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The steppe region of present-day Kyrgyzstan has served as a contact zone between the cultures of settled agriculturalists and the world of nomads for millennia. Over 20 previously unknown archaeological sites discovered using remote research methods have allowed researchers to pinpoint settlement locations dating from the 2nd millennium BCE to the mid-1st millennium CE.

"Our archaeological excavation focused on the Ak-Jar site, which was the gateway to the challenging high-mountain stretch of the Silk Road between Fergana in modern Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang region of the People's Republic of China. Trade caravans had to cross mountain ridges exceeding 3,000 meters above sea level here," explained Pavel Vařeka, head of the expedition from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of West Bohemia. In Ak-Jar, a total of seven settlement mounds, known as "tepe", have been preserved, dating from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE. These mounds formed part of an extensive settlement area covering nearly 100 hectares. Probes also uncovered the remains of a building on one of the mounds, whose occupation ended in a catastrophic fire.

Through remains such as ceramics kitchenware and food remnants, archaeologists have gained insights into the high standards of daily life along the Silk Road during this period. "The plant-based diet of the tepe inhabitants included barley, wheat, and millet, supplemented by legumes and a very rich assortment of fruits such as apples, plums, peaches, nuts, grapes, and pistachios. A vast collection of animal bones indicates not only significant meat consumption but also the vital role of livestock farming in the economy, complemented by hunting, for example, of ibex," Vařeka described.

At the base of the mound, the Czech-Kyrgyz team of archaeologists also discovered a cemetery with a wealth of grave goods, mainly jewelry, coins, and weapons. They dated the site’s decline to a period of climate change on the threshold of the Middle Ages. Nomadic communities subsequently used the area as a winter pasture until forced Soviet collectivization in the 20th century.

Students and university staff are processing the Kyrgyz archaeological finds directly in a field laboratory in Kyrgyzstan. The items will later be stored in a museum in the city of Osh. The challenging conservation of rare artifacts is being undertaken in Pilsen in cooperation with the West Bohemian Museum.

The students and faculty staff returned to the Czech Republic at the beginning of November. They spent several weeks in Kyrgyzstan over the course of the year. The Department of Archaeology at the University of West Bohemia has been conducting research expeditions in southern Kyrgyzstan for several seasons, in collaboration with natural scientists from the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, and Osh State University. The archaeologists plan to return to Kyrgyzstan next year.