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On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan

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On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Department of Anthropology Papers Department of Anthropology 4-2012 On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan Lauren Ristvet University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Hilary Gopnik Veli Bakhshaliyev Hannah Lau Safar Ashurov See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/anthro_papers Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Ristvet, L., Gopnik, H., Bakhshaliyev, V., Lau, H., Ashurov, S., & Bryant, R. (2012). On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan. American Journal of Archaeology, 116 (2), 321-362. https://doi.org/10.3764/aja.116.2.0321 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/anthro_papers/30 For more information, please contact [email protected]. On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan Abstract The nature of political complexity in the Caucasus has emerged as a significant esearr ch question in Near Eastern archaeology. Until recently, archaeological developments in Azerbaijan have been left out of this discussion. Two seasons of survey and excavation undertaken by the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania at the Iron Age site of Oğlanqala in the Naxçıvan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan have begun to clarify the local origins of an Iron Age polity and its relationship to major Near Eastern empires, including Urartu, Achaemenid Persia, and Parthia. Situated in the northern half of the fertile Şərur Plain, Oğlanqala was in a position to control a pass through the Dərələyəz Mountains as well as the agricultural land of the plain. Indeed, in the Iron Age, the Şərur Plain was a complex landscape dominated by Oğlanqala but including at least six other fortresses and many cemeteries. The 2008 survey revealed that Oğlanqala was founded in the Early Iron Age and has extensive Middle and Late Iron Age material. Excavations in 2008 and 2009 in the citadel and domestic buildings uncovered architectural and ceramic differences from contemporaneous Urartian, Achaemenid, and classical sites, while also revealing evidence for interaction among them. Disciplines Anthropology | Archaeological Anthropology | Social and Behavioral Sciences Author(s) Lauren Ristvet, Hilary Gopnik, Veli Bakhshaliyev, Hannah Lau, Safar Ashurov, and Robert Bryant This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/anthro_papers/30 FIELD REPORT On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan LAUREN RISTVET, HILARY GOPNIK, VELI BAKHSHALIYEV, HANNAH LAU, SAFAR ASHUROV, AND ROBERT BRYANT Abstract introduction The nature of political complexity in the Caucasus has During the last decade, the Caucasus region— emerged as a significant research question in Near Eastern particularly the three nations of the southern Caucasus archaeology. Until recently, archaeological developments in Azerbaijan have been left out of this discussion. Two (Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia) and the Russian seasons of survey and excavation undertaken by the Azer- Republic of Dagestan—has become the locus for a new baijan National Academy of Sciences and the University series of investigations on early complex societies in of Pennsylvania at the Iron Age site of Oğlanqala in the the highlands of western Asia.1 This research provides Naxçıvan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan have be- an important counterpoint and complement to the gun to clarify the local origins of an Iron Age polity and its relationship to major Near Eastern empires, including paradigmatic development of urbanism and political Urartu, Achaemenid Persia, and Parthia. Situated in the complexity in Mesopotamia, western Iran, and Syria. northern half of the fertile Şərur Plain, Oğlanqala was in Polities and non-state actors located on the highland a position to control a pass through the Dərələyəz Moun- northern frontier of the ancient Near East, including tains as well as the agricultural land of the plain. Indeed, the Caucasus, often provided the most effective chal- in the Iron Age, the Şərur Plain was a complex landscape dominated by Oğlanqala but including at least six other lenge to Near Eastern states and empires. Analyzing fortresses and many cemeteries. The 2008 survey revealed their different sociopolitical practices and spatial or- that Oğlanqala was founded in the Early Iron Age and has ganization can challenge widespread ideas about the extensive Middle and Late Iron Age material. Excavations rise of the state and ancient imperialism in the Near in 2008 and 2009 in the citadel and domestic buildings East and beyond. Considering the highland perspec- uncovered architectural and ceramic differences from con- temporaneous Urartian, Achaemenid, and classical sites, tive can help us move beyond simplistic neoevolution- while also revealing evidence for interaction among them.