The Anau Seal and the Questions It Raises

Abstract

In June 2000 a USA-Turkmen archaeological team excavating at the Anau site in southern Turkmenistan came across a seal, made of jet or lignite, bearing an apparently unknown script.1 The discovery aroused great interest in the Western press, which published special features about this “first word from Asia’s lost civilization” in April and May 2001.2 The seal immediately caught the attention of Chinese academics, and a number of articles swiftly appeared in Zhongguo wenwu bao [China Cultural Relics News].3 The Chinese scholars recognised this as a significant discovery, one that could not be ignored in the study of the origins of seals and writing in China. Additionally, it might throw new light on the early cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia. However, there are a number of unresolved problems regarding the context of the find, its date, and possible interpretations. In this paper, we will re-examine some of the issues. In order to pursue the question further, we will look more broadly at the archaeology of Central Asia and China, and in particular at the development of Chinese seals and at comparable examples from Chinese Central Asia (Xinjiang). The Anau site is located on the plateau north of the Kopet Mountains on the borders between Turkmenistan and Iran. It occupies a strategic location, at the crossroads of the ancient civilizations of Central Asia, Western Asia and India. The site was first discovered by General A.V. Komarov in 1880, and the first excavations, by geologist Raphael Pumpelly (1873-1959) and archaeologist Hubert Schmidt (1864-1933), began in the early twentieth century.4 Archaeologists from the Soviet Union soon became active in this region, working at the Anau site and the related sites of Namazga-depe, Altyn-depe and Kara-depe. The finds from these sites are typically representative of Chalcolithic and Bronze Age civilizations, and include human figures, textiles, ceramics and metalware. These Bronze Age sites have now been classified as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) and the periodization is currently determined according to the evidence of type sites, such as Namazga-depe.5 The early phase of the Anau culture (Anau IA) pre-dates the Chalcolithic, but a small quantity of copper ore has been found at Anau. Namazga-depe Phases I-III are characterised by the combined Bronze and Stone Age (37002500 BCE), and Phases IV-VI by the Bronze Age (2500-1000 BCE). As far as the development of seals is concerned, it is particularly noteworthy that terracotta seals have been found at Karadepe, which belongs to the Namazga-depe Phase III (3000-2500 BCE).6 The designs on the seals resemble a cross, and similar designs have also been found on pots from the site. Seals made of copper and stone have also been found at Shahr-i-Sokhta, a site with a similar date and also in southern Turkmenistan.7 The same cross designs are found on these seals, as well as animal symbols. Once in the Bronze Age, for example at the Altyn-depe site, there is a notable increase in the quantity of seals made of bronze and other metals, such as silver.8 The designs on these seals indicate that they follow on from the earlier seals. However, there are also some designs that look rather like proto-writing. Although we cannot be absolutely certain, some marks appear to show links between the bronze cultures of the Iranian Plateau and the Indus Valley civilizations.9 Seals of this period usually have a small perforated boss on the reverse, or a hole on the side, through which to thread a string, and no knob on the reverse. Similar seals have also been found in Afghanistan.10 In the 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan swiftly set about establishing joint projects with foreign archaeologists. In 1995 the US and Turkmenistan signed a memorandum of understanding for joint excavations at the Anau site over a five-year period. This co-operation was very successful and a new memorandum was signed to enable the project to continue between 2002 and 2006.The directors of the project were Fredrik T. Hiebert of Pennsylvania University and Kakamurad Kurbansakhatov of the Turkmenistan Cultural Heritage Centre.11 The Anau seal was unearthed during excavations in 2000.12 At first, the discovery did not attract particular attention. At the time, the excavations were focussed on the structural remains in the southern part of the site, which seemed to correspond with Phases IV and V of the Namazga-depe culture, with dates between 2500-1600 BCE. The jet seal was recovered by screening from the remains of a room built of clay bricks and with a stone paved doorway. Associated finds include small stone tools, pottery and fragments of human figurines. It is worth stressing that the archaeologists established that this room had had been altered many times and that it had served various functions. It probably started out as a storehouse, and was later used as a workshop. The floor, walls and steps all have marks showing different periods of use. Furthermore, there was an open-air stove in the courtyard on the southern side of the house, in which a large number of round pieces of clay were found (perhaps once used to seal urns?). Carbon dating on