Azernews.Az

By Narmina Mammadova

Until today, the question of ancient settlements on Absheron remained controversial due to the small number of findings from the Paleolithic period and the absence of settlements of this period in the region, department head of the Archeology and Ethnography Institute under the Azerbaijan National Academy of Science (ANAS), head of the Absheron Archeological Expedition, Ph.D. in history Idris Aliyev told Trend on January 15.

"In 2003, materials from the Upper Paleolithic period (ancient Stone Age) were found in the west of the Surakhani village. However, due to the small amount of materials found and as a result of subsequent agricultural work, it was impossible to raise the question of the anthropogenesis of the Paleolithic on Absheron," said the department head.

The expedition leader also said that in December 2018, during the works of the Absheron archaeological expedition, numerous tools of the Stone Age were discovered at the Girmeki site, between the Balakhani and Muhammadi villages.

The samples were found on a large territory, so it is possible that there was an ancient settlement here, he said. Also, the Absheron paleogeography does not contradict the topography of the monument.

Experts have conducted a comparative analysis of materials and, according to preliminary estimates, the subjects belong to the Middle Paleolithic.

The paleontological materials found in geological sediments show that there was a rich fauna in the region, he said.

The head of the expedition also noted that a more thorough study of the areas around the settlements of Binagadi and Balakhani would allow studying the problem of settlement in the region.

Archaeological monuments covering a great era from ancient times to the Middle Ages have been discovered and studied in Azerbaijan.

The study of archaeological monuments of Azerbaijan began with the registration of ancient monuments in 30-50s of the 19th century.

As a result of research, it became known that people have settled the territory of Azerbaijan two million years ago. As archeological investigations were expanding, hundreds of new monuments have been discovered and explored.

Ancient historical monument – Gipchagtepe, which belongs to the early Middle Ages and Middle Ages, has been discovered by archaeologists in country's Gakh region, near the Ayrichay bridge, recently.

In addition, the research was also conducted on the territory of Sari Pir cemetery.

The study revealed that people lived here in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, in the 20th century, they settled in the present territory of Gipchagtepe village. The inscriptions on the tombstones show that they belonged to the 19th century.

The Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), the highest scientific institution in the Azerbaijan Republic, was established in 1945 from the Azerbaijan Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

By the Presidential decree in 2003 the Academy was appointed as an organization coordinating scientific research in all state research and educational centers.

ANAS plays a leading role in undertaking fundamental research, creating new technologies and methodologies, and training highly qualified experts. A series of scientific results having international significance have been obtained within the ANAS in various major fields of science.

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