Papers by Veli B Bahshaliyev
On the trail of Neolithic mice and men towards Transcaucasia zooarchaeological clues from Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan), 2013
Transcaucasia comprises a key region for understanding the history of both the hybrid zone betwee... more Transcaucasia comprises a key region for understanding the history of both the hybrid zone between house mouse lineages and the dispersal of the Neolithic way of life outside its Near Eastern cradle. The opportunity to document the colonization history of both men and mice in Transcaucasia was made possible by the discovery of mouse remains accumulated in pits from a 6000-year-old farming village in the Nakhchivan (Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan). The present study investigated their taxonomy and most likely dispersal path through the identification of the Mus lineage to which they might belong using a geometric morphometric approach of dental traits distances between archaeological and modern populations of the different Mus lineages of SouthWest Asia. We demonstrate that the mouse remains trapped in the deep storage pits of the dwelling belong to the Mus musculus domesticus from the Near East, with dental shapes similar to current populations in Northern Syria. These results strongly suggest that the domesticus lineage was dispersed into Transcaucasia from the upper Euphrates valley by Neolithic migration, some time between the 7th and 5th millennium BC, providing substantial evidence to back up the scenario featuring near-eastern stimuli in the emergence of agriculture in the South Caucasus. The domesticus mitochondrial DNA signature of the current house mouse in the same location 5000 years later, as well as their turnover towards a subspecies musculus/castaneus phenotype, suggests that early domesticus colonizers hybridized with a later musculus (and maybe castaneus) dispersal originating from south of the Caspian Sea and/or Northern Caucasia.
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New data on the connections of the ancient settlers of Nakhchivan whth the Near East, 2024
Archaeological sites identified by studies of 2010–2021 on the territory of Nakhchivan made it po... more Archaeological sites identified by studies of 2010–2021 on the territory of Nakhchivan made it possible to
supply the gap between the Late Neolithic and Eneolithic Chalcolithic periods. The presence of ancient
Eastern features – Halaf and Obeid ones – is noted in the materials of Nakhchivan Tepe, Uçan-Ağıl,
Bulovkaya and Uzunoba. It can be assumed that the settlements of Nakhchivan Tepe and Bulovkaya were
strongholds or colonies of newcomers – bearers of Middle Eastern cultural traditions.
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TUBA-AR, 2024
As a result of archaeological research conducted in the Southern Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, ... more As a result of archaeological research conducted in the Southern Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, a number of settlements belonging to the Late Chalcolithic period were discovered. A research has shown that the Late Chalcolithic culture in Azerbaijan has its own characteristics, and the “Ovçular Tepe culture” and “Leyla Tepe culture” were formed here. But despite this, many of Caucasian scholar’s studies generally named the Late Chalcolithic culture of the Southern Caucasus sometimes the Sioni Culture, sometimes Sioni-Tsopi Culture, sometimes Sioni ceramics, and sometimes Sioni-type monuments in textbooks. Recently, this culture has been named the Sioni-Tsopi-Ginchi Culture. According to all these facts it can be said that the Sioni Culture has become the synonym of the Late Chalcolithic culture of the Southern Caucasus. The investigation of Late Chalcolithic monuments located in the Southern Caucasus shows that they differ from each other in terms of their architecture and ceramics. The period and characteristic features of the Sioni Culture also are not fully defined. Ceramics belonging to the second group in the Tumbul Tepe settlement are similar to Sioni ceramics in some of their characteristics. However, researches show that this type of ceramics was not a separate culture, but a part of the Late Chalcolithic culture. We believe that the reason for such diversity of ceramics is related to their functional purpose. Even if it is possible to call a group of Late Chalcolithic monuments in the Southern Caucasus the Sioni-Tsopi-Ginchi Culture, it is not correct, in our opinion, to attribute this to all the monuments of the Southern Caucasus. It should be noted that this type of ceramics, distributed in different periods and monuments of different characteristics, differs from each other due to local characteristics. This shows that they do not spread from one center.
