Papers by Gadjiev Murtazali
This paper presents the findings of the 2021 Derbent archaeological expedition at excavation area... more This paper presents the findings of the 2021 Derbent archaeological expedition at excavation area XXV, established in 2012 within the Derbent settlement dating from the 1st to 6th centuries AD. The excavations revealed upper layers 1 and 2, dating to the 5th-6th centuries AD, and fully uncovered rooms 10 and 11 of a housing and utility complex. Previous dating of this complex to the 5th – early 6th centuries was based on individual finds (chronological markers) and ceramic assemblages. The investigation determined that rooms 10 and 11 were originally a single rectangular space, later divided by a constructed wall that intersected a storage pit in the center of the original room. The room walls, composed of rubble and minimally processed stone with clay mortar, measure 45–55 cm in width and stand at a maximum preserved height of 68–95 cm. Wall 4, measuring 65–75 cm in thickness, serves as the eastern wall of room 10 and rooms 1–7. Extending 33 m, this outermost wall of the settlement is situated on a slope facing the Caspian Plain and likely served a defensive function. Room 10 (4.8 × 3.75 m) features a stone slab and rock pavement, suggesting a non-residential purpose. Room 11 (5.06 × 4.85 m) contains remnants of three wall-mounted clay ovens of the traditional two-chamber koryuk type, used for cooking food and baking bread. These ovens were located in a partitioned area with adjacent clay floors. The
absence of clay flooring in the rest of room 11 indicates that small clay platforms were constructed in front of the ovens, while the remaining floor area consisted of leveled soil. The location of this excavation area in the southeastern part of the settlement holds significant promise for future investigations of the Derbent settlement, which predates Derbent founded
in the late 560s.
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Представлен обзор истории Северо-Восточного Кавказа 6-8 веков в т. 2 академической «Истории Росси... more Представлен обзор истории Северо-Восточного Кавказа 6-8 веков в т. 2 академической «Истории России» в 20 томах
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Представлен обзор истории Северо-Восточного Кавказа в 6-8 веках в томе 2 академической 20-томной ... more Представлен обзор истории Северо-Восточного Кавказа в 6-8 веках в томе 2 академической 20-томной "Истории России".
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The work presented in the article was carried out as part of the study of the fortification syste... more The work presented in the article was carried out as part of the study of the fortification system of the Mountain Wall (Dag-bar), which was an integral part of the Derbent defensive complex erected under the reign of Shahanshah Khosrow I Anushirvan (531-579) in the late 560s. This article is devoted to the results of archaeological research carried out on a 1.5-kilometer section from the Pyrmeshki settlement and Fort 5 to Fort 6, located on the nameless peak of the Jalghan ridge. As a result of these works, the ruins of the Mountain Wall were visually studied, two tower ledges, two passages through the wall and the remains of roads were identified. Fort 6, judging by the remains of the walls, had a rectangular shape with angular round blind towers with a diameter of about 4 m. The internal dimensions of the fort are about 27.3×14.3 m with a walls thick-ness of 2 m and a preserved height of up to 3 m, as established by a stratigraphic pit. These parameters are very similar to the fort dimensions of the Mountain wall, which have better preserved. The revealed remains of the walls have the same construc-tive features as other fortifications of the Derbent defensive complex – double-shelled dry masonry of slabs with backfilling of lime mortar. The complex of ceramic ware, presented in the cultural layers of the dig, belongs to the VI – early XIII c. As a re-sult of the work carried out along the ruins of this section of the Mountain Wall and in the area of Fort 6, 27 rainwater catch-ment holes were identified, dug in clay soil and providing garrisons with water.
