HACI ELAMXANLI TEPE ANCIENT DWELLING PLACE

HACI ELAMXANLI TEPE ANCIENT DWELLING PLACE

(Studies conducted in 2013-2015)

Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe monument is a small neolithic monument located 8 km east of Tovuz district. The monument is located 1.5 km north-west of the ancient settlement of Goytepe. Archaeological research in Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe started in 2012 and was carried out simultaneously with the excavations in Goytepe. In the initial phase of excavations in 2012, research was continued in square M10, in 2013 in squares L10, L11 and M11, and in the season of 2014 (third season) in squares L10, L11, M10, and M11.

As a result of archeological excavations conducted during the last two years in the 10m x 10m excavation areas (squares) near the center of the hill, a 1.5m thick cultural layer belonging to the neolithic period was revealed. Here, the division of the remains of buildings made of clay bricks cleared of soil into four architectural building horizons has been determined. As in previous years, excavations continued in the lower layers of the above-mentioned excavation sites (L10, L11, M10 and M11). In addition, in order to determine the boundaries of the ancient settlement, excavations were carried out on the northern (square S10) and southern (square F10) slopes of the hill.

We applied the same excavation methods as in previous years. Also here, in order to detect the important very small archaeological materials, the method of cleaning the soil extracted from the M10 square was used (Fig. 1).

III Neolithic Layer (horizon)

  The mentioned building level is mainly related to the figure-eight-shaped building in the center of the excavation site. Undoubtedly, such a shaped (8-shaped) building was identified during the excavations carried out last season (Fig. 2). During the excavations carried out this season, a new passage building connecting the two circular buildings and a small wall near the entrance of the large circular building were discovered. It is likely that each of the discovered 1st and 2nd building horizons were connected with the 8-shaped building, and the continuation of these buildings in the 3rd horizon suggests that the Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe ancient settlement has reflected local architectural building examples.

Fig. 2

We have divided this level into two parts, A and B, because some architectural structures and mud brick walls are stratigraphically located above the main building (Figure 8). These additional structures include an irregular curved wall (L11-75) adjacent to a small circular structure in square L11 (L10-72) and an appendicular-shaped wall connecting the small circular structure (L10-65), a building made of smaller circular mud bricks in square L10 also belongs (L10-63 and 78).

Research on this horizon resulted in the discovery of two floors within a large circular structure. The upper floor (horizon 3a) was exposed along with layers of burnt soil and several stone tool fragments near the center of the circular structure. During the archeological excavations, the floor in the lower layer was uncovered and layers of burnt earth were found in the southern part of the circular structure, and pieces of bone and horn were found in the central part.

 The last finds here (in earlier years) are attributed to level 4 (horizon), which are stratigraphically separated from the floor of level 4 by scattered mud bricks. It is considered more logical to separate these findings from the archaeological remains discovered on level 3b of the large circular structure. This level is defined by a dividing wall built close to the horizon with fragments of bone horn and layers of burnt ash soil. The mentioned separating wall is also observed on the existing 8-shaped residential building on levels 1, 2 and 4.  Despite some of the above-mentioned differences in architectural structures in these horizons (3a and 3b), the habitation in the exterior of these structures is assumed to exist mainly in Horizon III. In square L11, layers of burnt ash soil and several fragments of stone tools were found in both horizons 3a and 3b. Also, the large waste pits in squares L10 and M10 were cleared and exposed. In addition, 3 clay farm storages were identified in the eastern part of square L11 (two on 3a and one on 3b).

IV Neolithic Layer (Horizon) (Fig. 3)

Fig. 3

This level was revealed by the discovery of another circular structure with a diameter of 5 m in square M11. The walls of the other two mud brick circular buildings of the same diameter extended to layer 3b. A considerable amount of archeological material was found inside the last two circular structures mentioned here. The materials are associated with hearths, burnt ash layers, and farm storage inside a structure located in the center of the excavated site. Here, another round residential building was added to the smaller circular building. Those two circular walls are built on the same sheet surface and they are connected to each other by another passage. So this can be another example of 8-shaped residential building. The wider circular wall of this building passes through the lower part of the circular wall in horizon 3b, but due to the position of the neighboring buildings, they are separated from each other (head side of the 8-shaped residential building). The wall of a large circular structure is connected to the south side in horizon 3b, but it is connected to the north in horizon 4a.

Accordingly, the location of the entrance part of the large circular building is different between the two layers. The existing well in the III horizon relatively destroyed the small building part of the 8-shaped residential building in the 4a horizon. This building (figure 8) is connected (joined) with two clay farm wells from the upper side (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4

Although those wells were quite large (60-70 cm in diameter) at the time, the part with a height of less than 20 cm remained. During the excavations, another large circular residential building was uncovered in the northern part of the M11 square. Due to the sharp collapse of the wall part, it was not possible to determine the exact plan of the residential building. However, a large number of fallen mud bricks were found inside the wall. However, several artefacts and large animal bones were found in the broken parts of mud bricks.

A large circular residential structure existing in the eastern part of square M11 has a long wall in the southern part (in square L11). The wall extends to the unexcavated areas in the southern part. The function of this wall remains unknown, and signs of a clay farm well have been identified on the side of the wall.

Layer 4a is characterized by a large area extending to L10 and L11 squares. In this area, mainly fragments of large stone tools, burnt ash soil layers consisting of natural river stones and numerous charcoal fragments were unearthed. Some of them were even found together in a group (L10 Fig. 5).

Fig. 5

Although this layer forms the same architectural building plan that underlies Layer 4a, it is stratigraphically separated from Horizon 4a by some residential structures. The upper part of the building remains forming Horizon 4b was exposed inside two large circular-shaped residential buildings in the center and eastern part of the excavated area.

