Toprak-Kala

Toprak-Kala
	Ruins of Toprak-Kala
	Shown within West and Central Asia Toprak-Kala (Uzbekistan)
Alternative name	Toprak-Kala
Location	Karakalpakstan,Uzbekistan
Coordinates	41°55′37.9″N60°49′19.8″E/ 41.927194°N 60.822167°E
Type	Settlement
History
Periods	Parthian,Sasanian
Site notes
Excavation dates	1938
Condition	Ruined

Toprak-Kala,in modernKarakalpakstan,Uzbekistan,was an ancient palace city and the capital of inChorasmiain the 2nd/3rd century CE, where wall paintings, coins and archives were discovered.^[1]^[2]Its history covers a period from the 1st to the 5th century CE.^[1]It is part of the "Fifty fortresses oasis" in modern-dayUzbekistan.^[1]

Toprak-Kala palace city[edit]

Toprak-Kala appears to have been built byArtav(Artabanos), ruler ofKhwarezm,in the 1st or 2nd century CE.^[3]The establishment of Toprak-Kala probably followed the abandonment ofAkchakhan-Kala,14 km to the southwest.^[4]

The ruins of the city were explored by theChorasmian Expeditionunder the guidance ofSergey Tolstovin 1938.^[1]The date of the palace has been determined by the discovery of coins of theKushan EmpirerulersVima KadphisesandKanishka,as well as coins of the Khwarazmian king Artav (Artabanus).^[5]Wall paintings representingZoroastriandeities were discovered in the Palace.^[1]

Toprak-kala and the whole of Chorasmia seem to have been under the control of theKushan Empirefor some time during the 2nd century CE, as coins ofVima KadphisesandKanishkawere found, interrupting a series of coins of Chorasmian rulers before and after them.^[6]^[7]Others have analysed the coinage evidence as indicating that the Kushan did not control Khwarezm.^[8]^[9]

Severalhigh-reliefsof standing figures drapped in robes ofHellenistic style,which are thought to derive from the style of theGreco-Buddhist artofGandhara,reflecting the influence of theKushan Empire,were discovered in the ruins of Toprak-Kala.^[4]This abundant sculptural work may also have been accomplished by artisans from nearbyBactria,where a Hellenistic tradition remained active since the time of theGreco-Bactriankingdom.^[4]The statues are now located in theHermitage MuseuminSaint-Petersburg.^[4]

Sergey Tolstov drew a reconstruction of the ancient city.^[10]

Toprak Kala ruins
The palace
Toprak Kala ruins
Wall painting found in Toprak-Kala (2nd-3rd century CE)

Nearby Kyzyl-Kala fortress[edit]

Kyzyl-Kala fortress

Nearby fortress of Kyzyl-Kala, before modern restoration.

Fortress of Kyzyl-Kala being restored (2018).

The small fortress ofKyzyl-Kala,also "Qyzyl Qala" ( "Red fortress" ) is located nearby, 1 km to the west, and was also built in the 1st-4th century CE, possibly as a fortified defense for the site of Toprak-Kala (41°55′48″N60°47′03″E/ 41.930031°N 60.784109°E/41.930031; 60.784109).

Kyzyl-Kala was once restored in the 12th century CE. It has also been the subject of a modern renovation program, with the objective of showing what a fortress looked like originally.

Related sites[edit]

Toprak-Kala is somewhat related to another archaeological site 30 km to the southeast,Koi Krylgan Kala,another major component of the "Fifty fortresses oasis".^[1]Another related site isAyaz-Kala.

The location of the Chorasmian capital was changed to Kyat (modernBeruniy), at the time of theAfrighid dynastysometime after 305 CE, but the town of Toprak-Kala continued to prosper until the 6th century CE.^[6]

References[edit]

