Remains
of ancient civilization discovered on the bottom of a lake
MOSCOW.
(Nikolai Lukashov for RIA Novosti) - An international archeological
expedition to Lake Issyk Kul, high in the Kyrgyz mountains, proves
the existence of an advanced civilization 25 centuries ago, equal
in development to the Hellenic civilizations of the northern coast
of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Mediterranean coast
of Egypt.
The
expedition resulted in sensational finds, including the discovery
of major settlements, presently buried underwater. The data and
artefacts obtained, which are currently under study, apply the
finishing touches to the many years of exploration in the lake,
made by seven previous expeditions. The addition of a previously
unknown culture to the treasury of history extends the idea of
the patterns and regularities of human development.
Kyrgyz
historians, led by Vladimir Ploskikh, vice president of the Kyrgyz
Academy of Sciences, worked side-by-side with Russian colleagues,
lead by historian Svetlana Lukashova and myself. All the Russians
involved were experienced skin-divers and members of the Russian
Confederation of Underwater Sports. We were responsible for the
work done under water. Scuba divers ventured into the lake many
times to study its bottom.
Last
year, we worked near the north coast at depths of 5-10 metres
to discover formidable walls, some stretching for 500 meters-traces
of a large city with an area of several square kilometers. In
other words, it was a metropolis in its time. We also found Scythian
burial mounds, eroded by waves over the centuries, and numerous
well preserved artifacts-bronze battleaxes, arrowheads, self-sharpening
daggers, objects discarded by smiths, casting molds, and a faceted
gold bar, which was a monetary unit of the time.
Lake
Issyk Kul has played a tremendous role since the inception of
human history due to its geographic location at the crossing of
Indo-Aryan and other nomadic routes. Archeologists found traces
of many religions here-Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity
and Islam. Somewhere in the vicinity was Chihu, the metropolitan
city of a mighty state of Wusung nomads, which ancient Chinese
chronicles mentioned on many occasions.
The
Great Silk Road lay along the lake's coast until the 18th century.
Even today, the descendants of caravan drivers recollect their
ancestors' stories about travelling from Asia to Europe and back.
Tamerlane
built a fortress on one of the lake islets to hold aristocratic
captives and keep his treasures. The famous Asian expeditions
of Russian explorers Dmitry Przhevalsky and Pyotr Semyonov-Tianshansky
started from that spot.
The
latter left us an enticing mystery. When he visited Venice in
1850, he looked at the Catalan Atlas of 1375 and came across a
picture of a lakeside monastery with the caption: "The spot
is named Isikol. Here is a monastery of Armenian brethren, which
is rumored to possess the relics of St. Matthew the Apostle and
Evangelist."
Semyonov-Tianshansky
embarked on a relentless but vain search for the shrine. To all
appearances, the monastery was engulfed by water. Hydrologists
have not to this day sufficiently studied the unique lake with
regular shifts in its water level. Some changes are gradual, others
sudden and disastrous since they are caused by earthquakes and
torrents of water rush from lakes higher up in the mountains.
Floods recede sooner or later, and people come back to the shores-only
to become the victims of other floods 500-700 years later.
Throughout
the years of their partnership, Russian and Kyrgyz archeologists
discovered and examined more than ten major flooded urban and
rural settlements of varying ages. Their ample finds generously
add to present-day ideas of everyday life in times long ago.
Some
artifacts are stunning. A 2,500 year-old ritual bronze cauldron
was found on the bottom of the lake. The subtlety of its craftsmanship
is amazing. Such excellent quality of joining details together
can be presently obtained by metalwork in an inert gas. How did
ancient people achieve their high-tech perfection? Also of superb
workmanship are bronze mirrors, festive horse harnesses and many
other objects. Articles identified as the world's oldest extant
coins were also found underwater-gold wire rings used as small
change and a large hexahedral goldpiece.
Side
by side with the settlements are remnants of ritual complexes
of times immemorial, dwellings and household outbuildings. Later
expeditions will study them.
The
information collected there allows us to conjecture that local
people had a socio-economic system hitherto unknown to historians.
As a blending of nomadic and settled life, it either gradually
evolved into something different or-more likely-was destroyed
by one of the many local floods. Legends confirm the latter assumption.
Nikolai
Lukashov, a member of the Russian Confederation of Underwater
Sports, took part in the the Issyk Kul expedition.
The
opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.