Archeological sites inAzerbaijan first gained public interest in the mid-19th century and were reported by European travellers.[1]
The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of theAzerbaijan National Academy of Sciences now conducts researches into archaeology,ethnography,numismatics,epigraphy,anthropology,ethnosociology andethnopolitology in Azerbaijan. Since 1999 the Department of History and Archaeology ofKhazar University publishes theJournal of Azerbaijan Archaeology.
In 1920, theMuseum of History of Azerbaijan was established, exhibiting archaeological finds from different parts of Azerbaijan. The Ancient and Medieval History sections of the museum have a total of over 25,000 items. Since 1969, museum archaeologists have been conducting underwater archaeological excavations beneath theCaspian Sea.
TheLower Paleolithic, the first stage of the Paleolithic era, covers the period from 3.2 million years ago to 100,000 years ago. The main belongings to prehistoric humans for this period were found in the Azykh cave in the Guruchay valley near Fuzuli region. It is hard to distinguish the instruments found here from river stones. Bashing, cracking, knapping, pecking, grinding or polishing stones of various kinds to manufacture tools were found in this period. As well as the bones of various wild animals were found here. Azikh cave is in the fourth place in the world by its age (but it was the first in the former USSR).[2] The remains of the jawbone of human lived 350-450 thousand years ago, which were found in 1962 by Azerbaijani historianMammadali Huseynov proved it.[3][4]
The Middle Paleolithic period of Azerbaijan was studied on the basis of Taghlar in Karabakh, Damcıli and Dashsalahli caves in Gazakh region. The Taghlar cave was explored by archaeologistMammadali Huseynov in 1960.[3][5]
There is a two large cave in the Avey mountain of the Gazakh region. The cave on the south-western side of the mountain is called Dassalahli, and on the south-east side is called Damcılı. In 1957-1958, scientists studied these caves and found labor tools of humans who lived here. Examples found in the Tamtama cave, 20 km north of Lake Urmia, show that humans living here had hunting ability.[6]
Archaeological research shows that about 40-35 thousand years ago, the Mustye culture in Azerbaijan was replaced by Upper Paleolithic culture.[7]
Nearly 12 thousand years ago, theUpper Palaeolithic period was replaced by theMesolithic period in the territory ofAzerbaijan. Melting of glaciers and warming of the weather in this period resulted in climate change, some changes in humans’ life and economy. The Mesolithic period in Azerbaijan was mainly studied on the basis of Gobustan monuments. Large limestone fragments were found on the slopes of Boyukdash, Kichikdash and Cingirdash mountains, located 60 km away fromBaku. A number of drawings were detected on these limestone pieces and on the walls of the caves. During the archaeological digs in Boyukdash Mountain, it was determined that the drawings here were covered by the material and cultural remains of theNeolithic and Mesolithic era. Studies show that prehistoric humans living in Gobustan had ideological imaginations about totem and enchantment. The lifestyle and occupation of humans were clearly reflected in these illustrations. During the archaeological investigations, in Firuz camp that had been used as seasonal dwellings in that period 12 buried human skeletons have been found.[7][8][9]
Archaeological research shows that during the 7th-6th millennium B.C the Mesolithic period was replaced by the Neolithic period. At present, researchers divide the Neolithic period into two stages: The Pottery Neolithic Period and Pre-Pottery Neolithic period. Material and cultural examples of the Neolithic period were found in Damcılı cave, Gobustan monuments (Ovçular mağarası (Hunters' cave), Anazagha, Firuz, Buyukdag mountains ), Nakhchivan Kultepe, Khanlar, Garakopektepe, Yanigtepe, Haji Firuz,Shomutepe, Toyretepe and other monuments. The study of the monuments shows that during this period humans settled in open camps and were living sedentary lifestyle. Some Instruments found in Gobustan such as fork-like, resembling the harvesting sickles show that farming had been developed. Pre-historic human prepared these tools from mainly river stones. One of the most important innovations belonging to the Neolithic era is the formation of pottery and weaving.[10][11]
The Eneolithic period in this region is dated 6th-4th millennium B.C. The basis of smelting and working copper was laid in Azerbaijan during this period.
