn about the way of life of the conquerors and the cultural exchange between the Macedonians and the inhabitants of the conquered areas.

exhibition

In 2009 the excavations in Kurgansol were the focus of the exhibition Alexander the Great and the Opening of the World. The changing cultures of Asia in the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum in Mannheim .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans-Ulrich Wiemer: Alexander the Great . 2nd Edition. CH Beck, S. 134.135 .
  2. ^ Annkatrin Müller: Fantastic landscape. In: Novastan German. October 24, 2018, accessed on March 2, 2019 (German).
  3. ^ Klaus Pander: Art Travel Guide Central Asia . 9th edition. Dumont, 2013.
  4. ↑ Fritz Göran Vöpel: Kurgansol - Archaeological reconstruction. Accessed March 2, 2019 (German).

Coordinates: 38 ° 5 '44.3 "  N , 67 ° 11' 3.1"  E