Among Zoroastrian burial items, there is a camel-shaped zoomorphic OSTADON lying there. It was found…
Archaeologist E.G. Pchelina collected surface materials from Old Termez and finds from Karatepa in the spring of 1937. These finds were transferred to the State Museum of the History of Religions (GMIR) in 1947 from the Central Archaeological Museum (CAM). Pchelina's collection includes 86 items. Of particular interest are fragments of statuettes. One of them depicts the goddess Anahit (Anahita) — the figure is made of red clay with clearly defined details: breast, arm, and necklace. Anahita, as the goddess of earth and water, is mentioned in the Avesta and was associated with the Amu Darya River. In Hellenistic Bactria, she was identified with Artemis.
Another significant object is a fragment of a Buddha statuette in a lotus position. This figure, like other terracotta statuettes, was part of local cults and rituals. The collection also includes a whistle in the shape of a horse with holes on its back and a whistle slot on its neck, indicating its use as an amulet. Despite being fragmentary, the materials are diverse: they include fragments of vessels, lids, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures, a flask for incense, stone fragments from a grain mill, lamp bowls, legs of "pre-Islamic" type goblets, terracotta fragments of a horse torso, and a bead made of dark red stone with ears. Additionally, there is a leg from a ritual tripod, bone rings, a fragment of a capital, and a small packet containing a piece of black fabric. These findings highlight the richness of the region's cultural heritage and the diversity of local beliefs and practices.
