THE VIEWS ON THE HISTORY OF THE EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST CITIES

DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST CITIES

Nishonov J.

Free researcher of Karshi state university

Abstract: In this article, the transformation of settlements in the form of the first city located in the south of Central Asia, the culture of the first city, in the process of commenting on the concept of "first city" or "city" is analyzed methodologically and scientifically based on a comparative analysis.

Key words: First city, city, settlements, urban culture, urbanization, urban development, urban development culture, "city-states, ancient cities, medieval cities.

It is known that in the 50s and 60s of the last century, various monuments of the Bronze Age were found and examined in the south of Central Asia. These studies show that these monuments may have performed different tasks in ancient times, differing from each other according to the area they occupied, the defense system, the presence of houses and other structures. However, in those years, the idea that the large monuments of the Bronze Age served as cities was not put forward. In our opinion, this is the reason why the term "shaharmonand", i.e. "protogorod" was used in relation to large Bronze Age settlements such as Namozgohtepa and Altintepa in Southern Turkmenistan, which were formed centers of urbanization processes. It should be noted that due to the ever-expanding scope of knowledge on the history of cities, there was a need to develop archaeological signs of ancient cities. Also, in the 70s of the 20th century, this issue was discussed at special scientific conferences[1:163].

First of all, it should be noted that in the process of commenting on the concept of "first city" or "city" methodologically, the opinions and interpretations of the Western scientists' conclusions in this direction are of great importance[2:168]. In the study of the socio-economic system of the first cities in the 60s of the last century, I.M. Dyakonov's scientific views and approaches even now are used[3:68-80].

According to the researches of recent years, there are aspects in the stages of historical and cultural development, which study on the basis of comparison with each other will bring many clarifications to the given issue. The study and comparison of the results of archaeological researches conducted in different periods regarding the urbanistic (city planning) processes that took place in the history of Central Asia and the world in general, allows for a comprehensive description of this process. That is why the analysis of the history of the first cities based on the original sources, archeological and written data, is of great importance in understanding the ancient historical and cultural processes that took place in the society[4:17].

The term "urbanization", used in various scientific and historical and popular literature, represents the gradual development processes of cities according to their tasks in the historical and cultural stages of different periods of history. According to B. Eshov, despite researchers who conducted research on the main factors of urbanization processes and the level of development in society "first city" or "city" have reflected their different interpretations of the concepts in many cases it is possible to observe that their conclusions are close to each other[5:569-571].

Scientists who are experts in the field analyzed the processes of urbanization in Central Asia in the 70s and 80s of the last century and tried to prove their conclusions with evidence, noting that the foundations of these processes go back to the most ancient times, marking its beginning with the Bronze Age[6:567-569].

The essence and content of the concept of "urbanization" ("urban culture", "urbanization", "city planning" or "urban planning culture"), which is often found in historical and archaeological scientific literature, has been interpreted differently by different researchers, and a single concept has not been created among them. B. Eshov suggests to conditionally divide the specialists who conducted research in this direction into the following groups[4:18]

Foreign researchers such as G.Child, S.Mellart, R.Adams, who are part of the first group, in their works published in the 50s and 70s of the 20th century, emphasize that cities are in the leading position in the development of society, and admit that the suburbs also widely use city amenities[3:80]

I.M.Dyakonov, V.M.Masson and other researchers form the second group. They are in different areas of urbanization and the main criterion is the increase in the number of cities and the increase in the population of the city[3:23].

Researchers such as E. V. Sayko, Yu. A. Zadneprovsky, V.A. Askarov, I. Sarianidi belonging to the third group interpreted the processes of migration (migration of residents of a certain area to cities), ancient roads and international relations as the basis of urbanization[7]

The analysis of the architectural structure and characteristics of the first cities is important for the study of the history of cities. For example, from the point of view of the concept of "city" used in the scientific literature of the 70s of the 20th century, the first city was interpreted in the form of densely populated settlements, socio-economic, cultural and religious centers, large centers that perform specific crafts and trade exchange tasks[6:23].

As we know from scientific and historical literature, from one society during the transition to another society, there is a change in constructions, and the unique construction styles of castles, palaces and temples are created[3:18-21]. In the city centers by the people who assimilated them find similarity with the population density in the system. Oasis centers or settlements as cities in the interpretation, along with external quantitative indicators, internal qualitative tasks and structural changes are also important[8:60].

In addition, it is necessary to emphasize the leadership position of cities in the management of society (economic and cultural centers)[9:650]. Although the definition of "city" is different depending on the location and the tasks performed, they also have something in common. There is only one thing in common in the development of cities - they reflect settlements that are adjacent to each other (relatively), residential areas, and several separate settlements.

In some studies of V. Masson, "city" is interpreted as a densely populated place consisting of houses close to each other. The scientist says that how close this definition is to the truth and impartiality depends on the general historical and cultural conditions (relationships of origin, location, etc.)[10:36-37]

Another researcher, taking into account the economic aspects, described the city as a center where most of the inhabitants were not only engaged in agriculture, but also engaged in handicrafts and trade-exchange. According to comparative analysis, not all such centers can be included in the category of "cities". Because in the studies, the large settlements that are the centers of the historical and cultural regions performing various tasks are defined as "cities", and these centers are in many cases the work release and connects commercial and economic with processes[11:6].

Based on the analysis of a large number of archaeological materials, T.Sh. According to Shirinov, in the Bronze Age, the first cities of Central Asia were the centers of agricultural regions, craft, administrative and ideological centers of oases[12:11]

In the study of early cities, the approach based on their size and area cannot fully express the concept of "city". However, this approach cannot be completely rejected. This situation can be observed especially during the study of Middle Eastern irrigated farming culture sites. When interpreting the concept of "city" in terms of its dimensions, the conditional boundary area of the first city may be 3-6 hectares. Taking into account the internal structure of villages of this size, they can be included in the ranks of cities[8:65]

Specialists in the field express the concept of "city" in terms of the socio-economic tasks performed by them. In this regard, there are different opinions in the scientific literature that contradict each other. Some foreign scholars recognize any village that has a politically dominant position in the gradual development of settlements as a city.

Another group of scientists suggests that all settlements whose inhabitants do not engage in agriculture be included in the ranks of cities. Some scientists only places that served as political centers are considered cities.

In the years of independence, Sh.B. Shaydullaev and B.J.Eshov paid attention to the issue of archaeological signs of the first states and cities. Sh.B. Shaydullaev, on the example of Jarkoton, the oldest city in Uzbekistan, noted the concentration of rural settlements around the city, the presence of craft industries in the city, military fortifications, defense walls, constellations, large palaces and temples as structural features of the city[13:15-17].

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