Paleolithic in Azerbaijan: Research History, Finds, and Dating

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Interdisciplinary Research into the Late Pleistocene of Europe" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Until the middle of the twentieth century, Soviet archaeologists believed there was no Old Stone Age in Azerbaijan. However, as a result of the research of M. Huseynov, it was revealed that humans inhabited the territory of Azerbaijan during the Paleolithic period. The research conducted in the Damjili and Dashsalahli caves found evidence of ancient human settlement. Later, in the 1960s, excavation works began in the Azikh cave. The research revealed that hominins had chosen the Azikh cave as a place of residence a million years ago. Excavations in the cave provide us with valuable information about the activities of hominins in the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods. In 1968, a mandibular bone believed to belong to a woman was unearthed in the cave. It is estimated that this jawbone dates back to 300,000–400,000 years ago. In my opinion, further research is needed to refine our understanding of the mandible. In the Guruchay valley, shreds of evidence suggest that humans settled there before the Azikh and developed the Guruchay culture. This culture is known as the oldest human traces in the territory of Azerbaijan. Ongoing research in the Paleolithic period continues to shed light on the region’s history.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Interdisciplinary Research into the Late Pleistocene of Europe   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39151.0