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ON SALT, COPPER AND GOLD THE ORIGINS OF EARLY MINING AND METALLURGY IN THE CAUCASUS, 2021
This paper presents an overview of the Late Prehistoric mining systems and strategies that
were b... more This paper presents an overview of the Late Prehistoric mining systems and strategies that
were brought to light at Duzdağı during the 2011-2016 excavations.
The earliest evidence for salt extraction was found on the south-western slope of the dome,
where a fairly soft layer of salt (Salt Level 2) was reached in area M1 under a thick layer of
colluvium: Kura-Araxes mining cells, possibly related to a small-scale salt procurement system,
were brought to light in that area together with a number of potsherds; these cells were dated
through the pottery evidence and two 14C readings to the 3000-2600 BCE time span, but a
number of sherds collected from other areas of the dome may be dated to the second quarter
of the fourth millennium through comparisons with the Kura-Araxes pottery found on the Late
Chalcolithic mobile camp of Şorsu. In spite of the presence of Late Chalcolithic potsherds
(Ovçular Tepesi type) over the slopes of the dome, no related mining infrastructures were
found, which suggests that salt exploitation during the second half of the 5th millennium was
opportunistic and occasional.
Later evidence of salt mining is, on the other hand, attested in area M1, where the traces of large
salt slabs, probably hewn by professional miners, were visible to the east of the Kura-Araxes
mining cells. This mining system was dated through the pottery and a series of 14C readings
to the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age (ca 1200-900 BC cal.). After the abandonment of this area,
some form of salt exploitation went on, as suggested by the remains of animal dung found on
top of the colluvium deposits, but no related mining infrastructure could be brought to light.
Lastly, a third system of salt extraction could be evidenced in area M9, where mining
activities were carried out in the earliest geological salt deposit (Salt Layer 1), which is
characterized by its hardness. A few ceramic potsherds and tool remains were embedded
in the debris of these mining works, which could be dated through four 14C dates to the
Late Iron Age (ca 400-30 BC cal.). The imprints left by tool marks over the walls of the
mine suggest that ca 32x22 cm salt blocks were extracted with metal picks, within a fairly
sophisticated infrastructure that required propping the overhang that resulted from mining
with wooden posts and beams.
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Problems of chronology and cultural genesis of ancient sedentary societies of Eurаsia (from the neolithic period through the Early Iron Age), 2019
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HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Jun 4, 2018
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TÜBA - AR, Jun 15, 2010
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Social Sciences, 2023
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Paléorient, 2015
Marro Catherine, Bakhshaliyev Veli, Berthon Rémi. A reply to G. Palumbi and C. Chataigner. In: Pa... more Marro Catherine, Bakhshaliyev Veli, Berthon Rémi. A reply to G. Palumbi and C. Chataigner. In: Paléorient, 2015, vol. 41, n°2. pp. 157-162
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HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Apr 3, 2018
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HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 2, 2022
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HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 9, 2019
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Anatolia Antiqua, 2013
Bakhshaliyev Veli, Seyidov Abbas. New findings from the settlement of Sadarak (Nakhchivan-Azerbai... more Bakhshaliyev Veli, Seyidov Abbas. New findings from the settlement of Sadarak (Nakhchivan-Azerbaijan). In: Anatolia Antiqua, Tome 21, 2013. pp. 1-21
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HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 27, 2019
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HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Apr 27, 2022
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Papers by Veli B Bahshaliyev
supply the gap between the Late Neolithic and Eneolithic Chalcolithic periods. The presence of ancient
Eastern features – Halaf and Obeid ones – is noted in the materials of Nakhchivan Tepe, Uçan-Ağıl,
Bulovkaya and Uzunoba. It can be assumed that the settlements of Nakhchivan Tepe and Bulovkaya were
strongholds or colonies of newcomers – bearers of Middle Eastern cultural traditions.
were brought to light at Duzdağı during the 2011-2016 excavations.
