Azykh Cave (Azerbaijani: Azıx mağarası), also referred to as Azokh Cave (Armenian: Ազոխի քարանձավ, romanized: Azoxi k’aranjav[1]), is a six-cave complex in Azerbaijan, known as a habitation site of prehistoric humans. It is situated near the village of Azykh in the Khojavend District. The cave is an important prehistoric site which has been occupied by different human groups for a long time.[2] The ancient layers of the Middle Paleolithic have yielded Neanderthal fossil remains that may date from around 300,000 years ago.[3]
The cave was discovered by the "Palaeolithic Archaeological Expedition" of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) under the leadership of Mammadali Huseynov in 1960 and is considered to be the site of one of the most ancient locations of proto-human presence in Eurasia. A Neanderthal-like jaw bone found in 1968 is assumed to be over 300,000 years old and thus one of the oldest proto-human remains found in Central Asia. Its discovery gave rise to the term Azykh Man. Archaeologists have suggested that the finds from the lowest layers are of a pre-Acheulean culture (730,000 to 1,800,000 years ago), that resembles the Olduwan culture named after Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge in many respects.[4]
The poor quality of the 1960s excavation, in which no taphonomic data was collected,[5] led to uncertainties over the chronological sequence of the layers.[6] Excavations resumed in the mid-1990s. In 2002 an international research team headed by Tania King discovered undisturbed entrances to the cave as well as fauna and stone tools.[7] Fossil assemblages recovered from the excavations between 2002 and 2009 found Pleistocene-era remains of bears accumulated as a result of hibernation, but no evidence for simultaneous occupation of the cave by bears and hominins. Other faunal remains, mainly herbivores, had been brought to the cave by hominins, but butchering had taken place somewhere else, not at the rear of the cave where the remains were found. When cave sediments reached close to the cave roof, the cave ceased to be used by hominins. During the Holocene, the upper sediments were eroded by water, opening up the cave to renewed human use.[8]
The cave is considered to have housed some of the earliest groups of proto-humans in Eurasia.[9] Using uranium isotopes as a speleothem dating method, the formation of the cave and thus the earliest hominid deposits have been dated to 1.19 ±0.08 million years ago.[10]
On 24 November 2020, archeological finds in the cave were brought to Baku by the representatives of the Azerbaijani State Security Service and placed in the Archaeological Fund of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of ANAS.[11]
Archaeological layers registered in the Azykh Paleolithic Cave during archaeological excavations are as follows:
The first layer is composed of black sediments, sometimes yellow mixed soil. During the archaeological excavations, clay dishes belonging to Medieval times were found. During the archaeological excavations carried out in 1962–1965, parts of clay dishes belonging to the Middle Ages, Bronze Age, and Eneolithic period were found. However, during archaeological excavations in subsequent years, the material remains belonging to the Eneolithic period were not registered. The thickness of the layer was 77–125 cm.
The second layer consists of light-yellowish clay soil. During the archeological investigations, a piece of individual rock and clay dishes were registered inside the layer. Clay dishes have mainly belonged to the medieval, Bronze, and Eneolithic periods. The thickness of the layer was 90–180 cm.
The third layer consists of gray soil. According to different features, three strata were identified in the third layer during the archeological excavations conducted between 1973 and 1974. The first stratum consists of dark-gray soil. Parts of small rock are also found inside of stratum. For the first time, stone products and hunted animal bones belonging to Mousterian were found in this stratum. The second stratum consists of clay soil. Inside the stratum, rock fractures falling from the ceiling of the cave were registered. At the same time, several large rock stones were discovered inside the stratum. The third stratum consists of light gray clay rocks where rock fractures were found. The lower part of the stratum consists of yellow soil. During the archeological excavations conducted in 1973, 20 axe-like tools belonging to Mousterian were found. These were one of the rarest findings of the Mousterian excavations because these tools were characterizing the Acheulean period. The overall thickness of the third stratum was 90–145 cm.
The fourth layer consists of dark-brown clay soil. There are small rock fractures on the strata. These fractures are made of stalagmites, stalactites, and stalagmitic pieces. During the archeological excavations carried out in 1973, several stone items and hunted animal bones belonging to the Acheulean were found in the fourth layer. The thickness of the layer reaches 1-1.2 m.
The fifth layer consists of yellow soil. The richest and thickest sediment in the stratigraphy of the Azykh cave is in the fifth layer. During the 1963–1969 and 1971–1986 excavations, numerous hunted animal bones and 300 pieces of stone were found. Fireplaces for cooking, primary building installations, and bear skulls were found. The first stratum (thickness of 30–43 cm) consists of dark-brown clay soil, in which rock fractures were also found. The second stratum (thickness of 28–44 cm) consists of light-brown clay soil, with stone products and fauna remains. The third stratum (thickness of the stratum was 48–62 cm) consists of light-yellow clay soil, with animal bones and stone products. The fourth stratum (thickness of 38–44 cm) consists of dark yellow clay soil, with small rock fractures. The fifth stratum (thickness of 44–56 cm) consists of gray-green clay soil, with animal bones and labor tools. The sixth stratum (thickness of 42–56 cm) consists of dark-brown clay soil, with many fauna remains along with labor tools.
The sixth layer consists of gray clay soil. However, in comparison with other layers mentioned above, the sixth layer is rich in gravels and rock stones. More than 3,000 pieces of stone were found. The thickness of the layer was 55–87 cm.
The seventh layer is composed of a light-blue clay layer. In the articles about the Azykh Cave published in 1974 on archaeological excavations indicated that there were no archaeological material remains below the 6th layer. However, during archaeological excavations in sediments of the cave below the 6th layer, in 1974, four archeological layers (7th–10th layers) were registered and material remains were found in these layers. The thickness of the layer was 82–98 cm.
The eighth layer is composed of dark-blue clay. Single rock pieces falling from the ceiling of the cave were found. The thickness of the base was 90–115 cm. The ninth layer is composed of open-blue clay soil. Culture samples were found inside of the layer. The thickness of the layer was 78–84 cm. The tenth layer is composed of yellow clay soil, with more stone layers and stone tools. The layer is quite hard as it is located on the surface of the rock. The thickness of the layer was 78–83 cm.
The caves are protected by the provisions of the 1954 Hague Convention protocols. The UNESCO technical missions may be sent for monitoring the protection of cultural monuments at the territories occupied.[12] The regulations prohibit the removal of cultural values from the occupied territories. According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry, discussion of the protection of cultural property at the occupied territories by committee was initiated by Azerbaijan in 2012 and according to the 2012 decision, to prepare a relevant document for the protection of cultural property, at the territories occupied, was required by the Secretariat.