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Short report about rescue excavations of housing and household complex of Pre-Mongol period on th... more Short report about rescue excavations of housing and household complex of Pre-Mongol period on the territory of the medieval shahristan of Derbent (Arab. Bab al-abwab, Turk. Demir-kapy)
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Preliminary report about rescue excavations on the territory of Medieval shahristan of Derbent (A... more Preliminary report about rescue excavations on the territory of Medieval shahristan of Derbent (Arab. Bab al-abwab, Turk. Demir-kapy)
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Preliminary report about extensive archaeological excavations along the northern city wall of Der... more Preliminary report about extensive archaeological excavations along the northern city wall of Derbent (MPers. Darband, Arab. Bab al-abwab)
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About the three transverse walls of Derbent, dividing the territory of the city into four parts a... more About the three transverse walls of Derbent, dividing the territory of the city into four parts and providing additional protection for the Derbent passage and the strategically important city erected here in the late 560s. AD
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About the finds of bronze objects of the last centuries A.D. in Mountain Dagestan
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The article focuses on the results of the archeological study, conducted on the ruins of the Fort... more The article focuses on the results of the archeological study, conducted on the ruins of the Fort 5, located in the terri-tory of the medieval settlement Pirmeshki. The work was carried out in the context of the research of the fortification system Dag-bary, which had been a part of the Derbent defensive complex, erected during the reign of shahanshah Khosrov I Anushirvan (531–579) in the late 560s’. Judging by the remains of the walls, the fort had the internal dimensions of around 13,2 by 25–25,1 m with a wall thickness of 2 m. These parameters are very similar to the fort dimensions of the Mountain wall, which have better preserved. The revealed remains of the walls have the same constructive features as other fortifications of the Derbent defensive complex – double-shelled dry masonry of slabs with backfilling of lime mortar. The complex of ceramic ware, presented in the cultural layers of the dig, belongs to the 6th – early 13th c. It can be assumed that the settlement and the forts No. 4 and No. 5 in it ceased to exist in the period of the Mongol invasion to Dagestan of Jebe and Subutai in 1222, the intervention of Khwarazm-shah Jalal ad-Din in 1225–1226 and later the campaign of Bukdai in 1239. The data from written sources, and, mainly, Adam Olearius’ information, who visited Derbent in 1638, testifies to the destruction of numerous strongholds of the Mountain wall by the XVII c.
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In 2019, a joint archaeological expedition comprising the Scientific and Production Center for To... more In 2019, a joint archaeological expedition comprising the Scientific and Production Center for Tourism and Local Lore, the Institute of History, Archeology, and Ethnography of the Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted a rescue excavation of the solitary kurgan Uchkent IV. Situated within the reconstruction zone of the Grozny-Baku oil pipeline in the Kumtorkala district of the Republic of Dagestan. The excavation uncovered an outer stone crescent-shaped pavement, a stone arrangement surrounding and covering Burial
1, which was enclosed by a cromlech, as well as two burials within stone tombs (designated as Burials 1 and 2). The preserved funeral rites and burial artifacts enabled us to date the principal burial, Burial 1, and the
construction of the kurgan to the Middle Bronze Age. Burial 2 also corresponds to the Middle Bronze Age, but due to the nearly complete absence of burial artifacts, its precise chronology remains uncertain. Kurgan Uchkent IV shares remarkable parallels with the Taular-gol kurgans in Caspian Dagestan, suggesting the formation of a single chronological and cultural group associated with the Sulak (Prisulak) culture. Of particular interest are the architectural elements and funerary practices revealed at the kurgan. These include a combination of solar (cromlech) and lunar pavements encircling the central burial in a tomb enclosed by a dense stone structure that simulates a rounded embankment. Notably, the earliest instances of similar stone and earthen pavements in the Caucasus can be traced back to the Eneolithic period, found in burial mounds associated with the Maykop cultural and historical community of the Early Bronze Age, as well as in the kurgans of the Middle Bronze Age. These solar-lunar constructions likely reflect religious beliefs about life and death, embodying cosmogonic binary concepts that are intertwined with archaic myths concerning the Sun and the Moon.
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The article examines the issue of administrative and political connections between two neighborin... more The article examines the issue of administrative and political connections between two neighboring historical regions, Caucasian Albania (Aran) and Adurbadagan, which formed part of the Sasanian Iran during the reign of Shahanshah Khosrow I Anushirvan as a result of military and administrative reforms of the Adurbadagan region (kust) headed by the commander (spahbed). The Adurbadagan kust included both the Adurbadagan province (shahr) itself and Albania/Aran, along with other provinces of the South Caucasus. The information from the Syriac “Life of Gregory” and the seals of the spahbeds of Adurbadagan indicate a successive, possibly hereditary, military-administrative governance by representatives of the House of Mihran over the Adurbadagan kust and the Caucasian provinces. This may explain the rise of the Mihranids to power in Aran after the failed rebellion of Bahram Chobin (590–591), who was also a representative of the Mihran family. The House of Mihran maintained their positions in Adurbadagan and in the Caucasus throughout the 6th century, during the reigns of shahanshahs Kavad I, Khosrow I, and Hormizd IV. It can be assumed that this was due to the support of the House of Mihran by the Sasanians, particularly by Kavad I, during their struggle against the House of Karen during challenging times for the state. The inclusion of Albania/Aran in the Adurbadagan kust
is clearly confirmed by twenty Middle Persian inscriptions from Derbent, composed on behalf of Darius, the chief fiscal officer (amargar) of Adurbadagan.
