Ovçular Tepesi is an ancient settlement located at the northern end of
Dizə, Sharur
Dizə (also, Diza and Dize) is a village and municipality in the Sharur District of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan. It is located on the left bank of the river Arpachay ( Arpa), on the Sharur plain. On the other side of the river is the ...
village in
Sharur District
Sharur District () is one of the 7 districts of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. The district borders the districts of Kangarli, Sadarak, as well as the Vayots Dzor and Ararat provinces of Armenia and the West Azerbaijan Prov ...
of Azerbaijan, on the left bank of
Arpa (river)
The Arpa (; ) is a river that flows through Armenia and Azerbaijan. Originating in Armenia's Vayots Dzor province (''marz''), it is a left tributary of the Aras. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Kura-Araxes layer is not covered by any cultural layers of later periods.
Excavations
First excavation campaigns at the site were conducted by Seyidov in 1980, and then later by Aliyev. Also Ashurov investigated the site in 2001.Ashurov, S.H., 2005: ―An introduction to Bronze Age sites in the Sarur plain‖. In Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan, Band 37 : 89-99.
During the period of 2006–2011, a joint Azerbaijani-French expedition conducted a survey of the site. The residents engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, fishing, and other farming activities.
In 2010, some
Ubaid period
The Ubaid period (c. 5500–3700 BC) is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The name derives from Tell al-'Ubaid where the earliest large excavation of Ubaid period material was conducted initially in 1919 by Henry Hall, Leonard Woolley in 19 ...
materials were found.
Discovered archaeological materials are similar to Kultepe, Azerbaijan,
Makhta Kultepe
Maxta (also, ''Makhta'', ''Makhta Kultepe'') is a village and municipality in the Sharur District of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan. It is located 7 km in the north-west from the district center, on the plain. Its population is ...
and other
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
era monuments.
According to Catherine Marro (2022), Ovcular represented an earlier development of the Leyla Tepe (
Leyla-Tepe culture
The Leyla-Tepe culture () of the South Caucasus belongs to the Chalcolithic era. It got its name from the site in the Agdam District of modern-day Azerbaijan. Its settlements were distributed on the southern slopes of Central Caucasus, from 3800 u ...
) ceramics going back to 4400-3900 BC. This is in line with the contemporary pottery of Beyuk Kesik (Böyük Kesik), another Leyla Tepe site located in the Kura basin.
Also, the site of Ucan Agil presents considerable parallels with Ovcular. According to Marro, the Late Chalcolithic ceramic repertoire of Ucan Agil is mostly chaff-tempered and chaff-faced. It is similar in many respects to Ovcular, but represents a slightly earlier version of it. Also, some Ucan Agil ceramic shapes, and other features, are unknown in the Ovçular Tepesi repertoire, and are probably earlier.
Metallurgy
At Ovcular, three large copper axes were found in an infant burial jar, coming from Late Chalcolithic occupation levels (4400–3950 BC). Also, pieces of copper ore, crucible remains, and some small metal artifacts were found. Such large copper tools are not known anywhere else in southwestern Asia. Metallurgy was being practiced here, and at other sites in the area.
Oldest necklace
The gold necklace of the Eneolithic/
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
period was discovered in 2008 near the village of Dize, Sharur district of
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic
The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (, ) is a landlocked country, landlocked Enclave and exclave, exclave of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republi ...
during archaeological excavations in the ancient settlement of Ovçular Təpəsi (the Hunters Hill). The necklace is the oldest piece of jewellery found in the South Caucasus. Prior to this discovery, the most ancient gold jewellery piece in the South Caucasus was discovered during excavations in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and was considered as an item of the early Bronze Age era. It is now exhibited at
Heydar Aliyev Center
The Heydar Aliyev Center () is a building complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, designed by Zaha Hadid and noted for its distinctive architecture and flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles. The main contractor, Dia Holdings, is owned by actors ...
in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
History of Azerbaijan
In this article, the history of Azerbaijan is understood as the history of the region now forming the Republic of Azerbaijan. Topographically, the land is contained by the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in the north, the Caspian Sea i ...