It was established for the purpose of academic research on the Silk Road, a transportation route that ran east to west across the Eurasian continent.
"Teikyo University Silk Road Academic Research Team." Led by Professor Kazuya Yamauchi, who specializes in archaeology,
Experts from various fields come together to conduct interdisciplinary research.
Through the excavation of the Ak Beshim ruins, a hub city where Eastern and Western cultures intersect,
We are trying to shed light on the lives and culture of the people of that time.
The tiles that prove the existence of the city of China
Discover colorful stone paved remains
In May 2017, a large number of roof tiles believed to date back to the second half of the 7th century were discovered at the Ak-Beshim ruins in the northern part of the Kyrgyz Republic. The excavation was carried out by the Teikyo University Silk Road Academic Research Team, which was established in 2016 and is primarily comprised of faculty members from Research Institute of Cultural Properties, Teikyo University.
Ak-Beshim Ruins in Northern Kyrgyzstan
The study team conducted a total of eight field surveys from 2016 to 2019, and in the first survey in 2017, they found a large amount of roof tiles buried over a width of about 2 m and a length of about 25 m. Due to the presence of these tiles with Chinese characters on them, it is certain that this place is the site of the military base "Saiyochin Castle" built on the Silk Road by the Chinese dynasty Tang at that time. Became.
During the first survey in the following year, 2018, another pile of tile fragments was discovered nearby. When they dug further into these fragments, they discovered vivid stone paving remains made of red, white, and green stones combined to form floral patterns, which greatly surprised the entire survey team. Professor Yamauchi Kazuya, leader of the survey team, says he still remembers the excitement he felt at the time of the discovery.
"Surprising discoveries are rare. Just finding tiles with Chinese characters written on them was a valuable discovery, but what really stood out was how overwhelming the sheer number of tiles that kept coming out was. During excavations the following year, we found colorful stone paving. Such stone paving is extremely rare in Central Asia, so it became a hot topic locally." (Professor Yamauchi)
In a city bordering eastern and western culture
I want to know about culture and people's exchanges
The archaeological site of Ak Besim, which is the subject of the survey, is said to be the place where the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai was born in the land that was once called "Suyab". The feature is that the city built by the Sogdo people (1st Shafristan), which is expanding from the west to the east, and the crushed leaf castle (2nd Shafristan), which was built by Tang aiming to expand from the east to the west, are adjacent to each other. It is a valuable archaeological site where you can investigate the contact and exchanges of how the people of the east and west lived in a place that was also a point of contact and a boundary between eastern and western culture.
In addition to eastern and western ethnic groups, nomadic peoples also lived in the surrounding area of Ak Beshim. Buddhism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism were also present, and evidence has been found of people of each faith living together. When different ethnic groups live on the same land, conflicts usually arise, but these people were able to coexist because they used the land in different ways. In history, conflicts are more likely to be talked about, but I am interested in why they were able to coexist without fighting," says Professor Yamauchi.
During the survey of the Ak Beshim ruins, the team also excavated the roads that existed in the city. Although the discovery of a road alone would not be considered a major discovery, the team felt that it was meaningful to uncover the roads.
"People at that time threw all kinds of garbage onto the road, so there is a lot of garbage piled up on the streets. People at that time also had a garbage problem. Buildings line both sides of the street, and it is clear that people's lives revolved around the street, and the existence of the street gives us an idea of the city as a whole. The people walking along this street, where eastern and western ethnic groups and nomads came and went, probably spoke different languages. Looking at this street with this in mind, it is very moving." (Professor Yamauchi)
In multidisciplinary interdisciplinary research
Revealed life 1300 years ago
The members of the study team are a wide range of experts in archeology, plant archeology, zooarchaeology, conservation and restoration of cultural properties, and scientific analysis. I'm trying to unravel people's lives.
Plant seeds found in excavations so far have given us insight into the vegetation and food culture of the time. Visiting Professor Seiji Nakayama, who specializes in archaeology, will focus on grains that were transmitted from West to East and vice versa along the Silk Road. He will investigate how barley, wheat, and beans originating in West Asia, as well as foxtail millet and millet originating in northeastern China, were brought from various places.
Associate Professor Uetsuki Manabu, who specializes in zooarchaeology, is trying to understand meat-eating patterns from the bones of livestock such as cows and sheep. For example, the age at which a cow was butchered can tell us whether it was for meat or milk, revealing the unique eating habits of that region. Also, the way pork was eaten can tell us how Islam spread, and the joy of interdisciplinary research is being able to branch out in many different directions starting from one field.
Of the many cultural assets excavated, mainly metal products are being brought back to Japan for preservation and restoration. This is because metals that are not well preserved will rust and deteriorate. Various analytical equipment is being used to examine the internal structure and materials. Associate Professor Fujisawa Akira, who is in charge of the preservation, restoration and scientific analysis of such cultural assets, says that his mission is to preserve the cultural assets in good condition and pass them on to future generations.
"Chinese money and other items have been found here, providing evidence that this was a Tang Dynasty town. Not many metal products have been found here, but looking at the metalworking techniques, we can see that Eastern and Western techniques were passed down. What's more, processing techniques differed depending on the ethnic group, and it's interesting to see how each group made things in their own way to suit their lifestyles and purposes." (Associate Professor Fujisawa)
Ruins where valuable materials sleep
I will spend my life excavating and investigating
In 2020, there are plans to excavate the site of the former Christian church, and if traces of the faith and lives of Christians at the time, such as crosses, are found, a different culture will emerge.
"I've been thinking about what it means for culture and things to spread. Even if something has the same shape, the material or the way it's made can be different. In such cases, what was it that spread? Did the people move, did the things move, or did the design move? I want to know the process of how these things spread, and how they helped and were accepted in exchanges between different ethnic groups." (Associate Professor Fujisawa)
"This survey has given us an understanding of what the Chinese city was like, so future surveys will shed more light on the lives of the people who lived there. Learning about this place will lead to understanding the entire Silk Road, a trade route along which people and cultures traveled. I believe that the Ak Beshim ruins are a place worth devoting one's life to digging." (Professor Yamauchi)
Excavations at the Ak Beshim ruins have only just begun. The area will be expanded over the next few years, but the deeper they dig into this land that flourished for 500 years, the more they will uncover ancient lifestyles. By expanding their investigation both horizontally (space) and vertically (time), Professor Yamauchi and his colleagues will shed light on how people and cultures from different lands took root in the land and achieved coexistence between different cultures and ethnic groups.