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В статье рассматривается вопрос административно-политических связей двух соседних исторических об... more В статье рассматривается вопрос административно-политических связей двух соседних исторических областей – Кавказской Албании (Арана) и Адурбадагана, образование в составе Сасанидского Ирана
в правление шаханшаха Хосрова I Ануширвана в результате военно-административных реформ области-куста Адурбадаган во главе со спахбедом. В состав куста Адурбадаган были включены как собственно провинция-шахр Адурбадаган, так и Албания-Аран вместе с другими провинциями Южного Кавказа. Информация сирийского «Жития Григора» и печати спахбедов Адурбадагана, как видится, свидетельствуют о преемственном, вероятно, наследственном, военно-административном управлении представителями дома Михран кустом Адурбадаган и кавказскими провинциями. Это может объяснять приход Михранидов к власти в Аране после неудачного восстания Бахрама Чубина (590–591), также являвшегося представителем рода Михран. Дом Михран сохранял
свои позиции в Адурбадагане и на Кавказе на протяжении всего VI века – в правление шаханшахов Кавада I, Хосрова I, Хормизда IV. Можно полагать, что это было связано с поддержкой домом Михран Сасанидов в лице Кавада I в его противостоянии с домом Карен в трудные для государства времена. Вхождение Албании-Арана в состав куста Адурбадаган ясно подтверждается 20 среднеперсидскими надписями Дербента, составленными от имени амаргара Адурбадагана Дариуша.
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During rescue excavations in Derbent in 2014, a Muslim ritual complex connected with a water supp... more During rescue excavations in Derbent in 2014, a Muslim ritual complex connected with a water supply system and apparently serving for ritual washing and cleansing was revealed outside the medieval shahristan and near the north defensive wall of the city. In addition to numerous and diverse finds, 57 coins were found, which is obviously due to the nature of the place where coins were left as ‘offerings’ in fulfillment of the vow.
The absolute majority of identified coins (48 items) represent two chronological groups.
The early chronological group (12 items) consists of Umayyad and Abbasid fulus of the 8th century, including the mint of Bab al-abwab (Derbent) and the fulus of the type of the Arran governor Hassan b. Kakhtaba (770—775). Most coins of this group (10 items) were found in a small area (ca. 2 sq. m) in the same stratigraphic position fixing the level of the ancient day surface.
The late chronological group (36 items) includes copper dirhams of Bab al-abwab Sulamids mainly of the mid-12th c. — late 12th c. (13 items), Akhar malik Mahmud b. Pishkin (1211—1226) (7 items), Ildegizids during the reign of Caliph al-Nasir (1180—1225) (8 coins), and Aq Sunqurids (1189—1207) (8 items), including a coin with the name of Ildegizid atabek Kizil Arslan (1186—1191). Eighteen coins of this group were also found in a small area (ca. 4 sq. m) in the same stratigraphic position as those 10 coins of the early group mentioned above.
The whole archaeological assemblage, including coins, indicate that the religious object ceased its functioning in direct association with the invasion of the Mongols led by Jebe and Subutai, the subsequent invasion of Khwarazmshah Jalal ad-Din in the Caucasus, and the conquest of Derbent by Bukdai, a commander of Möngke Khan, in 1239.
