Nakhchivan Tepe () is a prehistoric settlement in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, on the right bank of the Nakhchivançay River. Excavations have identified occupation levels dating from the late 6th to the 5th millennium BC, including remains associated with the Dalma cultural horizon.
The site lies at an elevation of about and approximately south of Kültəpə, one of the principal Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites of the Nakhchivan region.
Archaeological research
Archaeological investigations at Nakhchivan Tepe began in 2017 under the direction of archaeologist Veli Bakhshaliyev of the Nakhchivan Branch of ANAS. Subsequent excavations revealed several occupation phases, including Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic levels.
The earliest occupation identified at the site includes circular, partly subterranean mud structures. A radiocarbon determination from one of these buildings produced a calibrated range in the late 6th millennium BC, although Catherine Marro has noted that the evidence for occupation at this early date remains limited.
Later levels dating to the 5th millennium BC contained both circular and rectangular structures. The later Chalcolithic occupation, dated by Marro to approximately 4600–4400 BC, included rectangular mud-built architecture and a substantial assemblage of decorated pottery.
Economy and subsistence
Animal remains recovered from the settlement indicate that livestock husbandry formed an important part of the local economy. Cattle and caprines were represented among the faunal material, while horse and dog remains were comparatively uncommon. Hunting appears to have played a limited role in subsistence.
The discovery of copper ore and obsidian at the site has also been used to examine prehistoric access to raw materials in the Zangezur Mountains. Bakhshaliyev interpreted these finds as evidence that communities at Nakhchivan Tepe participated in networks connecting the Nakhchivan plain with upland sources of stone and metal ores.
Pottery
Nakhchivan Tepe is particularly noted for its ceramic assemblages. Excavations have produced plain, impressed, stamp-decorated, red-slipped and painted pottery, including wares comparable to those associated with the Dalma tradition of north-western Iran.
The pottery from the upper occupation levels includes plain wares, painted ceramics, red-slipped undecorated vessels, impressed pottery, stamp-decorated pottery and vessels ornamented with horizontal bands. Similar ceramic groups have also been identified in the lower levels, although the relative frequency and stratigraphic position of individual types vary between phases.
Research published by Zeyneb Guliyeva in 2023 interpreted the simple chaff-tempered pottery from the site as preserving traditions associated with the earlier Neolithic cultures of the Nakhchivançay valley. Guliyeva regarded Nakhchivan Tepe as an important site on the northern periphery of the Dalma cultural distribution and compared its pottery with assemblages from Uçan Ağıl, Uzunoba, Bülövkaya and sites in the Urmia basin.
Marro likewise noted close parallels between decorated pottery from the later levels of Nakhchivan Tepe and Dalma painted and impressed wares from western Iran and northern Mesopotamia.
Obsidian and raw-material networks
Obsidian from several geological sources has been identified at Nakhchivan Tepe. The assemblage includes material originating in the Syunik, Geghasar–Gegham, Gügürbaba–Meydan, Gutansar, Hatis and Arteni source areas.
The diversity of these sources differs from nearby sites such as Uçan Ağıl, where obsidian was obtained predominantly from Syunik. Marro interpreted this variation as evidence for differing patterns of mobility and access to raw-material networks among prehistoric communities in the region.
Copper ore recovered at Nakhchivan Tepe has likewise been linked with mineral resources in the Zangezur Mountains.
Chronology and cultural significance
The chronology of Nakhchivan Tepe spans the transition from the Late Neolithic to the Chalcolithic. Archaeological evidence indicates occupation from at least the beginning of the 5th millennium BC, while one radiocarbon determination suggests activity during the final centuries of the 6th millennium BC.
The site has played an important role in discussions of the emergence and northern distribution of the Dalma tradition. Bakhshaliyev has argued that the Neolithic and Chalcolithic sequences at Nakhchivan Tepe help explain cultural interaction between the South Caucasus, the Mil–Karabakh plain and the Lake Urmia basin. Guliyeva similarly interpreted the site as an important centre of Dalma-related cultural development in the South Caucasus.
These interpretations remain part of a broader archaeological debate concerning the chronology, origins and regional variation of Dalma-type pottery across the South Caucasus, north-western Iran and northern Mesopotamia.
See also Kültəpə Dalma culture Ovçular Təpəsi Uçan Ağıl Archaeology of Azerbaijan History of Azerbaijan
References
Further reading