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Thermoluminescence et chronologie de l'architecture médiévale : datation de briques de la citadelle de Termez en Ouzbékistan

2004; Volume: 28; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3406/arsci.2004.1061

2802-1630

Emmanuelle Vieillevigne, Pierre Guibert, Françoise Bechtel, Pierre Leriche,

Archaeology and Historical Studies

Termez, an antique city of north Bactriane which had become one of the capitals of the medieval Tokharestan, is situated at the far south of Uzbekistan, along the Amou Darya river. This huge archaeological site (about 500 hectares) has been excavated soon after the First World War. Its citadel, about 10 hectares, has antique architectural vestiges made of unfired bricks and large fortifications of burned bricks ; this latter material was used principally during the islamic ages (VIIeth-XIVth centuries). Dating indicators of the citadel are provided by ceramic typology and architectural connections, but they did not allow us to determine a chronology for all the constructions, and that's why a thermoluminescence dating programme has been set up. This technique the time of the last heating of the material, and then the burned bricks production is dated. Thermoluminescence can give judicious informations about the chronology of citadel constructions since the site contains a huge quantity of bricks, a second use of the building material being very unlikely. Thermoluminescence results on burned bricks taken from a strongly destroyed circular tower at the east of the citadel are ranging from the XIIth to the XIVth centurie. New informations about architectural and political history of the site during the Middle Ages are then obtained, and notably the permanent use of the citadel even after the destruction of the city by Gengis Khan in 1220.