Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology in the Caucasus
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Jll?p( rsns€cn€J eq] ul ,{8o1oeeqc;e (sctlllod 'plepuels Jo ecllcerd 3ql pue 'Iuslleuol]€N OI 1sr,rr1e1et,{. lou pue ele ,{eql lPq^\ loJ I e1t1 dn Surlnords Jo olgpr r50 Philip L. Kohl and Gocha R. T,setskhlatlze Nationalism and ar like minerals that have cryr shape that characterizes th essenlialist (or primordialr gians, Ossetians. Abkhazir manner that blurs necessa race. This conception of cr most Caucasian archaeolr constantly "in the making,' are continuously translorn bors, and being inextricabl, than thcmselves lWoll l9g Although one cannot lry rmportant phenomenon of causative factor in cultural rn attemptlng to identify s culture remains. Sometrme tentatively can be made, t problems one is solving thr trap of conceptualizing cul tions as crystallized platon; guishing features in remore Wolf (1982) and R. Fox Thompson ( 1966) an<l R.G. are always in the process sometimes 2 The Caucasus: political and administralive boundarics in 199 I in almost unreco no culture that has existed .. aboriginal in terms of their we are not appreciative of their many subslantive achievements in rcal estate; ethnogenesis is a reconstructing their incredibly rich remote past; while we generalize forever the characteristics p critically about the behaviors of entire peoples (and as generalizations, there are. of course, numerous exceptions), this does not mean that we are at all dcmeaning holding or suspect the proud and distinctive cultural I Contradictorv ,,read traditions that make the area so fascinating and intellectually stimulating. If we spend more time illustrating the questionable practices of archaeol- A A:erbaijan ogists of one culture and fail to mention those of another, it is not a political Most accounts written in the statement of support for the latter on our part. Sadly, no group is above and early history of Azcrbaij criticism. current ethnic conflicts, based on territorial political disputes in ary perspectrve, stressing I the Caucasus and all too often justified by archaeological "readings" of an Palaeolithic times onwards ( alwarys deficient, never satisfactory record, are extremely complex and. dova 1979). Although they r unfortunately. lack simple solution. inherently suspect in such acc We argue against an "essentialist" conception of culture, particularly as may be omitted or implied. a applied to the archaeological record. This view maintains that cultures are and more popular accounts. ,{pclnort:ed 'orleuclqord srouI elP rol}El eqJ 'slunocce .relndod srolu puP cre seJnllno leq] sun?lureu eq slrode: ,(peloqcs qloq uI srnJro leql ecrlce.rd e 'perldr,ur lo pslllr'uo ,{eu se ,{1:elncrlled 'e:ntlncJo r lEq,\\ ol pcunlle ,{11ucrtr1od st ouo [t]un slunoJJl? qJns ul 1r:dsns ,{liuerequt '(6161 Surqlou sr ereql 'secuenUur leurelxe ozrlulurru ,{aqt q8noqtly e,top 'pue xelduoc ,{1eue.rtxe I sple,r,ruo sorulJ clqllloaeled -Rrnl{ :g861 :9861 a,eqsn,{eg ''3'e) ue 3c'r ..s8urpea.r.. 1eor3o1oe ^oulesnC 'e.ttlcedsred ,{re Je,\\o'I ruo.r3 lueudole^ep snoue8tput 1uco1 Sutsserls ur salndsrp 1ecr1r1od 1euolr -uorlnlo^e pru,tt.ro.ylq3reJls rotlleJ e ldope uefreqrezy 3o ,{.tolstq ,{1;ee pue e^oge sr dno.r8 ou ',{1pe5 ,{rolsrqe.rd eql ezlreruurns leql por:ed 131^oS eql