LATE BRONZE-EARLY IRON AGE GRAVE MONUMENTS OF ABSHERON

Abstract

The article is dedicated to Late Bronze-Early Iron Age grave monuments. As it is known, stone box graves and one land grave were found and investigated by I.Jafarzade, Kardashan Aslanov and Sh. H.Sadigzade in the 40’s and 60’s of the XX century different areas of the Absheron Peninsula (Pirallahi island near the dam, Agdash plain close to Mardakan village, near Binagadi). Stone box graves, discovered on the Pirallahi island near the dam, in Agdash plain close to Mardakan village, do not differ from the stone box graves studied in other regions of Azerbaijan and have the same construction. They are constructed of stones putted on a vertical position. Inhumation is observed in the graves. The dead were buried in different directions and in different (extensible and twisted) conditions. A large number of grave equipments (clayvessels, weapons and decorative items) were discovered here.
One land grave discovered in the Binagadi territory is still the only monument of the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age in the western part of the peninsula. In the same way, inhumation tradition was observed and various archaeological materials were discovered here. Based on these materials, Absheron grave monuments are dated to XIII-VI