The earliest evidence for salt extraction was found on the south-western slope of the dome,
where a fairly soft layer of salt (Salt Level 2) was reached in area M1 under a thick layer of
colluvium: Kura-Araxes mining cells, possibly related to a small-scale salt procurement system,
were brought to light in that area together with a number of potsherds; these cells were dated
through the pottery evidence and two 14C readings to the 3000-2600 BCE time span, but a
number of sherds collected from other areas of the dome may be dated to the second quarter
of the fourth millennium through comparisons with the Kura-Araxes pottery found on the Late
Chalcolithic mobile camp of Şorsu. In spite of the presence of Late Chalcolithic potsherds
(Ovçular Tepesi type) over the slopes of the dome, no related mining infrastructures were
found, which suggests that salt exploitation during the second half of the 5th millennium was
opportunistic and occasional.
Later evidence of salt mining is, on the other hand, attested in area M1, where the traces of large
salt slabs, probably hewn by professional miners, were visible to the east of the Kura-Araxes
mining cells. This mining system was dated through the pottery and a series of 14C readings
to the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age (ca 1200-900 BC cal.). After the abandonment of this area,
some form of salt exploitation went on, as suggested by the remains of animal dung found on
top of the colluvium deposits, but no related mining infrastructure could be brought to light.
Lastly, a third system of salt extraction could be evidenced in area M9, where mining
activities were carried out in the earliest geological salt deposit (Salt Layer 1), which is
characterized by its hardness. A few ceramic potsherds and tool remains were embedded
in the debris of these mining works, which could be dated through four 14C dates to the
Late Iron Age (ca 400-30 BC cal.). The imprints left by tool marks over the walls of the
mine suggest that ca 32x22 cm salt blocks were extracted with metal picks, within a fairly
sophisticated infrastructure that required propping the overhang that resulted from mining
with wooden posts and beams.
supply the gap between the Late Neolithic and Eneolithic Chalcolithic periods. The presence of ancient
Eastern features – Halaf and Obeid ones – is noted in the materials of Nakhchivan Tepe, Uçan-Ağıl,
Bulovkaya and Uzunoba. It can be assumed that the settlements of Nakhchivan Tepe and Bulovkaya were
strongholds or colonies of newcomers – bearers of Middle Eastern cultural traditions.
were brought to light at Duzdağı during the 2011-2016 excavations.
The earliest evidence for salt extraction was found on the south-western slope of the dome,
where a fairly soft layer of salt (Salt Level 2) was reached in area M1 under a thick layer of
colluvium: Kura-Araxes mining cells, possibly related to a small-scale salt procurement system,
were brought to light in that area together with a number of potsherds; these cells were dated
through the pottery evidence and two 14C readings to the 3000-2600 BCE time span, but a
number of sherds collected from other areas of the dome may be dated to the second quarter
of the fourth millennium through comparisons with the Kura-Araxes pottery found on the Late
Chalcolithic mobile camp of Şorsu. In spite of the presence of Late Chalcolithic potsherds
(Ovçular Tepesi type) over the slopes of the dome, no related mining infrastructures were
found, which suggests that salt exploitation during the second half of the 5th millennium was
opportunistic and occasional.
Later evidence of salt mining is, on the other hand, attested in area M1, where the traces of large
salt slabs, probably hewn by professional miners, were visible to the east of the Kura-Araxes
mining cells. This mining system was dated through the pottery and a series of 14C readings
to the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age (ca 1200-900 BC cal.). After the abandonment of this area,
some form of salt exploitation went on, as suggested by the remains of animal dung found on
top of the colluvium deposits, but no related mining infrastructure could be brought to light.
Lastly, a third system of salt extraction could be evidenced in area M9, where mining
activities were carried out in the earliest geological salt deposit (Salt Layer 1), which is
characterized by its hardness. A few ceramic potsherds and tool remains were embedded
in the debris of these mining works, which could be dated through four 14C dates to the
Late Iron Age (ca 400-30 BC cal.). The imprints left by tool marks over the walls of the
mine suggest that ca 32x22 cm salt blocks were extracted with metal picks, within a fairly
sophisticated infrastructure that required propping the overhang that resulted from mining
with wooden posts and beams.