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The article deals with the localization of the Bilistan fortress, which, according to the authori... more The article deals with the localization of the Bilistan fortress, which, according to the authoritative Arab historian Ibn A’tham al-Kufi (d. 926), was besieged by Arab troops led by the governor of Arminiyya Marwan ibn Muhammad in 120 AH / 738 CE during the conquest campaigns in the East Caucasus and in which the king of Lakz Arbis ibn Basbas took refuge. According to al-Kufi’s Kitāb al-futūḥ (The Book of Conquests), this fortified settlement was located in the Land of Lakz in the middle reaches of the Samur River. In 2019, a hypothesis based on a linguistic-etymological and toponymic analysis was proposed by one of the authors of this article, according to which this historically attested site could be located in the middle reaches of the Samur River, in the area of the modern-day village of Kuysun. Discovered here in 2023, a settlement with a fortified citadel as well as the ceramic material collected there enable the dating of the site
to the 6th — 8th century. Hence, there is a strong argument for localizing the Bilistan fortress exactly where the recently discovered Kuysun settlement is situated.
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Until recently, 32 Middle Persian inscriptions documenting the construction of the Derbent defens... more Until recently, 32 Middle Persian inscriptions documenting the construction of the Derbent defensive complex and dating from the very end of the 560s. AD were known. Now the corpus of the Middle Persian inscriptions of Derbent has been replenished with three more inscriptions – No. 33, 34 and 35, opened by the authors in 2016, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Inscription No. 33 is located between towers No. 18 and
No. 19 of the northern city defensive wall in the central part of the curtain. It has poor preservation. But, nevertheless, its text is restored from the preserved fragments of letters and by analogy with other inscriptions similar in content. The inscription is three-line, vertical. Reconstructible text: [Da]r[iuš ī] Ā[durbādagān] ām[ārgar]. Inscription No. 34 is located between towers No. 14 and No. 15 of the northern wall. The inscription is vertical, three-line, separate letters and parts of letters are preserved, and its text is reconstructed according to the surviving letters and analogies with other inscriptions. Its text reads: Dari[u]š ī [Ādurbādag]ān ām[ā] rgar. Inscription No. 35 is located on tower No. 36 of the north wall. The inscription is also vertical, three-line, and has satisfactory preservation and similar content. The inscriptions are composed on behalf of āmārgar – a high official, chief financier and tax inspector of the vast Adurbadagan area, which during the reign of shahanshah Khosrow I Anushirvan (531-579) included not only Adurbadagan proper, but all the Caucasian possessions of Sasanian Iran up to Derbent. The newly discovered inscriptions belong to the group 1, subgroup b of the Middle Persian inscriptions of Derbent, which represents the inscriptions of āmārgar Dariuš. Now 20 (out of 35) inscriptions compiled on his behalf are already known, and all of them are carved on the northern wall of the city, where a total of 25 inscriptions are located.
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Sasanian period in the history of Caucasian Albania is characterized by its close interaction wit... more Sasanian period in the history of Caucasian Albania is characterized by its close interaction with Iran in the religious and ideological sphere, which took place within the framework of political contacts and has been marked since the first decades of the establishment of the Sasanian dynasty in Iran. After the signing of the Edict of Milan (AD 313), which proclaimed religious tolerance in the territory of the Roman Empire and was an important step towards the transformation of Christianity into the official religion of the Empire, Armenia, and then Iberia and Albania declared Christianity as their state religion, and this was regarded by Iran as their political and ideological subordination to Rome. Certain periods in the history of Albania are characterized by a tough confrontation between two religious systems. But at the same time, the main trend in the relationship between Christianity and Zoroastrianism in the East Caucasus
was characterized by relative tolerance and was due to the geopolitical significance of the region, Iran’s internal policy, the emerging diplomatic situation and other factors.
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In 1964 and 1985 in the south of Dagestan, two treasures which included Hellenistic coins were fo... more In 1964 and 1985 in the south of Dagestan, two treasures which included Hellenistic coins were found. The first consisted of several dozen Seleucid coins, of which only two bronze coins of Antiochus IV, the so-called “Egyptianizing” series, have survived. The second hoard included bronze Ptolemaic coins of the 6c and 6e series, issued in the first third of the 2nd century BC and related to the same type: Zeus-Ammon / two eagles perched side-by-side on two thunderbolts with a double cornucopiae in the left field. The most probable reason why Seleucid and Ptolemaic bronze coins ended up in Sharakun was the participation of their owners in trade along the Caspian waterway.