Guruchay culture is an archaeological culture in the territory of Azerbaijan. Prehistoric humans collected stones from Guruchay valley and brought them to the cave for preparing the tools. At the same time, Azokh humans were engaged with hunting in the Guruchay valley. The Guruchay valley had all the conditions for the living of prehistoric humans. Therefore, remains of the new archaeological culture discovered in the 7-10th layers of the Azykh Cave were named as a Guruchay culture.[12] During the complex archaeological digs, several developed stages of the Guruchay culture have been identified. The preparation of tools was simple in the early stages of culture, but it was improved in later stages. Labor tools of Guruchay culture are closely related to labor tools of the Olduvai Gorge of Africa. However, there are differences in the typology of labor tools. During the investigations, the period of Guruchay culture began about 1.2 million years ago and continued until 700,000 years ago in Azerbaijan.
To study of Paleolithic monuments of Azerbaijan began in the 1950s. The Paleolithic camp was discovered in Damcılı cave located in Dashsalahli village of Gazakh region by S. N. Zamyatin andMammadali Huseynov during archaeological investigations in 1953. In 1968, fossilized fragments of lower jawbone were found in the Acheulian layer, Guruchay culture which had some common features with the Olduvai Gorge was found in 1974.
Labor tools found on the eighth layer of the Azykh cave are similar to tools found in below layers according to their typological features. However, heavy tools such as choppers and chopping tools are characteristic for this layer.
The seventh layer of Cave reflects the complementary stage of the Guruchay culture. This layer is similar to below layers as typological features but completely different with early Acheulean culture. Stone products on this layer consist of choppers and chopping tools, cubic items, industrial wastes, river stones, and others.[13]
It is not impossible to determine bones belonging to which animals found in the X-VII layers of the Azykh cave, because most of the patterns of fauna were damaged. The detected animal bones belonged to deer, antelope, bird, rodent and carnivora animals. Vulpes aff volpes, Crocuta spelaea, Spelearstos spelaeus, Ursus, Cervus Mesopotamia, Equus sussen bornansis, Equus hydruntinus, Dicerorhinus mercki, Bison schotensaci and other animals lived in the Absheron era of Guruchay culture.
Some rough stone tools prepared from gravel in the Azykh Cave were similar with findings in Olduvai (Tanzania), Koobi-Fora (Kenya), Melka Kontura (Ethiopia), Vallona (France), Ubeydiye (Israel) and other monuments.
The main occupation of the prehistoric humans of the Azykh Cave was hunting and gathering.[7][8][9][13][14][15]
Early traces of humans on the territory of Azerbaijan have been found inAzykh Cave (c. 2 million years ago), together with the remains of a fireplace in the same cave dating to 700,000 years BC.[16] The deposits of Azykh Cave span a vast period of thePaleolithic Age from EarlyAcheulian toMousterian.[1] TheTaglar Cave is considered the richest example of the Mousterian culture inCaucasus and theNear East.[17] The findings inGobustan and theDamjili Cave represent Early and LateMesolithic evidence. In theEarly Bronze Age the territory of Azerbaijan was the site ofKura–Araxes culture. The artifacts fromLate Bronze andEarly Iron Ages are represented particularly by over 230 burials in the vicinity ofLankaran.[1]
As a result of surveys and excavations, that began inMingachevir in 1935, rich archeological evidence from the end ofEneolithic Period to theLate Middle Ages was revealed and more than 20,000 objects have been found.[18] In 2006 a French–Azerbaijani team discovered ninekurgans at the cemetery ofSoyuqbulaq. It was dated to the beginning of the 4th millennium BC, which makes it the oldest kurgan cemetery inTranscaucasia.[19] There is also an evidence that theDuzdağı salt deposits in theAraxes valley were already being exploited from the second half of the 5th millennium BC, which is the most ancient exploitation ofrock salt attested as of 2010.[20]
