Azerbaijani, Japanese archaeologists jointly exploring Damjili cave

The Azerbaijani-Japanese international archaeological expedition is investigating the ancient Damjili cave site located in the territory of the Avey State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

The international expedition started the next research work in the cave site on August 15, according to Report.

The expedition's activity in the territory of the reserve will continue until September 2. Professor Yoshihiro Nishiaki of the University of Tokyo and archaeologist Yakub Mamedov are leading the research work.

Damjili is the largest of the 30 caves of the Stone Age discovered on the territory of the Gazakh region in the mid-1950s.

Located at the foot of Mount Avey, its area is about 460 square meters and the height is four meters. Damjili cave is the biggest cave among Avey Mountain caves.

The cave, opened in 1953 by Azerbaijani scientist Mahammadali Huseynov, is the first monument of the Stone Age discovered in Azerbaijan. It also has similarities with the ancient settlement of Goytepe of the Neolithic period, which is located in the neighbouring Tovuz region.

The front side of the cave has been destroyed. The height of the cave's rear side is 4 m (13.1 ft).

A number of various stone tools, arrowheads, flint knives, and bones of animals have been discovered during the excavations.

Traces of ochre were found in a grotto of the cave. The sediment layers, in which the ochre was found are mixed with more tardy ones which suggest that the use of ochre dates back to the Mousterian culture.

Avey Mountain is one of the peaks in the Small Caucasus Mountains located between Georgia and the Gazakh region.