Apparently, their masters arrived from Antioch on the Orontes and Alexandria to Sharakun, intending to follow the Caspian Sea and up the Oxus to Greco-Bactria. The bronze coins they had there would not only be absolutely useless, but also very burdensome. Therefore, merchants could either leave them with a reliable person in the Sharakun settlement, or bury them in a secluded place to pick them up on the way back. However, they, apparently, were not destined to return to Sharakun. After this became clear, the Ptolemaic coins, which were of interest to local residents only for their weight, turned out to be part of the foundry hoard. For us, both Sharakun treasures are the most valuable evidence, proving not only the very existence of the Caspian waterway, but also the implementation of trade contacts between Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.
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The paper examines the results of the excavations of the Derbent settlement, carried out in the 2... more The paper examines the results of the excavations of the Derbent settlement, carried out in the 2019 by the Derbent archaeological expedition, which had begun in 2012. The settlement preceded the construction of the Derbent defensive complex in the late 560s and was gradually abandoned after the construction of a new city, which received a new name Derbent (Darband).
The work was carried out in the southern sector of the XXV excavation, where cultural strata dating back to the 5th-6th centuries, associated economic and construction remains (Rooms 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), medieval Muslim burials (Burials 31- 37), let into the cultural layer of the settlement. An open complex of residential and utility buildings, including 11 rooms, dates back to the 5th century AD based on chronological indicators (belt buckles, fibulae) and other archaeological finds (including Sasanian ceramics). The authors believe that this complex ceased to exist during the period of turbulent military and political events of the middle of the 5th century or the early 6th century, namely during the anti-Sasanian uprising of 450-451 or the Iranian-Savir war of 503-508. The obtained materials shed light on the issues of historical topography and planning, stratigraphy and chronology, characterize the material culture, economy and life of the population of the Derbent settlement, identified with the city-fortress Chor/Chol, known to ancient Armenian, Georgian, Syrian, early Byzantine and Arab authors and speakers as an important administrative-political,
military-strategic and religious center of the Eastern Caucasus.
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Article is devoted to studing of Harun al-Rashid's activity in Bab al-abwab (Derbent) accordi... more Article is devoted to studing of Harun al-Rashid's activity in Bab al-abwab (Derbent) according to Darband-nama and in the light of the Arab Cufi inscription of 176 A.H. discovered near Derbent in 2001.
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Papers by Gadjiev Murtazali
absence of clay flooring in the rest of room 11 indicates that small clay platforms were constructed in front of the ovens, while the remaining floor area consisted of leveled soil. The location of this excavation area in the southeastern part of the settlement holds significant promise for future investigations of the Derbent settlement, which predates Derbent founded
in the late 560s.
1, which was enclosed by a cromlech, as well as two burials within stone tombs (designated as Burials 1 and 2). The preserved funeral rites and burial artifacts enabled us to date the principal burial, Burial 1, and the
construction of the kurgan to the Middle Bronze Age. Burial 2 also corresponds to the Middle Bronze Age, but due to the nearly complete absence of burial artifacts, its precise chronology remains uncertain. Kurgan Uchkent IV shares remarkable parallels with the Taular-gol kurgans in Caspian Dagestan, suggesting the formation of a single chronological and cultural group associated with the Sulak (Prisulak) culture. Of particular interest are the architectural elements and funerary practices revealed at the kurgan. These include a combination of solar (cromlech) and lunar pavements encircling the central burial in a tomb enclosed by a dense stone structure that simulates a rounded embankment. Notably, the earliest instances of similar stone and earthen pavements in the Caucasus can be traced back to the Eneolithic period, found in burial mounds associated with the Maykop cultural and historical community of the Early Bronze Age, as well as in the kurgans of the Middle Bronze Age. These solar-lunar constructions likely reflect religious beliefs about life and death, embodying cosmogonic binary concepts that are intertwined with archaic myths concerning the Sun and the Moon.
is clearly confirmed by twenty Middle Persian inscriptions from Derbent, composed on behalf of Darius, the chief fiscal officer (amargar) of Adurbadagan.
