Begash

Begash

Location in Kazakhstan
Region	Zhetysu
Coordinates	44°54′N 78°30′E / 44.9°N 78.5°E / 44.9; 78.5Coordinates: 44°54′N 78°30′E / 44.9°N 78.5°E / 44.9; 78.5
Altitude	950 m (3,117 ft)
Type	winter campsite
Area	2,500 m2 (26,910 sq ft)
History
Founded	ca. 2460 BC
Abandoned	ca. 1900 AD
Periods	Bronze Age, Iron Age
Associated with	transhumant pastoralists
Site notes
Excavation dates	2002, 2005, 2006
Archaeologists	Michael D. Frachetti, Alexei N. Mar’yashev

Begash in an archaeological site in the Koksu River valley in historic Zhetysu, Kazazkstan. The site is situated in piedmont steppes above the Zhalgyzagash River, a tributary of the Koksu River. The people of Begash were transhumant pastoralists who mainly herded sheep and goats. They likely used the site primarily as a place of winter residence. The people of Begash buried their dead first in cist and later in kurgan burials. So far, the earliest direct evidence for domesticated grains in Central Asia can be found at Begash, with the earliest evidence for the presence of both domesticated free-threshing wheat (from West Asia) and broomcorn millet (from East Asia).

Direct AMS dating of broomcorn millet and wheat seeds from Begash date to around 2460-2150 BC. Most of the seeds were recovered from cist burials, with very few seeds being recovered from hearths. As almost all of the seeds came from burial contexts, the domesticated wheat and millet was most likely primarily used only for ritual purposes.

Free threshing wheat, either Triticum aestivum or Triticum turgidum, and broomcorn millet were found in all of the cultural layers at Begash.

The early wheat seeds from Begash were small, compact and round. The seeds are morphologically similar to modern Indian dwarf wheat and were similar to the seeds found in early China. The domesticated grains at Begash were not cultivated locally and were likely obtained through trade. Located near the Dzungarian Alatau, Begash is situated along the way on what is described as the "wheat road", a route of likely transmission of wheat and other goods from Western Asia to China.

The people of Begash relied mostly on herding, supplemented by limited hunting. The people of Begash herded sheep, goats, cattle, and horses and hunted red deer, goitered gazelle, Siberian ibex, and Argali.