Landscape undergoes long-term social-natural co-evolution (McGlade 2005, 460), particularly evident in the alluvial plains where irrigation has been initially practised as a human adaptation to natural hydrology, eventually leading to significant landscape modification (Wilkinson, Rayne, and Jotheri 2015). This makes the study of irrigation landscapes challenging and necessitates using innovative methods, like those proposed by UnderTheSands (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-101062705), funded by The European Union.

UnderTheSands will utilize multiple data sources and techniques, including remote sensing, terrain analysis, hybrid machine/deep learning methods, archaeomorphology, spatial correlation indices, and historical research (including multispectral imaging, synthetic aperture radar, and TanDEM-X (DEM_HYDR3723). The Google Earth Engine program enables the project to incorporate multi-temporal images into most workflows, allowing for the efficient processing of large amounts of data.

The paper presents the selected results of the UnderTheSands project in the studies of the Murghab river’s alluvial fan in southern Turkmenistan. The area has been the subject of investigations by The Archaeological Map of the Murghab Delta, Ancient Merv Project, and TAP – Togolok Archaeological Project, resulting in the discovery of over 1700 sites from various periods. Research suggests that the first settlements in the area are dated to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2800-2400 BCE), but the significant occupation started in the Middle Bronze Age (2400-1950 BCE). Its landscape underwent a gradual transformation due to irrigation – particularly during the Iron Age (ca. 1350-300 BC), Parthian (247 BC-224 AD), Sasanian (224-651 AD), and Islamic periods, which makes it particularly interesting for landscape studies. The paper focuses on the eastern part of the delta and employs multi-temporal satellite imagery and digital elevation models to examine the fluvial transformation and the remains of ancient irrigation systems related to the Iron Age settlement pattern (Gubaev et al., 1998; Salvatori et al., 2008). 

Keywords: 

Remote Sensing, Irrigation, Landscape archaeology, Google Earth Engine, Murghab, Turkmenistan