^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^fAdrianov, Boris V.; Mantellini, Simone (31 December 2013).Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area: Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area.Oxbow Books, Limited. p. 38.ISBN 978-1-78297-167-2.
^Неразик, Е.Е., Лапиров-Скобло, М.С., Трудновская, С.А. & Вайнберг, Б.И. (1981).Городище Топрак-кала (раскопки 1965-1975 гг.)(ТХАЭЭ, т. 12). Москва.
^"The second king of the dynasty was Artav ( ' ri ' w" the just "; Vainberg, 1977, p. 52 ). He appears to have begun construction of a new capital, the ruins of which were discovered bySergey Tolstovin 1938 at Toprak - kala "Yar-Shater, Ehsan (1982).Encyclopaedia Iranica.Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 514.ISBN 9780710090904.
^^a ^b ^c ^dMinardi, Michele (January 2020)."The Ancient Chorasmian Unbaked-clay Modelled Sculptures: Hellenistic Cultural 'Impacts' on an Eastern Iranian Polity".Religion, Society, Trade and Kingship. Art and Archaeology in South Asia Along the Silk Road 5500 BCE-5th Century CE (South Asian Archaeology and Art 2016, Volume 1):195–205, Figs. 7, 9, 11.
^"Apart from purely archaeological and artistic evidence, the date has been determined from coins of the Kushan kings Vima Kadphises and Kanishka, and of the Khwarazmian king Artav, that were found on the lower floors of some structures. Some economic documents found in the Palace were dated to between 188 and 252 of theKhwarazmian era,i.e., to within the third century A.D. It should be borne in mind that only an insignificant portion of the archive has survived. "in"Bulletin of the Asia Institute".Wayne State University Press. 1996: 183.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
^^a ^b"Toprak - Kala was for a long time its capital. Later the seat of authority was changed to the city of Kyat ( afterwards called Shabbaz and now known as Biruni ). This transfer took place during the reign of Afrig, a Chorasmian King."Basham, Arthur Llewellyn (1969).Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka: Submitted to the Conference on the Date of Kaniṣka, London, 20-22 April 1960.Brill Archive. p. 204 and 414.
^Basham, Arthur Llewellyn (1969).Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka: Submitted to the Conference on the Date of Kaniṣka, London, 20-22 April 1960.Brill Archive. p. 414.
^"Theories that Chorasmia was incorporated into the Kushan empire are refuted by the numismatic evidence; there was no interruption in the local minting of silver coins, and many Kushan coins bear Chorasmian overstrikes, often obliterating the rulers' portraits."Yar-Shater, Ehsan (1982).Encyclopaedia Iranica.Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 514.ISBN 9780710090904.
^"CHORASMIA i. Archeology and pre-Islamic hist. – Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.
^Jettmar, Karl (1967)."The Middle Asiatic Heritage of Dardistan. (Islamic Collective Tombs in Punyal and Their Background)"(PDF).East and West.17(1/2): 59–82, Fig. 11.ISSN 0012-8376.JSTOR 29755106.

External links[edit]

Excavations at Toprak-Kala

[BVA-1] Adrianov, Boris V.; Mantellini, Simone (31 December 2013).Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area: Ancient Irrigation Systems of the Aral Sea Area.Oxbow Books, Limited. p. 38.ISBN 978-1-78297-167-2.

[2] Неразик, Е.Е., Лапиров-Скобло, М.С., Трудновская, С.А. & Вайнберг, Б.И. (1981).Городище Топрак-кала (раскопки 1965-1975 гг.)(ТХАЭЭ, т. 12). Москва.

[3] "The second king of the dynasty was Artav ( ' ri ' w" the just "; Vainberg, 1977, p. 52 ). He appears to have begun construction of a new capital, the ruins of which were discovered bySergey Tolstovin 1938 at Toprak - kala "Yar-Shater, Ehsan (1982).Encyclopaedia Iranica.Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 514.ISBN 9780710090904.

[MM-4] Minardi, Michele (January 2020)."The Ancient Chorasmian Unbaked-clay Modelled Sculptures: Hellenistic Cultural 'Impacts' on an Eastern Iranian Polity".Religion, Society, Trade and Kingship. Art and Archaeology in South Asia Along the Silk Road 5500 BCE-5th Century CE (South Asian Archaeology and Art 2016, Volume 1):195–205, Figs. 7, 9, 11.

[5] "Apart from purely archaeological and artistic evidence, the date has been determined from coins of the Kushan kings Vima Kadphises and Kanishka, and of the Khwarazmian king Artav, that were found on the lower floors of some structures. Some economic documents found in the Palace were dated to between 188 and 252 of theKhwarazmian era,i.e., to within the third century A.D. It should be borne in mind that only an insignificant portion of the archive has survived. "in"Bulletin of the Asia Institute".Wayne State University Press. 1996: 183.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

[ALB-6] "Toprak - Kala was for a long time its capital. Later the seat of authority was changed to the city of Kyat ( afterwards called Shabbaz and now known as Biruni ). This transfer took place during the reign of Afrig, a Chorasmian King."Basham, Arthur Llewellyn (1969).Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka: Submitted to the Conference on the Date of Kaniṣka, London, 20-22 April 1960.Brill Archive. p. 204 and 414.

[7] Basham, Arthur Llewellyn (1969).Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka: Submitted to the Conference on the Date of Kaniṣka, London, 20-22 April 1960.Brill Archive. p. 414.

[8] "Theories that Chorasmia was incorporated into the Kushan empire are refuted by the numismatic evidence; there was no interruption in the local minting of silver coins, and many Kushan coins bear Chorasmian overstrikes, often obliterating the rulers' portraits."Yar-Shater, Ehsan (1982).Encyclopaedia Iranica.Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 514.ISBN 9780710090904.

[IO-9] "CHORASMIA i. Archeology and pre-Islamic hist. – Encyclopaedia Iranica".iranicaonline.org.

[10] Jettmar, Karl (1967)."The Middle Asiatic Heritage of Dardistan. (Islamic Collective Tombs in Punyal and Their Background)"(PDF).East and West.17(1/2): 59–82, Fig. 11.ISSN 0012-8376.JSTOR 29755106.

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