Radio Australia
Russian and
American archaeologists say they have discovered an ancient civilisation
that thrived in Central Asia more than 4,000 years ago, before
being lost in the sweep of history.
Evidence of
the accomplishments of the unknown people in what are now the
countries of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan began to emerge over
several decades of excavations by archaeologists of the Soviet
Union
With the end
of the cold war, American archaeologists joined the Russians and
now they are reporting that they have found inscriptions showing
that the spciety may have had writing, or at least was experimenting
with it around 2300 BC.
No one knows
who the people were or what they called themselves, but they built
oasis settlements with imposing mud-brick buildings and fortifications.
They farmed
and made fine ceramics, bronze weapons and jewellery of gold and
semiprecious stones.
The archaelogists
say their discoveries will re-write the history books about the
ancient world.
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