CHRONOLOGY 663 



attacks of these nomads of the northeastern plains, and it was probably 

 at this time that he fortified Anau. 



I think we shall be on the safe side in dating the introduction of 

 glazed ware in the middle of the sixth century A. D., and in assuming 

 that it was introduced into Persia from its home in Mesopotamia. 



There are 33 feet of culture strata overlying the lowest appearance of 

 this ware, and these ceased to accumulate in the middle of the nineteenth 

 century A. D. This would give a rate of 2% feet per century. That 

 this is not making the rate unduly slow appears from another compar- 

 ison. The superb mosque at Anau was built in 1444, as stated in the 

 Kufic inscription of its fagade. Its floor stands 9 feet lower than the 

 top of the culture strata of the city, which would give a rate of 2V4 feet 

 per century. If we apply the rate of 2% feet to the whole of the 38 

 feet, we obtain the middle of the fourth century A. D. for the date of 

 the founding of the city. 



The culture strata of the city are of very loose texture; those of the 

 upper, or iron, stage of the south kurgan are considerably less so, while 

 the rest of the south kurgan and all of the north kurgan are very closely 

 compacted. I have for this reason taken a rate of 2% feet per century 

 for the period between the top of the copper culture and the founding of 

 the city of Anau and 2 feet for the rate from the end of the copper stage 

 of the south kurgan back to the founding of the north kurgan. 



Using these rates, we may establish tentatively the following approx- 

 imate dating of the essential events : 



Founding of Anau about 370 A. D. 



Beginning of Iron culture in fourth century B. C. 



Founding of south kurgan and introduction of the pot- 

 ter's wheel about 3750 B. C. 



Base of upper (aeneolithic) culture of the north kur- 

 gan about 6000 B. C. 



First domestication of animals, beginning with the 



long-horned ox out of Bos namadicus about 8000 B. C. 



Founding of north kurgan about 8250 B. C. 



The deduction that the plain below the alluvial shoreline has aggraded 

 at least 65 feet during the past 10,000 years has an important bearing 

 on the limitations of archeological discoveries, not only in Turkestan, but 

 also in all aggrading regions of a similar character. 



It is evident that within the zone of continuous aggradation any sites 

 older than the north kurgan must be buried out of sight unless they had 

 been occupied long enough to rise to a height of at least 65 feet. 



