THOUSAND AND ONE DISCOVERIES

Azerbaijani research archaeologists co-nsider 2008 a new stage in the discovery and investigation of the country's historical and cultural sites. Funds of one million manats were allocated that year to archaeological digs by decree of the Azerbaijani president. This opened new vistas of possibility for the Azerbaijani Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography.

Interest and prospects   

Azerbaijan's medieval historical sites have been researched quite thoroughly. They include the Samkir fortress and ancient settlements in Ganca, Qabala and Imisli. Archaeologists say that all these finds are important, not only for Azerbaijan itself but also for international society which does not know a great deal about Azerbaijan and its people. Head of department at the Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Farhad Quliyev, said in conversation with R+ that after the collapse of the Soviet Union no archaeological research was carried out in Azerbaijan. Our material heritage was hardly protected too: "Work in this regard began in the mid-1990s. We began to work on small projects to study ancient archaeological sites. The institute's largest project was research into sites along the Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan pipeline route. In three or four years we managed to save more than 40 sites. This is called 'rescue archaeology'. It is very widespread in Europe. Initially this was survey work and, once monuments had been discovered, we began to investigate them thoroughly. British company BP, one of the participants in BTC, financed our work."

It is pleasing that young, dedicated professionals, interested in the various problems of Azerbaijan's ancient history, are now involved in archaeology. For many years Azerbaijani archaeology had no influx of young researchers, Farhad Quliyev said. "It is significant that in recent years the European Archaeological Centre has taken an interest in our institute's work and pays a great deal of attention to research into the ancient history of the Caucasus. This confirms once again that in ancient times the Caucasus had close links with Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. 

"The European Archaeological Centre has been working in Georgia up to now. Good links were established there with foreign specialists back in Soviet times. Georgian archaeologists took part in international expeditions and foreign archaeologists in Georgian ones. But the focus has been changing recently - Azerbaijan has become more attractive in this regard to European archaeologists," the specialist says.

This interest is the result of many factors. Ancient archaeological sites discovered in Azerbaijan are similar to the sites found in Georgia and Armenia, but what distinguishes our sites is that the materials unearthed during excavations provide much more information.

The sites have been found mainly in the Kur river basin. A large part of them are linked to ancient agricultural civilization. They are early multi-strata settlements, part of the early agricultural civilization of the Caucasus and Azerbaijan. 

Great discovery 

The settlement of Goytapa, discovered in the village of Asagi Guscu in Tovuz District, can be described as last year's most significant find. The Goytapa archaeological site covers an area of two hectares. Quliyev said that radiocarbon-dating, carried out with the help of French specialists, had dated the settlement to 6,000 BC. Complexes, dwellings and household outbuildings of unfired brick, built close together, were found. The structures were planned at right angles and in the circular system. Goytapa dates from the time that the local people first settled and were engaged in agriculture. It has been included in the list of historical and cultural sites taken under state protection. 

A similar site in Georgia is now being investigated too, but experts working there say that Goytapa provides much more information. "The Azerbaijani ancient settlement is very well preserved and has a good structure. It is domed and when the work is finished, we will have much more information. So far we have excavated only the upper stratum. Excavating the lower stratum of this unique site may give us conclusive information," says Farhad Quliyev, who led the archaeological expeditions. He also said that the dig in Tovuz found a kurgan and an ancient settlement from the Bronze Age's Chalcolithic period. A tomb with eight human skeletons was discovered under the kurgan. The archaeologist said that the skeletons are from one family and one lineage. "This tomb is a valuable find for research into the culture and religious traditions of the period. Excavations in the tomb are continuing and we think that there are graves here of other families and lineages. Ceramics from the same period were found near the graves," he said. Another site has been discovered from the Chalcolithic period. A large quantity of artefacts used to process ore was found there. "This tells us that during this period not only did they produce metal here, they sent it to other countries too. This shows the great strategic importance of these settlements during the Chalcolithic period," the archaeologist said. This research work was carried out together with Azerbaijani and French archaeologists as part of a project to study Chalcolithic sites. 

The scientist stressed again that leading European archaeological institutes are interested in the research into archaeological sites in Azerbaijan as one of the centres of ancient civilization. Collabo-ration with well-known European scientific centres means that its results can be brought to international attention. The introduction and use of modern technology in Azerbaijani archaeology is made possible only through close collaboration with foreign specialists. "German and Georgian archaeologists working in the village of Qaracemirli in Samkir District should be mentioned in this regard. Experts from the Munich museum and Halle University worked in Azerbaijan. Last year French experts did a lot of work with Azerbaijani archaeologists studying the close links between Mesopotamia and Azerbaijan in the fourth millennium BC at the archaeological sites discovered," the archaeologist said. 

At the end of our conversation we found out that this year a joint Japanese-Azerbaijani study is planned of Goytapa, the oldest settlement in the Caucasus. "Archa-eologists from Tokyo University have shown great interest in Azerbaijan's ancient settlements. Japanese experts who have worked for a long time in Syria and the Middle East expressed the desire to work with the materials found during the Goytapa excavations. They have taken some of them to carry out tests," Farhad Quliyev said.

An agreement on further collaboration has been signed between the Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography and the Berlin Archaeological Institute's Eurasia Department.