в правление шаханшаха Хосрова I Ануширвана в результате военно-административных реформ области-куста Адурбадаган во главе со спахбедом. В состав куста Адурбадаган были включены как собственно провинция-шахр Адурбадаган, так и Албания-Аран вместе с другими провинциями Южного Кавказа. Информация сирийского «Жития Григора» и печати спахбедов Адурбадагана, как видится, свидетельствуют о преемственном, вероятно, наследственном, военно-административном управлении представителями дома Михран кустом Адурбадаган и кавказскими провинциями. Это может объяснять приход Михранидов к власти в Аране после неудачного восстания Бахрама Чубина (590–591), также являвшегося представителем рода Михран. Дом Михран сохранял
свои позиции в Адурбадагане и на Кавказе на протяжении всего VI века – в правление шаханшахов Кавада I, Хосрова I, Хормизда IV. Можно полагать, что это было связано с поддержкой домом Михран Сасанидов в лице Кавада I в его противостоянии с домом Карен в трудные для государства времена. Вхождение Албании-Арана в состав куста Адурбадаган ясно подтверждается 20 среднеперсидскими надписями Дербента, составленными от имени амаргара Адурбадагана Дариуша.
The absolute majority of identified coins (48 items) represent two chronological groups.
The early chronological group (12 items) consists of Umayyad and Abbasid fulus of the 8th century, including the mint of Bab al-abwab (Derbent) and the fulus of the type of the Arran governor Hassan b. Kakhtaba (770—775). Most coins of this group (10 items) were found in a small area (ca. 2 sq. m) in the same stratigraphic position fixing the level of the ancient day surface.
The late chronological group (36 items) includes copper dirhams of Bab al-abwab Sulamids mainly of the mid-12th c. — late 12th c. (13 items), Akhar malik Mahmud b. Pishkin (1211—1226) (7 items), Ildegizids during the reign of Caliph al-Nasir (1180—1225) (8 coins), and Aq Sunqurids (1189—1207) (8 items), including a coin with the name of Ildegizid atabek Kizil Arslan (1186—1191). Eighteen coins of this group were also found in a small area (ca. 4 sq. m) in the same stratigraphic position as those 10 coins of the early group mentioned above.
The whole archaeological assemblage, including coins, indicate that the religious object ceased its functioning in direct association with the invasion of the Mongols led by Jebe and Subutai, the subsequent invasion of Khwarazmshah Jalal ad-Din in the Caucasus, and the conquest of Derbent by Bukdai, a commander of Möngke Khan, in 1239.
to the 6th — 8th century. Hence, there is a strong argument for localizing the Bilistan fortress exactly where the recently discovered Kuysun settlement is situated.
No. 19 of the northern city defensive wall in the central part of the curtain. It has poor preservation. But, nevertheless, its text is restored from the preserved fragments of letters and by analogy with other inscriptions similar in content. The inscription is three-line, vertical. Reconstructible text: [Da]r[iuš ī] Ā[durbādagān] ām[ārgar]. Inscription No. 34 is located between towers No. 14 and No. 15 of the northern wall. The inscription is vertical, three-line, separate letters and parts of letters are preserved, and its text is reconstructed according to the surviving letters and analogies with other inscriptions. Its text reads: Dari[u]š ī [Ādurbādag]ān ām[ā] rgar. Inscription No. 35 is located on tower No. 36 of the north wall. The inscription is also vertical, three-line, and has satisfactory preservation and similar content. The inscriptions are composed on behalf of āmārgar – a high official, chief financier and tax inspector of the vast Adurbadagan area, which during the reign of shahanshah Khosrow I Anushirvan (531-579) included not only Adurbadagan proper, but all the Caucasian possessions of Sasanian Iran up to Derbent. The newly discovered inscriptions belong to the group 1, subgroup b of the Middle Persian inscriptions of Derbent, which represents the inscriptions of āmārgar Dariuš. Now 20 (out of 35) inscriptions compiled on his behalf are already known, and all of them are carved on the northern wall of the city, where a total of 25 inscriptions are located.
was characterized by relative tolerance and was due to the geopolitical significance of the region, Iran’s internal policy, the emerging diplomatic situation and other factors.
