The Uzbek-Italian Excavations at Kojtepa (Samarkand Area) Uzbekistan First results and work perspectives

This paper summarises the work of the Joint Uzbek-Italian Archaeological Mission in Kojtepa in the district of Pastargom, Samarkand. The project is based on a collaboration between the Università di Napoli “L’Orientale”, Napoli (UNO) and the Institute of Archaeology Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Samarkand (IAASU). The project began in 2008–2009, and after several excavations is on-going. Preliminary results have confirmed that the site – which consists of an almost conical central tepe surrounded by a quadrangular wall and beyond that an outer channel originally filled with water – is characterised by a form of agricultural settlement that played a role in controlling the near northern area frequently visited by pastoral nomads on the Karatyube piedmont chain. For the moment, the time span covered stretches from the late Hellenistic era to the Kushan period and beyond!