TheGobustan National Park, which features prehistoricpetroglyphs, is one of theUNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In 2008, the archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of Azerbaijan headed by Farhad Guliyev, and the Japanese archaeologists from theUniversity of Tokyo led by Yoshihiro Nishiaki explored theNeolithic siteGoytepe archaeological complex. Since 2008, eightradiocarbon analyses (in French and Japanese labs) of coal residues taken from different squares of the excavation area have been carried out. Four of these analyses belonged to the top layers of the site. 2 group of ages were provided, each belonged to different squares, 5450-5350 cal. BC to squares 1A/B, 2A/B, and 5600-5500 cal. BC to 4BII. The other four analyses cover mainly the cultural layer at the 150–175 cm depth.Ceramic,basalt andobsidian, bone-based labour instruments (awls, needles,axes andhammers), pottery specimens, plant and animal remnants were found from theNeolithic cultural sequence. Archaeologists revealed clay bins and ovens/hearths mainly in the courtyard of the settlement close to the wing walls or circular constructions in the archaeological site. The bins with a diameter of 50–60 cm had a round or oval form with a height of 50 cm. The bottom of the bins was dug nearly 10–15 cm into the ground. During the excavations some of them discovered empty, while others were found with different tools and materials showing that they also had a storage function. The ovens with a diameter around 60–70 cm had also a round or oval shape, nevertheless, their bottoms were covered with river cobbles and enclosed by a clay rim.[21][22]
In 2012-2013, the French-Azerbaijani joint archaeological expedition (named Nabialla) explored thenecropolis and burial traditions belong to theBronze-Iron Age inLenkaran andLerik provinces. 10 megalithic structures with aburial mound containingglass, redjasper,carnelian were discovered. A small tripod bowl, around 35 pottery sherds made of orange baked clay were also among the findings.[23]
In 2018, archaeologist Walter Crist from theAmerican Museum of Natural History announced the discovery of a Bronze Age board game (4000 year - old) named “Hounds and Jackals” or “58 holes” inGobustan National Park. The game was popular inEgypt,Mesopotamia andAnatolia at that time and was identified in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaohAmenemhat IV.[24][25][26]
In 2021, more than 200 stone box graves dating to theKhojali-Gadabay culture of theLate Bronze–Early Iron Age in Azerbaijan were uncovered during therescue excavations inÇovdar,Dashkasan by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology ofANAS. Archaeologists identified a burial custom in which males were buried on their right side and females on their left. Some individuals showed signs of physical illnesses, including dental pathologies, and atrepanned skull was also discovered. Weapons, head ornaments, ceramic products, and a horse burial were among the notable finds.[27][28]
In July 2024, discovery of the 3.500 year-old dining room with lots ofceramic remains was announced in Tava Tepe inAgstafa by the archaeologists from theUniversity of Catania and theNational Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. The structure features an entrance supported by wooden columns and topped with a thatched roof, which probably extended over the entire complex. The circular structure, marked by numerous holes, indicates a diameter of around 15 meters. According to the archaeologists, evidence of burning, along with the remains of bowls and glasses made from black burnished ceramics found throughout the excavation area, suggests that the archaeological site was used for food preparation and consumption.[29][30][31]
In March 2025, an approximately 8,400-year-oldMesolithic human figurine was discovered inDamjili Cave, western Azerbaijan'sQazax District, by a collaborative Azerbaijani-Japanese team. This small stone artifact, dating to between 6400 and 6100 BC, was carved from river stone. Measuring 51 mm in length and 15 mm in width, the figurine lacks gender-specific features, which contrasts with the predominantly female clay figurines characteristic of the laterNeolithic period. Researchers associate the figurine with the early Shomutepe culture.[32][33][34]
