[263] ‘MTSU On the Record’ visits nomadic city in mountains of Uzbekistan

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The discovery of an entire city that previously was unknown to modern researchers will be the topic on the next “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with anthropologist Michael Frachetti will air from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, and from 6 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

Frachetti, an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, will deliver an address on nomadic cities at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.

As part of research funded by the National Science Foundation, Frachetti and his team discovered the ancient medieval city of Tashbulak in what is now Uzbekistan. The revelation of the civilization nestled high in the Malguzar mountain range exploded stereotypes of nomads as aimless wanderers.

“Archaeology is beginning to illustrate that nomadic civilizations … are much more dynamic and diverse than what we ever understood them to be,” said Frachetti. “It appears that there were populations that … had an economy and a society organized in nomadic structures, but they also did things like build cities.”

The discovery of Tashbulak also led to a reassessment of trade along the so-called “Silk Road,” the ancient network of passages from the Far East to Europe that connected East and West through business and cultural interaction.

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to http://bit.ly/mtsu-otr.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.