Canals versus horses
Political power in the oasis of Samarkand
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4976237 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sebastian Stride (0000-0002-3339-1058, Yahoo (Spain), corresponding author), Bernardo Rondelli (0000-0002-0933-4061, University of Milano-Bicocca), Simone Mantellini (0000-0001-8261-6500, University of Bologna) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 73-87 |
| Publication date | 2009-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | World Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00438240802655302 |
| OpenAlex | W2024708293 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 31 |
| References cited | 22 |
At the heart of Central Asia, the Middle Zeravshan Valley and the city of Samarkand are \ncrisscrossed by a complex system of canals derived from the Zeravshan river (Fig. 1). In agreement \nwith the traditional theories proposed by soviet scholars and defended, in another context, by \nWittfogel, it is usually assumed that a strong, long-term association exists between the management \nof this irrigation system and some form of centralized political power system. \nBy adopting an integrated approach, we will examine an alternative history of the emergence and \ngrowth of Samarkand and the link between water management and socio-political power. In the first \npart we will focus on the archaeological evidence pertaining to the construction of the Dargom, the \nprimary canal of Samarkand and suggest that it is not necessarily the result of a short-term (or fixed) \nmaster plan or linked to a strong central political power. In the second part we will consider the nonirrigated \ngrasslands surrounding the oasis and show that the socio-political structures of the oasis \ncannot be understood without a more systemic approach. \nThe paper is based on the results of an ongoing project to survey the Middle Zeravshan Valley \nsystematically initiated by the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in \ncollaboration with various international teams (see acknowledgements
Ancient history · Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Focus (optics · Geography · Irrigation · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Representation (politics · Ecology · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History · Law · Soviet and Russian History · Water management and technologies
Social Complexity and Political Capitals in Ancient Eurasia
Enclosure Sites, Non-Nucleated Settlement Strategies and Political Capitals in Ancient Eurasia
Nomadic ecology shaped the highland geography of Asia’s Silk Roads
Vertical differentiation of the early non-Western societies
Réparer le canal. Contribution des archives sédimentaires de comblement du canal de Sarazm à l’approche sociotechnique de la gestion de l’eau à l’âge du Bronze en Asie centrale (Tadjikistan, 3e millénaire avant notre ère)
The landscape of ancient mobile pastoralism in the highlands of southeastern Uzbekistan, 2000 b.c. – a.d. 1400
Urbanism in Antique Sogdiana? A view from the Bukhara oasis
Introduction
Tracing herding strategies in the Samarkand Oasis
Irrigation in the Khorezm oasis, past and present
Shifting drivers of holocene fire regimes in Uzbekistan
Micro-dynamics and macro-patterns
The USSR as a hydraulic society
Firewood exploitation in the Amu Darya valley of Uzbekistan from ca. 300 BCE to ca. 1400 CE
Evaluating the human impact on the archaeological landscape of Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Defining Suitability in Mixed Agropastoral Societies
Land Use Patterns in Central Asia. Step 1
The Nice Musical Chairs Model
Archaeology of the Silk Road
Millet cultivation in Central Asia
Testing the applicability of Watson’s Green Revolution concept in first millennium ce Central Asia
Perspectives on an Alluvial Margin
New Insights into Sogdiana during the Classical Period (from the end of the 4th c. BCE to the 3rd c. CE)
Kara-tepe, Karakalpakstan
Change and Continuity in the Samarkand Oasis
Khorezmian Walled Sites of the Seventh Century Bc—Fourth Century Ad
Dating the Irrigation System of the Samarkand Oasis
The Agro-pastoralism debate in Central Eurasia
Multiregional Emergence of Mobile Pastoralism and Nonuniform Institutional Complexity across Eurasia
Is this city yours or mine?” Political Sovereignty and Eurasian Urban Centers in the Ninth through Twelfth Centuries
Soviet military maps and archaeological survey in the Samarkand region
Oriental despotism
Nomads and the outside world
After Alexander
The Karakhanids and early Islam
Oriental Despotism
A History of Archaeological Thought
Topographical Sketch of the Zarafshan Valley
The Decline of Iranshahr
Alexander the Great and Bactria
Archaeological Explorations in the Sogdian Fortress of Kafir Kala (Samarkand Region, Republic of Uzbekistan)
Human-Environment Interactions on the Upper Khuzestan Plains, Southwest Iran. Recent Investigations
Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia
Embajada a Tamorlan
Canal Irrigation and Local Social Organization [and Comments and Reply]
Histoire des marchands sogdiens
Irrigation et société en Asie centrale des origines à l'époque achéménide
Wittfogel's Neglected Hydraulic/Hydroagricultural Distinction
| Unique citing works | 31 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,21 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2026 (15) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 31 |