Relationships between loess and the Silk Road reflected by environmental change and its implications for human societies in the area of ancient Panjikent, central Asia

Abstract

Rich ancient societies of central Asia developed on the basis of trade between East and West; their existence was dependent on natural resources that favoured agriculture. The branches of the Silk Road in central Asia clearly coincide with loess areas, where many settlements were erected based on the presence of fertile loess soil and water. The aim of the study was to analyse the environmental factors that led to the growth and decline of one of the most important Silk Road “loess towns,” ancient Panjikent, as an example of human and climatic impacts on landscape changes. The town, established in the fifth century, quickly became one of the most important cities of Sogdiana. Local loess material was used for the production of the sun-dried bricks. Rapid population growth led to deforestation and consequently increased the intensity of erosion rates and reductions in cultivation area. A period of drought near the end of the first millennium AD influenced the final abandonment of the ancient town and its relocation to the lower terrace of the Zarafshan River. A decline in natural and agricultural resources and subsequently climatic forces caused a decline in the number of cities in semiarid regions of central Asia.

Dry and Humid Periods Reconstructed from Tree Rings in the Former Territory of Sogdiana (Central Asia) and Their Socio-economic Consequences over the Last Millennium

“…9.1). The axis of this territory is marked by the longitudinal Zeravshan River Valley, along which the most important towns of Sogdiana, namely Panjikent, Samarkand, and Bukhara, were situated (Owczarek et al 2018) (Fig. 9.1).…”

“…Political changes, both negative and positive, in the former territory of the kingdom of Sogdiana, as reflected in the history of Samarkand, were often associated with climate changes, i.e. the occurrence of alternate dry and humid periods (Owczarek et al 2018).…”

“…The consequences of climate fluctuations are particularly evident in arid and semiarid areas, where ecosystem responses are very rapid. In the long history of the Silk Road, rich ancient societies developed in arid Central Asia under the influence of favourable conditions in the natural environment, where access to water and fertile soil were the most important factors (Owczarek et al 2018). One of the richest societies along the Silk Road developed in Sogdiana, located in present-day Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.…”

“…One of the richest societies along the Silk Road developed in Sogdiana, located in present-day Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. This urban civilisation reached its greatest prosperity during the golden age of the Silk Road (sixth to ninth century ce) (Schafer 1963;Litvinsky et al 1996;de La Vaissière 2002;Marshak 2003;Owczarek et al 2018). Archaeological excavations indicate that this territory, crossed by several main branches of the Silk Road, was a melting pot where Sogdian merchants met others from a wide range of areas, from China to Byzantium (Marshak 2003).…”

“…Despite its great significance, this territory, located between the Pamir Mountains and the large mid-latitude desert systems, is relatively little known in terms of climate and socio-economic changes Owczarek et al 2018), in contrast to research showing links between climate and the rise and fall of empires such as the Mongolian (Pederson et al 2014;Putnam et al 2016) and Chinese (Fan 2015;Wei et al 2015;Yin et al 2016;Li et al 2017). Recently, Yadava et al (2016) reconstructed drought periods and historic social upheavals and invasions of India.…”