Illustrations

Professor V. M. Masson introducing school children to the excavations at Jeitun, 1990 Frontispiece

figures

1.1 The Central Asian arid zone 4

1.2 Turkmenistan and adjacent areas 4
1.3 The Kopetdag mountains and piedmont Color figure I
1.4 Takyrs on the Kopetdag piedmont 6
1.5 A takyr in the Central Karakum 6
1.6 Pentagonal cracks on a takyr surface 6
1.7 Turkmenistan: mean annual precipitation 8
1.8 Riparian tugai forest Color figure I
1.9 Groves of pistachio trees, Badghyz Reserve Color figure I
1.10 Pistachio tree with wild barley, Badghyz Reserve Color figure I
1.11 Steppe grassland on the Kopetdag piedmont Color figure I
1.12 White saksaul, Central Karakum Color figure II
1.13 Black saksauls, Trans-Unguz Karakum Color figure II
1.14 Ancient black saksaul, Repetek Reserve Color figure II
1.15 Distribution of wild Asiatic mouflon, urial, and argali sheep 12
1.16 Distribution of wild bezoar, ibex, and markhor goats 13
3.1 Location of Jeitun and the Kara Su 28
3.2 Kara Su gorge near Jeitun Color figure II
3.3 Solonetz soil in the Kara Su gorge Color figure II
3.4 Overgrazed semi-shrub vegetation at Jeitun Color figure II
3.5 Tamarisk and reeds beside the Kara Su Color figure III
3.6 Reed-tamarisk swamp near Jeitun Color figure III
4.1 Bolshoi and Maly Balkhan massifs and the Uzboi lowland 36
4.2 Escarpment and piedmont of the Bolshoi Balkhan massif Color figure III
4.3 View from the DDC 1 rockshelter Color figure III
4.4 Southern Bolshoi Balkhan, piedmont, and lower Uzboi 37
4.5 Bedded sands and gravels below the DDC rockshelters 38
4.6 Downstream view of the Uzboi channel Color figure III
4.7 Scattered juniper trees above the DDC 4 rockshelter 39
4.8 Grove of fig trees at the head of the DDC 4 canyon Color figure III
6.1 Distribution of Neolithic and Mesolithic sites 56
 illustrations

6.2 Distribution of Keltiminar and other Neolithic sites 65

8.1 Jeitun: plan of Masson’s second level 96
8.2 Jeitun: locations of 1989–94 excavations 97
8.3 Jeitun: plan of the central area excavation 98
8.4 Jeitun: part of the central area excavated 1989–90 99
8.5 Jeitun: section in trench 1991a 101
8.6 Jeitun: northern face of section in trench 1991a Color figure IV
8.7 Jeitun: plan of 1993 House A excavation 103
8.8 Jeitun: excavated House A oven Color figure IV
8.9 Jeitun: dog-like figurine and truncated cone from House A Color figure IV
8.10 Jeitun: plan of 1994 House B excavation 105
8.11 Jeitun: House B from the west Color figure IV
8.12 Jeitun: incomplete tortoise carapace from House B Color figure IV
8.13 Southwestern Turkmenistan 108
8.14 Sumbar and Chandyr valleys: location of archaeological sites 109
8.15 Approach to the Jebel rockshelter Color figure V
8.16 DDC 1 from the Bolshoi Balkhan piedmont Color figure V
8.17 Entrance of DDC 1 Color figure V
8.18 Interior of DDC 1 Color figure V
8.19 Entrance of DDC 2 Color figure V
8.20 Plan of DDC 2 114
8.21 Section of Area 1 in DDC 2 115
8.22 Entrance of DDC 3 during excavation Color figure V
9.1 Jeitun: calibration of radiocarbon results 120
9.2 Jeitun: Bayesian model of on-site radiocarbon dates 121
9.3 Jeitun: duration of occupation 122
9.4a,b Micromorphology: silica skeletons Color figure VI
9.5 Micromorphology: residual plant structure in yellow organic matter Color figure VI
9.6 Micromorphology: spherulitic fabric Color figure VI
9.7 Jeitun: excavation of buried-soil section 131
9.8 Jeitun: ditch-like feature in buried-soil section Color figure VI
9.9 Micromorphology: framboids in limpid yellow coatings Color figure VI
9.10 Jeitun: excavated ditch-like feature 137
9.11 Jeitun: buried-soil section and magnetic susceptibility 138
9.12 Jeitun: section through buried-soil sequence 139
9.13 SEM micrographs of Jeitun phytoliths and spherulites 143

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 illustrations

9.14 Jeitun: glume wheat spikelet forks 152

9.15 Jeitun: glume wheat grain 152
9.16 Jeitun: barley material 153
9.17 Triangular plot of Jeitun barley and wheat samples 154
9.18a,b Scatter plots of samples from Jeitun and Amorgos 156
9.19a,b Correspondence analysis of samples and taxa 159
9.20 Correspondence analysis of taxa by seasonality 161
9.21 Correspondence analysis of samples by seasonality, crop material, and taxa 161
9.22 Correspondence analysis of samples by context type 161
9.23 SEM micrographs of Jeitun charcoal specimens 169
9.24 Jeitun: evidence of bone bead production Color figure VII
9.25 Jeitun: representative stone artifacts 180
9.26 Stone tools from Jeitun, 1994 Color figure VIII
9.27 Jeitun blade widths 182
9.28 Jeitun flake lengths 182
9.29 SEM micrograph of edge wear on a Jeitun blade 184
9.30 Jeitun pottery: vessel forms and types of ware 187
10.1 SEM micrographs of DDC charcoal specimens 200
10.2 Stone tools from DDC 2, 1997 203
Color figures are located after p. 208

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