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Origins of the Bronze Age Oasis Civilization in Central Asia. By FREDRIK T. HIEBERT. American School of Prehistoric Research, Bulletin 42. Cambridge, Mass.: PEABODY MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY, 1994. pp. XXxviii + 200. $40.
This volume embodies the results of a project undertaken over several years by the author to clarify the origins and the development of what he calls the Bronze Age Bactrian-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC). The term had been coined by V. I. Sarianidi on the discovery of large, fortified building complexes at a site called Togolok. Dr. Hiebert was fortunate enough to be allowed to participate, together with Sarianidi, in field expeditions in Turkmenistan, where he concentrated his efforts on the excavation of the site called Gonur depe, located in the Murgab river delta in an oasis environment.
The BMAC oasis culture flourished around 2000 B.c.; Hiebert distinguishes between two periods, the first lasting from 2200 to 2000 B.c., during which Margiana was colonized simultaneously over a large area. The shift...