The department of ethnoarchaeology has been operating in the structure of the ANAS Institute of Archeology and Anthropology since 2002.
In the department of ethnoarchaeology, archaeological monuments of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze-Early Iron Ages (7th-1st millennia BC), partly of the Ancient and Medieval periods of Azerbaijan are studied, and ethnological materials are widely used during these studies.
The main scientific direction of the department is the study of the material and spiritual culture of the Azerbijan’s ancient and medieval period, handicrafts and economic fields, settlement and migration problems, burial customs, issues of ethnogenesis in the archaeological context based on archaeological monuments and findings.
Conducting archaeological excavations, camera processing of the artefacts obtained from the excavations, publishing articles on the problems of ethnoarchaeology, researching the religious outlook of the population of primitive and class societies based on archaeological excavations, researching the problem of population settlement in ancient times, etc. such issues are the main tasks of department employees.
As a result of the department’s activity, solid facts were discovered about the local origin of the early Neolithic agriculture and animal husbandry in the Ganja-Gazakh region, that the Leylatepe culture of the Chalcolithic period was created as a result of migrations from Eastern Anatolia-North Mesopotamia, and that the Maykop culture of the North Caucasus was formed precisely on the basis of the Leylatepe culture. has been proven. As a result of the excavations of mounds and earthen graves belonging to the Kura-Araz culture, new facts about burial customs have been obtained.
The ancient images of Gobustan and the Gamigaya paintings of the Bronze Age in Nakhchivan were examined, based on these monuments, a number of history issues material and spiritual culture of Azerbaijan ancient period were studied. In addition, the problems of population settlement in the Bronze-Early Iron Age in the Ganja-Gazakh and Talish-Mugan regions, issues related to the settlement of the Middle Kura basin and the high areas of the Talish Mountains starting from the Early Bronze Age, excavations of grave monuments belonging to the Chalcolithic and Bronze-Early Iron Ages are being investigated,on the basis of which burial customs are involved in the study.
On the basis of archaeological excavations and paleoanthropological findings, researches related to the Neolithic-Early Iron Age, crafts, religious beliefs, the oldest traditions of statehood in Azerbaijan and the history of ethnogenesis of the people are being conducted. Also, the spiritual culture, religious beliefs of the Caucasian Albanian population of the Antiquity and Middle Ages, and the problems of de-ethnicization of the Albanian population are investigated.
The initiator of the creation of the department was the doctor of historical sciences, professor Najaf Alasgar oglu Museyibli, and it continues to operate under his leadership from the time of its establishment until today.
Employees of the “Ethnoarchaeology” department:
- Najaf Alasgar oglu Museyibli – head of the department, doctor of historical sciences, professor
- Shamil Nadir oglu Najafov – leading scientific worker, doctor of philosophy in history, associate professor
- Anar Mirsamid oglu Agalarzadeh – leading researcher, doctor of philosophy in history, associate professor
- Ulviyya Shahbal gizi Hajiyeva – leading researcher, docent
- Malahat Novruz gizi Farajova – senior researcher (0.5), doctor of philosophy in history
- Matanat Muhammed gizi Huseynova – scientific worker
- Ulviyya Rafail gizi Safarova – scientific worker
- Farhad Safalar oglu Farmanov – scientific worker
- Gulnara Novruz gizi Hajiyeva – junior researcher
- Kamala Dargah gizi Gudratova – junior researcher
- Ayten Ramiz gizi Ramazanova – senior laboratory assistant
- Aygün Alimurad gizi Ibrahimova – senior laboratory assistant
- Seymur Farhad oglu Farmanli – artist