AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF KHOJALY-GADABAY CULTURE IN NORTHWESTERN IRAN

Abstract

Khojaly-Gadabay’s Archaeological culture belongs to a geographical area of Azerbaijan but has spread to other regions such as Caucasus and Northwest of Iran as well. Chronologically, this culture dates back to Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age in Caucasus geographical areas. Meanwhile, in the Northwest of Iran it dates back to Iron Age I and II. Different archaeologists who have studied this culture have given different names to this culture, some of which are Central Caucasus culture, Gandja-karabakh and Khojaly–Gadabay culture. In terms of livelihood, tribes of Khojaly-Gadabay culture lived both nomadic and sedentary lives, and they resided mostly in mountain slopes. Certain factors such as pottery, burials, metal tools, agricultural-animal husbandry economy have been identified and studied as some of the important characteristics of Khojaly-Gadabay culture.