NATURAL CONDITIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGES IN OXUS DURING THE ENEOLITHIC AND BRONZE AGES
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Abstract
The article analyzes the natural conditions and climate changes of the Oxus region during the Eneolithic and Bronze Ages on the basis of paleoecological, geomorphological, and climatological research. The author examines how global climatic processes that occurred across Eurasia, particularly the cycles of humidity and aridity during the Holocene, influenced the natural environment of the Oxus lowlands and the southern regions of Central Asia. The study considers hydrological transformations in the basins of the Murghab, Zarafshan, and Balkh rivers, as well as the development of oasis civilizations and the dynamics of human settlements in relation to climatic factors. In addition, the development of agricultural and pastoral economic systems under arid climatic conditions is analyzed through the example of the Oxus Civilization. The author evaluates the interrelationship between climate, environment, and social processes within a comprehensive analytical framework and argues that climate change does not necessarily lead to crises, but may also result in processes of adaptation and transformation in the development of human societies.
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