Uzbekistan dig unearths ancient Zoroastrian relics
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Archaeologists working in the ancient city of Ondirmon, in southern Uzbekistan, have discovered a fire altar and an ornamented ossuary, offering new insights into religious practices connected to Zoroastrian traditions.
The Uzbekistan Heritage Agency announced the finds, describing the altar as a ritual structure showing evidence of fire and the ossuary as a container decorated with animal and tree designs.
The altar was located in the northeastern part of the archaeological site and measures approximately 70 centimeters high and 90 centimeters wide, with a brick base. Researchers found layers of clay plaster around the altar, suggesting it was repeatedly repaired and used over a long period. While the agency hasn’t formally identified the altar as Zoroastrian, they state it relates to religious ceremonies and contains fire traces.
The ossuary may also prove valuable, as its exterior appears to depict a deer and an ancient tree, likely a juniper. Conservation work is ongoing, and specialists expect the designs on the ossuary to become clearer after restoration. The Heritage Agency has preliminarily dated the Ondirmon site to between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE, though separate dating has not yet been done for the altar or ossuary specifically.
This season’s excavation is the first at Ondirmon directed by Sanjar Abduraximov of the Samarkand Archaeological Institute, building on prior research describing a large fortified settlement in southern Sogdiana, a region in Central Asia.
