NO. 13 SOVIET ANTHROPOLOGY FIELD 97 



tions here have furnished a large number of terra cotta figurines of 

 animals and people, objects of a cult nature, statuettes of marly lime- 

 stone, and architectural fragments of the same material. 



The dilTerent periods represented in the cultural strata found on 

 this site, the lower of which should be referred to the last centuries 

 before our era and the upper to the first centuries of our era, point 

 to the fact that Airtam existed for a long period of time. 



Excavations were conducted at several points among the ruins of 

 Old Termez. An ancient Buddhist monastery, consisting of a large 

 number of artificial caves and of above-ground chambers was found 

 on the Kara-Tepe elevation. The structures above ground were built 

 of unburnt brick and partly faced in stone. The floor was also of 

 the same brick, coated with clay ; the walls had an undercoating of 

 clay covered with alabaster, on which traces of varicolored fresco 

 paintings were preserved. The walls of one of the excavated premises, 

 for example, were bordered in red. A picture showing the lower part 

 of a human figure was still preserved above the border ; traces of the 

 feet encased in red footgear and parts of varicolored garments coukl 

 still be discerned. The painting resembles Bamian art in type. 



The caves, dug out at different levels in the sandstone layers of 

 the mounds, were connected by staircases, while caves situated on one 

 level communicated through corridors. The caves consisted of rec- 

 tangular chambers (7-12 sq. m. in area) encircled on all sides by 

 passageways about 3 m. wide and 13-16 m. long. The height of the 

 corridors and the caves was 1.5-2.0 m. Benches were hewn along 

 the walls of the caves and shallow niches occurred in the walls of the 

 caves and corridors. Arabic inscriptions were found here and there 

 on the walls, which bespeak the fact that the Arabs visited and possibly 

 used these caves for a considerable time after their conquest of 

 Termez. The excavations brought to light several caves of large 

 dimensions, probably intended for public purposes, and other smaller 

 caves evidently for individual use. Coins, pottery, and other finds 

 discovered in Kara-Tepe date from the last centuries B. C. to the 

 first centuries A. D. 



The investigations of a suburban palace of the Termez rulers of 

 the eleventh and twelfth centuries consisted in clearing the eastern 

 facade, which made is possible to establish the plan of this building. 

 These excavations also unearthed a water reservoir (70 sq. m. in area 

 and 2.0 m. deep) constructed in the courtyard of this palace complex. 



The walls were faced with burnt bricks, which were also used for 

 the base, where there were three steps in each comer. Earthenware 

 pipes with a brick trough running parallel, came to light in the north- 



