Micro-dynamics and macro-patterns: Exploring new archaeological data for the late Holocene human-water relationship in the Murghab alluvial fan, Turkmenistan

In this article we re-visit hypotheses about the changing social and environmental landscapes in southern Central Asia during the late Holocene, specifically giving attention to the transitional period between the archaeologically-defined Late Bronze - Early Iron Age (second half of the 2nd millennium BC) and the numerous documented changes in the archaeological and physio-geographical record during this time. We focus on the northeastern Murghab alluvial fan (Turkmenistan) as a window into this complex period, and examine one aspect of human-environmental dynamics there, namely, the relationship between the location of archaeological sites and mapped ancient watercourses (palaeochannels) through time. Our analysis incorporates nearly 400 new archaeological sites documented in the northeastern Murghab since 2006, which have not previously been included in published models of settlement and/or hydrological dynamics. Our findings suggest the periods of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (Yaz I) demonstrate two distinct access-to-water practices, which may correlate to different processes of socio-territorial control being implemented. While no single line of evidence can adequately disentangle the complex interconnected processes of environmental and social change, our results lend themselves to integration with the current working knowledge of the local processes of socio-environmental development in the Murghab. The results also fit more broadly within emerging discourse that recognizes the importance of micro-scale processes and adaptation in Eurasian prehistory.