An article titled “Canal Mounds as Archives for Human-Environment Interactions in the South Caucasus during Late Antiquity” has been published in the Journal of Field Archaeology, a peer-reviewed journal issued by the international academic publisher Routledge on behalf of Boston University (USA). Among the co-authors of the article is Associate Professor Tevekkül Aliyev, PhD in History and Head of Department at the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS, who recently celebrated his 70th anniversary. Under his co-leadership, an international archaeological expedition studied the remnants of a historic irrigation canal system in the landscape of the Mil Plain, located in the southwestern part of Azerbaijan. The expedition’s scientific team included researchers from Durham University (UK), Kiel University (Germany), and the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin, such as Lisa M. Snape, Andrea Ricci, Ian K. Bailiff, Dan E. Lawrence, and Barbara Helwing.

The article presents the results of archaeological and archaeometric research conducted along the Govurarkh irrigation canal near Örənqala, particularly in the area of canal-side mounds. These mounds were formed from accumulations of soil periodically removed from the canal bed during maintenance works and deposited along its banks at various times, primarily between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. Micromorphological analysis of samples taken from these mounds, along with the application of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating methods, enabled researchers to determine the construction, usage, and abandonment phases of the canal.

OSL-based chronological analysis revealed that the irrigation system has a complex history: it was constructed in the 8th century AD and went through phases of use, technical maintenance, modification, and eventual abandonment over a period of approximately 1,000 years.

It was determined that the canal, constructed in the 8th century, remained operational until the 14th century. However, by the 11th to 14th centuries, repair and renovation activities had ceased. From the 14th to the 17th century, water flow in the canal began to decline due to natural causes and the cessation of technical maintenance. By the 17th century, the historic irrigation canal had become inactive. The presence of the canal, which indicates an advanced sedentary and urban culture for its time, reflects the influence of both sociopolitical and ecological factors in the region throughout its existence.

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