Azernews.Az

By Laman Sadigova

The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography under the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, the French National Research Center, and the Paris Saint-Germain, with the joint efforts of the staff of the National Museum of archaeological excavations in the village of Lerik, discovered a 3,000-year-old sarcophagus in Monidigah, Lerik.

The discovery was confirmed by Abuzar Alekperov, the head of the archaeological collection of artifacts at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography.

Alekperov says that French archaeologists Jacques de Morgan and his brother Henry Morgan led an archaeological exploration in Lerik in the late 19th century, where they discovered bronze and iron-age stone graves and a considerable amount of artifacts.

A joint archaeological expedition between Azerbaijan and France in 2011 was established at the initiative of the French team.

The stone boxes found during the archeological searches were partly damaged.

They are sample of the artifacts, including pottery, jewelry, weapons, household equipment, that was found on site. All of the findings were placed in special containers for preservation.

Professor Michel Casanova from France, who led the expedition, told APA's south bureau that Monidigah artifacts will be taken to France to be examined in the laboratory, "We hope that these materials will be of great importance in the study of history."

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