Dzhungar Mountains Archaeology Project (Kazakhstan)

Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Season: May 31, 2023 to June 23, 2023

Application Deadline: March 3, 2023

Deadline Type: Exact Date

Website: https://www.doumanidupuy.com

Program Type:
Field School, Volunteer

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Nazarbayev University

Project Director:
Paula Doumani Dupuy (Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Nazarbayev University)

Project Description:

Join one of Central Asia’s longest standing research projects in the Mountains of Kazakhstan!

Each year the Dzhungar Mountains Archaeology Project takes applicants who get to participate in archaeological excavations located directly along the ancient Silk Roads, to investigate the cultural remains of more than 4000 years of regional interaction and local adaptation on the part of nomadic societies who occupied the mountains and grasslands of the region. Current archaeological research at the site complex of Tasbas/Dali is providing new evidence for Eurasia’s earliest nomadic communities as well key discoveries that document the oldest known evidence for farming and trade between SW Asia and China.

The site is located in the foothills of the scenic Dzhungar Mountains 350 km north of the city of Almaty (in the Bayan Zhurek Valley). The program provides opportunities for intensive language immersion (in Kazakh and Russian), and a curriculum focusing on the culture and lifeways of local nomadic pastoralists, as well as their role in shaping widescale regional networks that crossed Eurasia from prehistoric times. Participants will spend the program in the stunning environmental backdrop of spectacular mountains and highland meadows, and amidst a new globalism that is shaping Central Asia in the 21st century.

Join us for an experience of a lifetime!

Period(s) of Occupation: Bronze Age (2800-1000 BCE)

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: None – Everyone is welcome! Our participants come from various backgrounds and all ages. This includes archaeology students at all levels, local volunteers, professionals, and tourists.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Participants reside in hotels when the team is in the city (Almaty). In the field we live in a camp complex, where each member lives in their own tent. Hired cooks will prepare and provide 3 meals a day. Participants are responsible for airfare and for providing their own tent and personal camping gear. Cost: $2100 US (plus visa, airfare to/from Kazakhstan and hotel accommodation in Almaty).

Academic Credit:
None