Field Projects in Kazakhstan

The Dzhungar Mountains Archaeology Project (DMAP) - Kazakhstan

The DMAP comprises an international group of scientists engaged in the study of Kazakhstan’s early nomadic and sedentary populations who lived from 5000 years ago onward in a region central to prehistoric and early Silk Roads contacts. Members of our team conduct archaeological survey, mapping, and excavation in the Koksu River and Bayan-Zhurek valleys of southeastern Kazakhstan, Semirech’ye. DMAP is a collaborative between The Institute of Archaeology in Almaty, Kazakhstan and Washington University in St. Louis (founded by Dr. Michael Frachetti and the late Dr. Alexei Mar’yashev in 2002). 

Trans-Eurasian Exchanges: Contemporary Dialogues and Archaeological Inquiry (TEECA)

TEECA addresses issues of Eurasian connectivity in the past and present with a specific focus on archaeology and preservation of areas with economic and sacred significance for ancient and modern populations of Central Asia. Our fieldwork is focused in east Kazakhstan where we are documenting land-use patterns, the spread of pastoralism, and craft production among societies who inhabited places between the vast steppe and mountain corridors of eastern Eurasia from the Mesolithic onward.

TEECA is also actively involved in addressing issues facing heritage preservation in Kazakhstan, particularly in regions with little economic revenue where looting poses ongoing threats.