* ary models of archaic states to a consideration of the * We are grateful to the Azerbaijan National Academy of Zaur İzmaylov, archaeologists. Bradley Parker and Kathleen Sciences for its support, particularly to the director of the Nicoll also participated in a survey that year. Work in 2008 Naxçıvan branch, İsmayıl Hacıyev, and to Maisa Ragimova in and 2009 was funded by the National Science Foundation Baku. We would also like to thank the chairman of the Su- (Grant BCS-0836388) and the University of Pennsylvania. We preme Assembly of Naxçıvan, Vasif Talibov, who has provid- thank Stefan Kroll, Paul Zimansky, David Stronach, Kather- ed encouragement and support to this joint project, as well ine Moore, Katherine Brunson, and the anonymous review- as numerous friends in Şərur and Oğlanqala. For this report, ers for the AJA for their advice on issues discussed herein. All Gopnik analyzed the ceramics and the excavation in the fi gures are by the authors. southeast houses; Lau analyzed the faunal remains; Bryant 1 For a general summary (with references) of work done reported on site survey techniques; and Ristvet, Bakhshali- in the Caucasus, see Smith and Rubinson 2003; Smith 2005; yev, and Ashurov were responsible for everything else. Staff in Kohl 2007. Petersen et al. (2006) and Popova et al. (2007) 2008: Ristvet, Bakhshaliyev, and Ashurov, directors; Gopnik, have published proceedings of the University of Chicago con- associate director and ceramicist; Bryant, topographer; Tiffa- ferences on Eurasian archaeology, which also contain infor- ny Earley, archaeobotanist; and Athena Smith, Nikki Beard, mation about recent excavations in the Caucasus. For general Emin, Mammədov, and Orxan liyev, archaeologists. Staff in histories of archaeology in Armenia, see Lindsay and Smith 2009: Ristvet, Bakhshaliyev, and Ashurov, directors; Gopnik, 2006; Khatchadourian 2008a. For summaries of work in Geor- associate director and ceramicist; Bryant, topographer; Lau, gia, see Lordkipanidze 1991; Licheli 2006. For Azerbaijan, zooarchaeologist; Earley, archaeobotanist; Jennifer Sweri- see Aliev and Goshgarli 1995; Schachner 2001; Bakhshaliyev da, registrar; Amber Weekes, bioarchaeologist; and Adam 2007. For projects in Armenia, see Badalyan et al. 2003; Smith Maskevich, Alex Headman, Reilley Jensen, Elvin liyev, and et al. 2004. 321 American Journal of Archaeology 116 (2012) 321–62 This content downloaded from 130.91.117.41 on Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:36:36 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 322 LAUREN RISTVET ET AL. [AJA 116 roles of resistance, cultural exchange, and hybridiza- more complex political landscape, one that included tion in the creation of political identity. competing small states. Our work in the Şərur Plain The joint American-Azerbaijani Naxçıvan Archaeo- aims to analyze the construction of political power at logical Project aims to investigate the long-term history this fortress in its local context. of the Şərur Plain of Azerbaijan’s Naxçıvan Autono- Second, we have investigated the relationship be- mous Republic. Despite nearly a century of Soviet and tween local elites and imperial practices in the Late Azerbaijani archaeological research, this area has of- Achaemenid empire. As the largest empire in western ten been absent from accounts of the archaeology of Asia until the rise of Islam, Achaemenid Persia con- the Caucasus, let alone the Near East. It is essentially trolled the territory from Sudan to Afghanistan for terra incognita for Near Eastern archaeologists.2 Fol- about 200 years. As much as a quarter of the world’s lowing an extensive archaeological survey of Şərur in population lived in this empire at its height.5 Recently, 2006 and soundings at two Early Bronze Age (Kura- more archaeological attention has been focused on the Araxes) sites,3 our excavations and research in 2008 Achaemenid empire, although these layers tend to be and 2009 at Oğlanqala, the major Iron Age center in neglected in most research designs. Moreover, most the region (fig. 1), focused on the origins, operation, excavations and surveys have investigated Achaemenid and collapse of a series of polities in this plain during satrapal centers, not the system of local centers that the first millennium B.C.E. and their relationship to was incorporated into the empire.6 Although art his- empires including Urartu, Achaemenid Persia, and torians have used stylistic analysis to compare column Arsacid Persia. bases from Georgia and northwest Azerbaijan and to More specifically, through survey
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