Silk Road’s hidden heights

An undated image of Tugunbulak, an area of 390 acres in a high plateau in Uzbekistan. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

MICHAEL Frachetti was on an archaeological dig high in the mountains of southeastern Uzbekistan in 2015 when a forestry official approached him.

“You know, I’ve seen some of those kinds of ceramics in my backyard,” the official said, referring to the artifacts emerging from the dirt. “Come see.”