Pickaxes of the Early Bronze Age from Azerbaijan

Abstract

The article discusses samples of weapons exhibited in Azerbaijan National Museum of Art. Probably, these artifacts were found immediately in the southeast region of Azerbaijan Republic and take their origin apparently from crushed burial/burials, and belong to the so-called shaft-hole pickaxes with a stem-like hole for inserting a handle. The weapon was made from bronze by the method of casting. The axes are practically identical and only have some differences in size. The items are decorated with straight and arched lines, as well as a distinctive crest, which could symbolize a winged serpent. The artifacts are dated back to the late period of The Early Bronze Age within 2200-2000 years BC. At the present times, such items have not been found on the territory of Caucasus yet. The analogies of the findings can be found on the territory of The Middle East, namely in Levant (Til Barsib/Tell Ahmar), Mesopotamia (Mari, Nimrud) and Iran (Luristan). The artifacts belonged to the so-called «long» samples of such pickaxes. The novelty of the article is that an attempt has been made to unite all known axes of this type, discovered both in archaeological sites and stored or presented in museum exhibitions. It is possible that these items reached Azerbaijan from Luristan as "prestigious" goods for the local elite, or as battle trophies. However, their "Mesopotamian" origin cannot be ruled out either. The lack of detailed archaeological context for the finds somewhat complicates a broader spatial interpretation of the material.