Seeds of Time: Archaeobotanical Insights into Late Bronze Age Agriculture from the Heart of Central Asia

Recent excavations at Tilla Bulak have produced the first systematically collected dataset of archaeobotanical remains from a Bronze Age site in the Surkhandarya Plain, southern Uzbekistan. The rich assemblage is dominated by economic crops, primarily hulled barley, wheat, and broomcorn millet, along with legumes, grape, and wild fruits, including pistachio, plum, and apple. The identification of a complex cultivation strategy illustrates the breadth and diversity of economies at this early date, distinguishing them from low-investment cultivation systems further north. We interpret the remains of fruits and nuts as evidence of early forest management rather than systematic orchard cultivation, though tree management represents a set of cultural practices not identified in earlier periods in Central Asia. Although most cultural traits of Surkhandarya’s early farmers are similar to those of other southern Central Asian urban centers, their agricultural practices appear less intensive, relying more on grains than legumes and integrating foraged resources.