The scattered fragments of mud bricks that make up the floor stratigraphically separate this layer from the cultural layers above in Horizon 4a.

The 8-shaped residential building was fully exposed in the M10 Square and its surrounding area. There is a passage between the two circular buildings, and there is also a partition wall at the entrance of the large circular building. One of the remarkable finds in Horizon 4b is the stove located near the center of the residential building (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6

The stove consists of two different-sized bases (bottom, inner part) plastered with clay around the mouth. The deeper one (15 cm deep) is the main burned part, but the shallower part (5 cm deep) consists mainly of ash layer and charcoal fragments. The exposed stove is connected (ends) with a mud brick partition wall. The inner part of the furnace, consisting of ash layers, consisted of a large number of charcoal fragments, burnt stone fragments and burnt bone fragments. The stove was built on top of another stove that existed before.

The furnace in the central part was surrounded by four small holes of the same diameter (13–17 cm), each of which had a stone at the bottom. (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7

The holes are probably connected to the ceiling of the residential building and serve as pillars. In the central part, towards the western direction of the existing oven, along the wall, two number of pits and a household well made of clay were exposed. The height of the farm well remained 10 cm high, and two clay bricks and natural stone were found inside. The depth of the two wells is 15-20 cm, and the inner part consists of grayish-brown soil layers. Most likely, these wells were used as farm storage.

In addition to the central furnace, two hearths were discovered in the eastern part of the circular building. None of these ovens are associated with a farm well or clay-roofed building, but a large number of assemblages of artifacts, animal bones, and natural river stones have been found around them. Among them, the obsidian nucleus (Fig. 8), a large number of bones, and sickle teeth fixed with bitumen are considered to be more significant findings.

Fig. 8

Also, a floor layer was found in the small circular part of the 8-shaped residential structure in Square M10, but unlike the main large circular structure, there is a lot of waste here. A small oven was also found in the part near the wall.

Another large circular structure in Layer 4b was uncovered in the eastern part of the excavated area (Squares M11 and L11). Numerous animal bones and artifacts such as bitumen for stone ax and sickle supports were also found inside the structure.

In the same Horizon, a third large circular structure was discovered in the northern part of Square M11. Although the floors of the other two buildings have been excavated to the appropriate depth, layers of mud brick fragments still persist. Other layers left inside the building and the floor itself, which is supposed to be in the lower layer, will be explored in the next excavations.

The bottom of Layer IV

In Layer 4b, architectural examples and other soil layers are present mainly under silty soil layers. Between this layer and the sterile soil layers is a thin interlayer containing charcoal fragments and a few artifact samples. Sterile (unfertile) soil layers are spread throughout the excavated area. If this soil is considered continental, the depth of this soil layer in the southern part of Square L10 is 1.8 m (the part near the center of the hill).

  Excavations of the shurf character on the sides of the hill.

Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe hill is a small hill about 1.5 m high with a width and length of 80x60m. This does not mean that the settlement had the above-mentioned dimensions in the neolithic period. During the research conducted in Goytepe in 2013, it was determined that the monument has changed to its current shape due to the shifting of soil layers and sediments and erosions that occurred frequently after the neolithic period.

In order to determine the main exact dimensions and geographical structure of the ancient settlement, excavations of 2x2m size were conducted in the northern and southern corners of the hill, respectively, in Squares S10 and F10). Square F10 has been cleared of surface soil, but in Square S10 excavation works have been carried out to a depth of about 1 meter. As shown in Figure 13, materials such as iron tools and Soviet-era coins were found here. Finally, near the center of the hill, part of the mainland has already been exposed. The details about this will be clarified in the next studies, and from the observations made, it can be concluded that most of the soil layers in this part of the hill can be considered sedimentary soil layers, and the monument was in a smaller form than it appears in its current state. We will define our hypotheses about all this in the next studies.

During the excavations carried out in the last two years in the ancient settlement, the monument was thoroughly studied and the mainland was discovered in squares L-M / 10-11.

 It has been revealed from the researches that the remains of buildings reflecting human habitation in a phased form have been uncovered in the ancient settlement of Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe. The discovered building remains are very important in terms of their historical chronological position. The buildings built here mainly at the beginning of the 6th millennium are mainly attributed to the early stage of the neolithic period in the South Caucasus. The analysis of the archaeological materials found here shows that the Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe ancient settlement at the first stage reflects the traditions typical of hunter-gatherer societies dating back to the early Mesolithic period and ceramics. The study of archeological materials also indicates the processes of the formation of early farming cattle tribes in the second phase of the ancient settlement. These results obtained from the research of the ancient settlement are enough to clarify the socio-economic situation of the neolithic period in the region. We should note that analyzes are currently being conducted on the discovered material culture samples.

The early two phases of the neolithic period, known to this day in Azerbaijan, have been confirmed on the basis of archaeological research in both of the above-mentioned ancient settlements. Goytepe is a large-scale ancient settlement, and the neolithic inhabitants who lived here had a high stage of development, but Hacı Elamxanlı Tepetepe is considered a small-scale and more ancient settlement, and the social and economic situation that existed here is currently being studied and studied by us. The researches of both ancient settlements make it possible to study the stages of development of the neolithic society in the region. The emergence and development of the Shomutepe archaeological culture of the local ancient early agricultural tribes is considered a very important event for the neolithic period, so these studies will significantly help to study and study the neolithic processes in the South Caucasus.

F.GULIYEV, Y.NISHIYAKI, S.KODOVAKI, K.SHIMAGAMA, V.ALEKBEROV,  Ş.SELIMBEYOV, T.MIKKI, S.ABBASOVA, K.OHINISHI, V.AHMEDOVA