Anthropological Materials from «Cult Barrow» (Azerbaijan Republic)

Abstract

The paper presents craniological materials from the so-called «Cult barrow» or kurgan №36 from excavations (field season of 1937 year) of Azerbaijani archaeologist Y.I. Hummel. Kurgan was situated in the valley of Ganjachai to the west from Goygol city (Azerbaijan Republic). Here were identified the burials of different historical periods: the Early Bronze Age (Kura-Araxes archaeological culture), the Late Bronze – Early Iron Ages (Khojaly-Gedabek archaeological culture) and Medieval. The studied materials belong to the Late Bronze – Early Iron Ages (Khojaly-Gedabek archaeological culture) and date back to the end of II – beginning of I Millennium BC. Four skulls were researched in total: three male (No 1–3) and one female (No 4). There is likelihood that male and female skulls from «Cult barrow» belonged to the south branch of the Caucasoid race and referred to its brachycranial variant, which had been widespread in Ganja-Gazakh region of Azerbaijan since The Early Bronze Age. The results of the study allow us to conclude that the people buried in the zhalnik of the mound were the autochthons of this zone of Azerbaijan, this statement does not contradict the archaeological materials found near the buried. There is a certain continuity of the population on the territory of the Ganja-Gazakh region of Azerbaijan from the era of the Early – Late Bronze – Early Iron – Middle Ages and up to the modern period.

Keywords

• archaeology
• azerbaijan
• the late bronze – early iron ages
• khojaly-gedabek archaeological culture
• barrow/kurgan
• anthropology
• craniometry
• trepanation
• paleopathologies