Apparently, their masters arrived from Antioch on the Orontes and Alexandria to Sharakun, intending to follow the Caspian Sea and up the Oxus to Greco-Bactria. The bronze coins they had there would not only be absolutely useless, but also very burdensome. Therefore, merchants could either leave them with a reliable person in the Sharakun settlement, or bury them in a secluded place to pick them up on the way back. However, they, apparently, were not destined to return to Sharakun. After this became clear, the Ptolemaic coins, which were of interest to local residents only for their weight, turned out to be part of the foundry hoard. For us, both Sharakun treasures are the most valuable evidence, proving not only the very existence of the Caspian waterway, but also the implementation of trade contacts between Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The work was carried out in the southern sector of the XXV excavation, where cultural strata dating back to the 5th-6th centuries, associated economic and construction remains (Rooms 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), medieval Muslim burials (Burials 31- 37), let into the cultural layer of the settlement. An open complex of residential and utility buildings, including 11 rooms, dates back to the 5th century AD based on chronological indicators (belt buckles, fibulae) and other archaeological finds (including Sasanian ceramics). The authors believe that this complex ceased to exist during the period of turbulent military and political events of the middle of the 5th century or the early 6th century, namely during the anti-Sasanian uprising of 450-451 or the Iranian-Savir war of 503-508. The obtained materials shed light on the issues of historical topography and planning, stratigraphy and chronology, characterize the material culture, economy and life of the population of the Derbent settlement, identified with the city-fortress Chor/Chol, known to ancient Armenian, Georgian, Syrian, early Byzantine and Arab authors and speakers as an important administrative-political,
military-strategic and religious center of the Eastern Caucasus.
absence of clay flooring in the rest of room 11 indicates that small clay platforms were constructed in front of the ovens, while the remaining floor area consisted of leveled soil. The location of this excavation area in the southeastern part of the settlement holds significant promise for future investigations of the Derbent settlement, which predates Derbent founded
in the late 560s.
1, which was enclosed by a cromlech, as well as two burials within stone tombs (designated as Burials 1 and 2). The preserved funeral rites and burial artifacts enabled us to date the principal burial, Burial 1, and the
construction of the kurgan to the Middle Bronze Age. Burial 2 also corresponds to the Middle Bronze Age, but due to the nearly complete absence of burial artifacts, its precise chronology remains uncertain. Kurgan Uchkent IV shares remarkable parallels with the Taular-gol kurgans in Caspian Dagestan, suggesting the formation of a single chronological and cultural group associated with the Sulak (Prisulak) culture. Of particular interest are the architectural elements and funerary practices revealed at the kurgan. These include a combination of solar (cromlech) and lunar pavements encircling the central burial in a tomb enclosed by a dense stone structure that simulates a rounded embankment. Notably, the earliest instances of similar stone and earthen pavements in the Caucasus can be traced back to the Eneolithic period, found in burial mounds associated with the Maykop cultural and historical community of the Early Bronze Age, as well as in the kurgans of the Middle Bronze Age. These solar-lunar constructions likely reflect religious beliefs about life and death, embodying cosmogonic binary concepts that are intertwined with archaic myths concerning the Sun and the Moon.
is clearly confirmed by twenty Middle Persian inscriptions from Derbent, composed on behalf of Darius, the chief fiscal officer (amargar) of Adurbadagan.
в правление шаханшаха Хосрова I Ануширвана в результате военно-административных реформ области-куста Адурбадаган во главе со спахбедом. В состав куста Адурбадаган были включены как собственно провинция-шахр Адурбадаган, так и Албания-Аран вместе с другими провинциями Южного Кавказа. Информация сирийского «Жития Григора» и печати спахбедов Адурбадагана, как видится, свидетельствуют о преемственном, вероятно, наследственном, военно-административном управлении представителями дома Михран кустом Адурбадаган и кавказскими провинциями. Это может объяснять приход Михранидов к власти в Аране после неудачного восстания Бахрама Чубина (590–591), также являвшегося представителем рода Михран. Дом Михран сохранял
свои позиции в Адурбадагане и на Кавказе на протяжении всего VI века – в правление шаханшахов Кавада I, Хосрова I, Хормизда IV. Можно полагать, что это было связано с поддержкой домом Михран Сасанидов в лице Кавада I в его противостоянии с домом Карен в трудные для государства времена. Вхождение Албании-Арана в состав куста Адурбадаган ясно подтверждается 20 среднеперсидскими надписями Дербента, составленными от имени амаргара Адурбадагана Дариуша.
The absolute majority of identified coins (48 items) represent two chronological groups.