In July 2025, archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology ofANAS led by Dr. Shamil Najafov discovered a 3,800-year-oldkurgan dating to the MiddleBronze Age in theCeyranchol plain near the village of Yovshanlidere. The burial mound, measuring 28 meters across and 2 meters high, was divided into three symbolic sections: one with the warrior’s remains and weapons, another containing ceramic vessels, and a third left empty—possibly intended as a spiritual resting space for the soul. The warrior, believed to have been over two meters tall, was buried in a semi-flexed position holding a four-pronged bronze spearhead. Grave goods included bronze ankle rings, obsidian tools, paste beads, and a dozen decorated ceramic jugs filled with cooked animal bones, including goat, cow, horse, and boar. Atop the mound, archaeologists found 14 limestone slabs, each weighing around one ton, along with a carved bull-shaped idol placed at the kurgan’s head.[35][36][37][38]
In July 2025, archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology ofANAS uncovered the foundations of aBronze Age settlement in the village of Kechelekeran,Yardimli District. The site revealed ancient dwellings built from river stones, alongside fragments of domestic pottery of various shapes and sizes, miniature household items, and bone spindle whorls.[39][40]
The excavations on a cemetery atYaloylu Tepe revealed important archaeological evidence from the 3rd to 1st centuries BC. The site gave its name to a culture found in the lower parts, steppes and foothills of theGreater Caucasus. In 1926 D. Sharifov discovered previously unknown pottery forms at Yaloylu Tepe.
Notable findings related toAncient Rome include the rock inscription in Latin at Boyukdash mountain (carved between 81 and 96 AD), which is the easternmost known Roman evidence.[41] It was discovered in 1948 byIshag Jafarzadeh and mentionsDomitian andLegio XII Fulminata. Another Roman inscription, which also mentions that legion, was reportedly seen in 1934 by the paleobotanist Petrov near the town ofFüzuli.[42]
In 1894 a Roman silver plate with aNereid riding ahippocamp and surrounded bytritons,[43] was unearthed in theYenikend village ofGoychay Rayon.Kamilla Trever characterized the plate as "one of the most interesting examples of Romantoreutics".[43]
In 1897, a bronze lamp in the shape of theatrical mask (presumably from the eastern provinces of Roman Empire[42] or from theHellenistic countries ofNear East), dated to 1st–2nd century AD, was found in the village ofZerti.
In 1902, researcherEmil Rösler excavated the remains of an ancient bath near the village ofBoyuk Dehne that contained a 2nd-century AD Greek inscription carved on a piece of limestone.[42]
In the 1960s, the content of theQabala treasures revealed the coins of EmperorsOtho,Vespasian,Trajan andHadrian, as well as drachmas ofAlexander the Great andtetradrachms of theGreco-Bactrian Kingdom. There were also coins ofAntiochus IV,Antiochus VI andEucratides.
In 2005, joint Azerbaijani–Korean researches began on the site of ancientQabala, where archaeological studies had been suspended since 1990.
In the Azykh Cave, the period of the Guruchay culture was replaced by ancientAcheulean after its long-term development. The ancient Acheulean culture was detected during the archaeological excavations in the VI section of the Azykh cave. More than 2,000 stone products and many hunted animal bones were found here.[12][44]
The remains of theMousterian culture during the archeological researches in Azerbaijan were discovered in Azykh (III layer), Taghlar, Dashsalahli, Gazma and Buzeyir camps.[44]
The culture of the late Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age (end of 4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC). This culture, which firstly appeared in the territory ofAzerbaijan, covered the area from the North Caucasus toMesopotamia, fromEast Anatolia toCentral Asia.[44]
During several excavations in theInner City ofBaku various medieval artifacts have been unearthed, including ceramic items and twotandoors. One of the tandoors was in the 12th-century layer.
Large-scale excavations on the left bank ofShamkirchay, that started in 2007, revealed the remnants of monumental public building, dated to 9th–10th century. Studies of medieval Azerbaijani fortresses likeChirag Gala, Shindan, Gazankeshki, Ballabur and Gilgilchay defence system have been also conducted.[45]
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