Horsepower project
Sponsored by: Prof Chris Gosden
Research Interests
Urban Archaeology, 'Silk Road' Cities, Soviet-era Archaeology & Legacy Data, Field Methodologies, Mongols, Central Asia, Caucasus
The Mongol expansions of the 13th century created one of the world’s largest empires, changing political and social structures across large swathes of Central Asia, the Caucasus and beyond. During this expansion, the Mongols encountered some of the largest and most prosperous cities in the world, yet little archaeological attention has been paid to this apparent destruction and rapid change brought about by this clash between nomads and city-dwellers. My research project aims to begin to remedy this with the integration of archaeological research undertaken during the period of Soviet administration, with new fieldwork at the three cities of Barda (modern-day Azerbaijan), Merv (Turkmenistan) and Otrar (Kazakhstan). Targeted excavation and analysis will gather stratigraphic and material evidence to examine the changes which took place in these cities between 1200 and 1400, from destruction and abandonment to rebuilding and regeneration, considering why different cities were affected in different ways. Before starting my doctorate, I worked for 10 years as an archaeologist and heritage manager across the UK, Middle East and Central Asia. The project is funded by a Nizami Ganjavi Doctoral Scholarship
https://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/nizami-ganjavi-programme-study-languages-and-cultures-azerbaijan-and-caucasus
Publications
Campbell, K (2020) ‘The City of Otrar, Kazakhstan: Using Archaeology to Better Understand the Impact of the Mongol Conquest of Central Asia’, in Otto, A., Herles, M., Kaniuth, K., Korn, L., and Heidenreich, A. (eds.) Proceedings of the 11th International Congress on the Ancient Near East (ICAANE) Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich 2018, Volume 2. Harrassowitz Verlag: Leipzig, pp. 597-607
Williams T, Campbell, K, Jorayev, G, Wordsworth, P, Jepbarov, R & Morisset, S (2018) ‘Semi-forrtified Palatial Complexes in Central Asia: New Work at the Great Kyz Kala, Merv, Turkmenistan’ in Archaeology International, 21(1), pp. 153-169 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ai-395
Campbell, K, Naskidashvili, D and Licheli, V (2019) Excavations at Grakliani Gora, Shida Kartli: 2019 Field Season submitted to National Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection, Georgia
Ritchie, S, Campbell, K, Zhambulatov, K and Jorayev, G (2018) The Medieval Cities of the Otrar Oasis, Kazakhstan. Kuik Mardan Excavation 2018 submitted to the Institute of Archaeology, Ministry of Education and Science, Kazakhstan
Campbell, K (2018) Excavations at Torpak Kala, Barda submitted for Fourth Preliminary Report (2018) Archaeological Exploration of Barda
Campbell, K (2017) AEB01-Trench 1 in Third Preliminary Report (2017) Archaeological Exploration of Barda (ed. Wordsworth, P)
Campbell, K (2016) AEB01-Trench 1 in Second Preliminary Report (2016) Archaeological Exploration of Barda (ed. Wordsworth, P)
Campbell, K (2015) AEB01-Trench 1 and 2 in First Preliminary Report (2015) Archaeological Exploration of Barda (ed. Wordsworth, P)