uI uelllr,{\ slunoJJe lsol4l 1ecrlr1od p lou sr lr'loqloup -loeeqolE unltnqt,t: 3o secrlceld elqr Y V '3ur1e1nurr1s,{11en1ce11a1ur 1 ,{rolslqard uulsurnuJ 1o o.s8urpeer,, ,{ro1clpurluo3 I lernllnJ e^rlJurlstp pue p eJe 3,r\ leql ueolu lou soop 'suorlr?zrll?Jouei se pue) s; 'qulq lloql ]u luesa.rd sJtlslrelJl?lPqJ eql le^eroJ azrlereueB o,r oltq,'$ :lsuc llqlqxe sornllno leqt ,{ydur lou soop tl lnq '1o€J e st stsaueSouqle :eletso lBoJ ur slu0ru3^otqJe SArluelsl 3o ecsrd crlrceds E tlllA aJnllnJ,{re.rodueluoc JlJqt Jo slulel ur leur8uoqe sr leql eldoed ou pue ..lellotualuult etull oJuIS,. polslxe seq ]Bql eJnllno ou t 661 ul sJuPpunoq J^r'tl sr ereql 's,,{e,tt tueregtp ,{1en11e1ryenb 'elqezruSoJeJun lsorule uI seullJeulos 'se^lesuorl] Sutlnltlsuocor pue Sur8ueqc .;o ssecord oql ul s,{u,tt1e ore 'D'd sorntlnJ :sn pepuruer e,teq '(ug661 '9361 ) f ung pue (SS0 t ) uosduoql 'd'E alll 'sueuoisrq elqrsuos pue'(S861) xol 'd puI? (2861) Jlo,45 'E eIIl 'slsrSolocio.rqlue elqrsuos sy ',{ilnb11ue sloluor ul sarnleeJ SurqsrnS -utlsrp luerlnJ lsql lll? Surlrqrqxe 'soruesss Jluoleld pezr11e1s,{:r se suoll -lperl JrJolsrqe.rd pue otrolslq 3uo1 qlr.t, soJnllnf, Surzrlenldecuoc Jo de:1 eql otul Il€J lou pue suotlecglluepl qJns q8norqt 8ur,l1os sr euo suelqo.rd 1eq,r ,{1yecr1uo eultuexa lsntu cuo uoql uo^o lnq 'Jpl?tu oq uPr ,{la,ltleluel JCAa,^AOq SUOIlUCUtlUepl qsns 'esJnos Jo 'sal.ulloluos 'suletual Olnllns lerreleru rreql uo ,{1e1os sdnot8 cruqle cgrceds ,{.;lruepr ol Surlduelle ut lcadsunc-rrc ,{1euer1xa eq lsntu euo '(uot1n1o^e lelnllno ul lolJeJ oAIlesnEJ pezrlenldaouorropun ,{1sso.r3 e .;1es1r) ,{1rcruqle Jo uouaruoueqd luul.rodut puc [1?cr eqt Sur.rou8r fq tsed eq] lcnrlsuoJer o] frl louul?c euo q8noqlly 'ft ttt:2661 pto) :t861 Jto,,16) so^lestuoql ueq] :e8re1 qcnru sasseco.td leotlolstLl ur dn 1q3nec ,{lqecrrlxeur Suteq pue 'sroq -q8rau lleql tuorj Sut,nouoq 'se^lesueql SuturoSsue;1 ,{lsnonutluoc e;e qcrq,n sruels,{s pepue-uado 'potooJ ,(llecrrolsrq ..'3ut1eru cql uI., flluelsuoc se soJnllnJ Jo ,4 etl otll ol pesoddo sr 'slsrSoloeeqcJe ulltsecneJ lsotu ,{g lou ro ,{lsnorcsuoc peldope sl qrlq,^ 'eJn}lnJ jo uotldaruor stqJ 'oJer pue 'a8en8uel 'ornilnc uae,t\leq suotlcullslp ,{lessacau sJnlq leq} leuueu 'c13 'suetlessg 'sueti e ur pelsrxo .,s,{e,,1t1e., e^eq 'suoqcoqJ 'suelzeqlqv -JoeD 'sueluerulv 'sIJOZV leql sploq ,trer,t (lsrlerproutrd .ro) lstletluasse uy 'lusse.rd eql ol .,lElJoLUeuIrul etutl Lllo{,, tuoql sezlrelcereqc leql edeqs a^rlrurlsrp R eunsse ,{eqt 'peuro; eJuo :pezlllels,{:c e,teq }eql sleJeultu 0IIl I9t snsEJnEJ eql ut A;oloJeqJJ€ pue tuslleuollPN 152 Philip 1.. Kohl unl Gocha R. T.tt,t.skltlud:L' Nationalism and archa in so far as they reach a broader, less discriminating audience. Thus, for testify to their millennia-old example, a widely disseminated tourist guide to Baku (Agaev 1987:13) over, the region (for documt begins with the lollowing assertion: Nakhichevan. see Ayvazian The nominally Marxist r The tribes who inhabitcd this land in antiquity. the fore-runncrs ol- the Azerbaijani devclopments and minimizc people, occupied a vast tcrritory which included both Northern (now Soviet) and ethnic groups are, of course, Southcrn (Iranian) Azerbaijan. Various parts of it becamc known after as thc tribes record frequently is ambiguc Caspian. Mannai. Mcdia. and Caucasian Albania.