The Chust culture is a late

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and early

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

culture which flourished in the

Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (also commonly spelled the Ferghana Valley) in Central Asia crosses eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Encompassing three former Republics of the Soviet Union, Soviet republics, the valley is e ...

of eastern

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

from ca. 1500 BC to 900 BC. Settlements of the Chust culture varied in size between small dwelling sites to large settlements over 10 ha in size. Some sites occupy hilltop locations, while others indicate the presence of defensive structures. Domestic structures are not well known, with some built of mud-bricks. Large pits appear frequently in Chust sites. These were probably intended for the storage of grain.

Barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and particularly

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

have been recovered, along with agricultural tools such as

sickle A sickle, bagging hook, reaping-hook or grasshook is a single-handed agricultural tool designed with variously curved blades and typically used for harvesting or reaping grain crops, or cutting Succulent plant, succulent forage chiefly for feedi ...

s and hoes. Domestic animals that were part of the Chust culture include camels, asses, horses, cattle, sheep, goat and probably pig. Wild animals that appeared in their territories include

onagers The onager (, ) (''Equus hemionus''), also known as hemione or Asiatic wild ass, is a species of the family Equidae native to Asia. A member of the subgenus ''Asinus'', the onager was described and given its binomial name by German zoologist Pe ...

, gazelles and

saiga The saiga antelope (, ''Saiga tatarica''), or saiga, is a species of antelope which during antiquity inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe, spanning the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the northwest and Caucasus in the southwes ...

antilope. Chust pottery was hand-made. They created both bronze objects and later iron objects. Objects made of bronze include spearheads and knives. Chust burials were normally in pits at the edge of settlements. Such pits often included both human and animal remains. Sometimes they contain hoards of skulls. The stone knives and sickles of the Chust culture, and its painted pottery, is similar to that of contemporary cultures further east in

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

. The human remains of the Chust culture are of the Europoid type. Its people are generally considered

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

. It has been suggested that they were part of an Iranian movement to the east, or perhaps a group of Iranians who were retreating westwards from Xinjiang. It is one of the earliest sedentary Iranian cultures.

Sources

* {{cite book , last1=Mallory , first1=J. P. , author-link1=J. P. Mallory , last2=Adams , first2=Douglas Q. , author-link2=Douglas Q. Adams , year=1997 , chapter=Chust Culture , editor-last= , editor-first= , editor-link= , title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC , series= , language= , volume= , edition= , location= , publisher=

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research and Dovepress. It i ...

, page=107 , isbn=1884964982 , archive-url= , archive-date= , access-date= , via= , quote= Archaeological cultures in Uzbekistan Bronze Age cultures of Asia Iranian archaeological cultures Iron Age cultures of Asia

See also

Sources