A tripod from the monument of Khantepa

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the study of the details of the material culture of the monument of Khantepa, located in the ancient capital center of Sogd Erkurgan. Materials from the monument gave interesting data, confir-ming ethnocultural relationships of the ancient population of the Kashkadarya Oasis. Archaeological findings from the monument of Khantepa allow us to trace the influence of nomadic cultures on the culture of the agricultural oasis. Such influence can be traced in the ceramics of everyday life and for religious purposes, as well as in terracotta. A tripod leg is of particular interest among the findings. It is thought to be a portable altar or a censer. The study of portable altars and censers of Central Asia proves that finding to appear with the nomads coming from Eastern Europe. The article describes the history of appearance of portable altars and censers in Central Asia from the Bronze Age to the Early Middle Ages in order to confirm this theory. In addition, the remaining terracotta of the monument also requires a special scientific approach. An important place is given to one of such terracotta, which complements the history of the development of the worldview of the population of Southern Sogd.

Keywords

• tripod
• sanctuary
• brick
• Southern Sogd
• Erkurgan
• Bronze Age
• migration
• altar
• censer
• tower
• Early Middle Ages