Ancient warrior burial unearthed in Azerbaijan after 3,600 years PHOTO

A 3,600-year-old burial containing weapons and other high-status artifacts has been uncovered in western Azerbaijan, offering new insights into the military and social hierarchy of Bronze Age communities in the South Caucasus.

Archaeologists discovered the artefacts in Kurgan No. 4 in the Sariyokhush area of the Keshikchidagh State Historical and Cultural Reserve in Agstafa district. The burial dates to the Middle Bronze Age, around the 17th–16th centuries BCE, Archaeology News writes. 

The excavation is being led by archaeologist Vagif Asadov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

The stone-covered kurgan measures about 12 metres in diameter and rises roughly 80 centimetres above the surrounding ground. Its burial chamber is located between 1 and 1.2 metres below ground level.

Among the most significant discoveries are a rare diorite stone mace head, a bronze dagger and several types of arrowheads.

The bronze dagger is particularly important because weapons of this type were associated with warriors and military commanders during the Bronze Age. The combination of weapons found in the burial suggests that the individual held a high social and military position.

The mace head is one of the excavation's most unusual finds. Made from diorite, it weighs approximately 400–500 grams and has a hole drilled through its centre from both sides, likely allowing a wooden or bone handle to be fitted.

Mace heads had both practical and symbolic significance in Bronze Age societies and were associated with military leaders, tribal chiefs and members of the military elite.

The carefully finished mace head has a smooth, balanced and symmetrical form, pointing to sophisticated stoneworking skills in the South Caucasus at the time.

Archaeologists also recovered several arrowheads, including rare winged forms associated with Middle Bronze Age weaponry. Two were made from black obsidian, providing evidence of the use of regional obsidian sources and the movement of raw materials between communities.

Nine additional arrowheads were made from flint. Their dark oak-red colour, fine workmanship and carefully shaped forms further support the interpretation that the burial belonged to a high-status individual.

The arrangement of the objects inside the burial also provides clues about the social and military organisation of Bronze Age communities, where weapons and symbols of authority played an important role.

The excavation is part of the Scientific Archaeological Excavations and Summer School 6 in Keshikchidagh project, which brings together specialists, students, master's students and young volunteers for fieldwork at the reserve.

Reserve staff are currently conducting initial restoration and laboratory work on the recovered materials, including ceramic artefacts. Following documentation, the finds will be added to the reserve's collection.

Researchers also plan to establish more precise dates through radiocarbon testing. Samples are expected to be sent to the Museum Centre at the University of Tokyo in Japan, TİKA in Turkey and Woods Laboratories at the University of Miami in the United States.

By Sabina Mammadli