The jar burials of Stepanakert
Location
The monument is situated on M. Shahinyan Street, in the southwestern outskirts of Stepanakert, the capital of the Republic of Artsakh. It was occupied by Azerbaijan after September 2023.
Historical overview
In 1939, in the southwestern part of Stepanakert, near the former brick factory, archaeologist Ja. Hummel examined three jar burials, which he dated to the first century AD (Hummel 1939).
In 1964, during earthworks in the southern part of Stepanakert, a jar burial was discovered containing a denarius of Octavian Augustus. The reverse side of the coin features the images of Gaius and Lucius, who were adopted by Augustus. This indicates that the burial can be dated to the 1st century AD (Safaryan 2016, 118).
In 1986-1987, additional jar burials were uncovered during construction work in the Armenavan district of Stepanakert.
Archeological examination
In the spring of 2021, the tourism department under the NKR government was notified that a large jar containing bones had been discovered in the yard of a private residence at M. Shahinyan 12a, Stepanakert while digging the foundations for a garage. An inspection revealed that two Hellenistic-period jar burials had been disturbed during the excavation.
The first jar was already half-opened. The skull and several bones of the deceased were clearly visible (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 The first jar before the excavations, photo by V. Safaryan.
The burial jar was positioned horizontally, oriented from northwest (330°) to southeast (150°). The jar had a height of 1.35 meters, with the widest part measuring 1.05 meters in diameter, the mouth at 0.58 meters, and the bottom at 0.19 meters. The jar's mouth was covered with a thin limestone slab measuring 0.58 by 0.47 meters. The jar’s crown was slightly elevated above the ground surface, supported in this position by three rough, blunt stones (Fig. 2).
The outwardly widening crown of the jar features a grooved narrow belt, beneath which are oblique lines (Fig. 3). This part of the jar is crafted from well-kneaded reddish sandy clay and is evenly fired.
After removing the earth from the jar, an almost completely preserved skeleton was revealed, positioned in a crouched manner on the right side, with hands folded under the head and the head oriented towards the mouth of the jar, facing south. Notably, all 32 teeth of the deceased were preserved (Fig. 4).
Fig. 2 The limestone slab covering the mouth of the jar and the colorful single-handled jar, photo by V. Safaryan.
Fig. 3 The crown of the first jar, photo by V. Safaryan.
Fig. 4 The first jar after the cleaning works, photo by V. Safaryan.
Several pieces of charcoal were found 0.10 to 0.15 meters south of the pelvic bone.
Ninety glass beads were discovered immediately beneath the head and in the neck area. Additionally, two iron arrowheads were found between the pelvis bone and the folded legs (Fig. 5). Tailed iron three-pronged arrows from the Hellenistic period have been identified in various regions of Armenia, including Armavir, Artashat, Karmir Blur, and Aygeshat (Tiratsyan 1985, 64).
Similar arrows first appeared in the late Assyrian period and continued to be used into the early centuries of our era. Their peak of widespread use occurred during the 2nd to 1st centuries BC. These arrows have been found in Dura-Europos, the North Caucasus, and Persepolis. The earliest examples discovered in Armenia were found in Oshakan.
Fig. 5 The glass beads, iron arrows, and parts of a buckle found in the first jar, photo by V. Safaryan.
Eight to ten centimeters above the arrows, two pieces of an iron buckle—likely parts of a leather belt—were found, along with three oxidized buttons made from thin bronze sheets. After clearing the area around the jar, an oval burial pit was discovered, as well as a colorful monolithic amphora positioned vertically against the mouth of the jar from the south. The amphora has a clover-shaped(oinochoe type) crown and dimensions as follows: height 21 cm, width 17 cm, diameter of the flat bottom 10.5 cm, and diameter of the crown 7 cm, with a length of 11.5 cm.The lip of the amphora's crown is painted red both on the inside and outside. One of the buttons is attached to the clasp. A colorful band with three red stripes runs through the neck of the jar. Additionally, three red parallel lines extend along the handle, connecting to the colored band on the torso. The entire jar is covered with an engobe. (Fig. 6).
The burial jar was situated within a 1.10-meter-thick layer of light brown clay. Above this, there was a 0.6 to 0.75-meter layer of black soil. These two layers were topped with a 0.4 to 0.50-meter layer of soil mixed with modern debris.
Fig. 6 A colorful oinakhoi-type amphora, photo by V. Safaryan.
The second jar was found 0.8 meters above the level of the first jar and 1.5 meters to the southeast (Fig. 7). It is crafted from well-kneaded reddish sandy loam and is evenly fired. The jar measures 1.45 meters in height, and 1.06 meters in width, with a crown diameter of 0.40 meters and a bottom diameter of 0.19 meters. The rounded lip, which curves outward, is unadorned and lacks decorative patterns (Fig. 8). The jar has a relatively small neck and is oriented from northeast (60°) to southwest (240°). After removing the accumulated soil, four unworked stones were found inside. No other materials were present in the jar (Fig. 9).
Fig. 7 The drawing of jar burials, arch. M. Tiatanyan.
Fig. 8 The lip of the second jar, photo by V. Safaryan.
Fig. 9 The second jar before and after excavation, photo by V. Safaryan.
The study of jar burials is significant as their widespread distribution aligns with the final stage of the formation of the Armenian people's ethno-cultural identity, a period when the ethnic boundaries of Armenia were also being established. This is significant because, concurrently, another culture from the Albanian tribes, known as the "Yaloylu Tepe" culture, was emerging on the left bank of the Kura River.
In Artsakh, jar burials have been discovered in locations such as Haterk, Chankatagh, Harav, Aparadzor, Avetaranots, and Tigranakert, among others.
These findings further confirm that Armenians have inhabited Artsakh since at least the 3rd-2nd centuries BCE, undermining and discrediting the Azerbaijani narrative regarding the arrival of Armenians in Karabakh.
Bibliography
- Hummel 1939 - Hummel Ja., Archaeological works in NKAO in 1939, (manuscript, The Museum of History and Local Lore of Artsakh).
- Tiratsyan 1985 - Archaeology of the USSR. (under the general editorship of B. Rybakov), The most ancient states of the Caucasus and Central Asia, part 1, ch. 5, South Transcaucasia, Tiratsyan G., Armenia in the 3rd-1st centuries BC, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, p. 64.
- Safaryan 2012 - Safaryan V., Ceramics of the jar burials of Artsakh during the Hellenistic period, Proceedings of the international scientific and practical conference “All-Russian and national identity”, April 19-20, Pyatigorsk, pp. 487-498.
The jar burials of Stepanakert
Artsakh