Kultepe I was the only site of this period in Nakhchivan. The materials of the bottom horizons of the settlement
Kultepe I have been published badly. Therefore the questions, connected with the origin and the genesis
of the Neolithic Age of this region, have been studied little. New materials of the Neolithic Age were found in
2013 in the sites of a vicinity of the settlement Kultepe I. During the research new Chalcolithic sites were also
registered. In one of them, in the settlement Shorsu the excavation trench was 10×10 m. Four-cornered rooms,
stone tools and ceramics were revealed. The majority of archaeological materials are presented by ceramics.
It is made of clay with chaff and sand temper, hand molded, burned to different shades of red. The ceramics
of the settlement Shorsu has something in common with similar materials of the sites from the Caucasian
Late Neolithic Age, including Azerbaijan. Meaning that the majority of the ceramics of the settlement Shorsu
is similar to the pottery sites of the Late Neolithic Age, it is possible to date the middle and the end of the 6th
millennium BC. In 2010–2013 in a vicinity of the settlement Kultepe I the numerous sites dating back to the
Neolithic and Chalcolithic Age were revealed. These sites are located on the bank of the Shorsu River and
continued to the northern border of Nakhchivan. Apparently, a border position of Kultepe I allowed supplying
with obsidian the other settlements of the Old World too. It is possible to assume that the Chalcolithic settlements
located along the Shorsu river specify one of the ways of the ancient tribes’ movement to the natural
resources of obsidian.
Key words: the Neolithic Age, the Chalcolithic Age, Shorsu settlement, chaff-tempered pottery, obsidian
tools, obsidian resources.
©Vəli
In 2018 researches of the Nakhchivantepe settlement were continued. Archaeological researches were conducted on two the site – to Nakhchivantepe A and to Nakhchivantepe B. During the research in 2018, it was defined that in the settlement there are three building horizons. The lower building period which was at a depth of 2.10-2.50 m (Nakhchivantepe 3) was characteristic by semi-subterraneantyped rooms. The analysis of the coal taken from the lower horizon showed 4945-4722 BC, and for the second construction horizon (Nakhchivantepe 2) which was at a depth of 0.78-2, 10 m showed 4720-4529 BC. Rectangular rooms were characteristic for this horizon.
The first horizon was at a depth of 0, 8 m from the surface of the hill (Nakhchivantepe 1). This horizon was characterized by rectangular rooms. Analyses of coal from this horizon were absent so far. However on the basis of the comparative analysis of ceramics this period can be dated 4600-4400 BC.
The most parts of archaeological materials consist of pottery. Pottery on a stratigraphy of the settlement is divided into two groups. Pottery from the top horizon (Nakhchivantepe 1) is belong to Middle Chalcolithic Age, and pottery of the lower horizons (Nakhchivantepe 2, Nakhchivantepe 3) is belong to Early Chalcolithic Age. Early Chalcolithic Age on the basis of the analysis of coal samples it is dated 5000-4600 BC. Excavation of 2018 generally revealed pottery of Middle Chalcolithic Age.
It is possible to tell that pottery with painting and fingerprints, was present at the first half of the V millennium BC. However researches showed that the similar ceramics was used also in the second half of the V millennium BC. It is also proved by excavation of settlements Uzunoba, Uchan Agıl and Bulovkaya. On the basis of researches it is possible to tell that Nakhchivan entered to culture of Dalma Tepe area.
Drawing on the evidence that has been collected in Nakhchivan over the past 15 years, in particular on the obsidian circulation networks, we argue that the exchange of goods and knowledge during the Chalcolithic was in the hands of mobile pastoral groups, which resulted into a chain of interconnected networks of varying extents. According to this scenario, the circulation units at the beginning of the larger, interregional networks did not necessarily have any contact with the end-line. From the available evidence, the South Caucasus during the Late Chalcolithic appears to have been a kind of hub, a central place where different communities met and interacted: this is particularly visible in Nakhchivan, where mobile herders from Iran, among other groups, established links between the communities living in Eastern Anatolia and those of the Lesser Caucasus piedmonts.