The early chronological group (12 items) consists of Umayyad and Abbasid fulus of the 8th century, including the mint of Bab al-abwab (Derbent) and the fulus of the type of the Arran governor Hassan b. Kakhtaba (770—775). Most coins of this group (10 items) were found in a small area (ca. 2 sq. m) in the same stratigraphic position fixing the level of the ancient day surface.
The late chronological group (36 items) includes copper dirhams of Bab al-abwab Sulamids mainly of the mid-12th c. — late 12th c. (13 items), Akhar malik Mahmud b. Pishkin (1211—1226) (7 items), Ildegizids during the reign of Caliph al-Nasir (1180—1225) (8 coins), and Aq Sunqurids (1189—1207) (8 items), including a coin with the name of Ildegizid atabek Kizil Arslan (1186—1191). Eighteen coins of this group were also found in a small area (ca. 4 sq. m) in the same stratigraphic position as those 10 coins of the early group mentioned above.
The whole archaeological assemblage, including coins, indicate that the religious object ceased its functioning in direct association with the invasion of the Mongols led by Jebe and Subutai, the subsequent invasion of Khwarazmshah Jalal ad-Din in the Caucasus, and the conquest of Derbent by Bukdai, a commander of Möngke Khan, in 1239.
to the 6th — 8th century. Hence, there is a strong argument for localizing the Bilistan fortress exactly where the recently discovered Kuysun settlement is situated.
No. 19 of the northern city defensive wall in the central part of the curtain. It has poor preservation. But, nevertheless, its text is restored from the preserved fragments of letters and by analogy with other inscriptions similar in content. The inscription is three-line, vertical. Reconstructible text: [Da]r[iuš ī] Ā[durbādagān] ām[ārgar]. Inscription No. 34 is located between towers No. 14 and No. 15 of the northern wall. The inscription is vertical, three-line, separate letters and parts of letters are preserved, and its text is reconstructed according to the surviving letters and analogies with other inscriptions. Its text reads: Dari[u]š ī [Ādurbādag]ān ām[ā] rgar. Inscription No. 35 is located on tower No. 36 of the north wall. The inscription is also vertical, three-line, and has satisfactory preservation and similar content. The inscriptions are composed on behalf of āmārgar – a high official, chief financier and tax inspector of the vast Adurbadagan area, which during the reign of shahanshah Khosrow I Anushirvan (531-579) included not only Adurbadagan proper, but all the Caucasian possessions of Sasanian Iran up to Derbent. The newly discovered inscriptions belong to the group 1, subgroup b of the Middle Persian inscriptions of Derbent, which represents the inscriptions of āmārgar Dariuš. Now 20 (out of 35) inscriptions compiled on his behalf are already known, and all of them are carved on the northern wall of the city, where a total of 25 inscriptions are located.
was characterized by relative tolerance and was due to the geopolitical significance of the region, Iran’s internal policy, the emerging diplomatic situation and other factors.
Apparently, their masters arrived from Antioch on the Orontes and Alexandria to Sharakun, intending to follow the Caspian Sea and up the Oxus to Greco-Bactria. The bronze coins they had there would not only be absolutely useless, but also very burdensome. Therefore, merchants could either leave them with a reliable person in the Sharakun settlement, or bury them in a secluded place to pick them up on the way back. However, they, apparently, were not destined to return to Sharakun. After this became clear, the Ptolemaic coins, which were of interest to local residents only for their weight, turned out to be part of the foundry hoard. For us, both Sharakun treasures are the most valuable evidence, proving not only the very existence of the Caspian waterway, but also the implementation of trade contacts between Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The work was carried out in the southern sector of the XXV excavation, where cultural strata dating back to the 5th-6th centuries, associated economic and construction remains (Rooms 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), medieval Muslim burials (Burials 31- 37), let into the cultural layer of the settlement. An open complex of residential and utility buildings, including 11 rooms, dates back to the 5th century AD based on chronological indicators (belt buckles, fibulae) and other archaeological finds (including Sasanian ceramics). The authors believe that this complex ceased to exist during the period of turbulent military and political events of the middle of the 5th century or the early 6th century, namely during the anti-Sasanian uprising of 450-451 or the Iranian-Savir war of 503-508. The obtained materials shed light on the issues of historical topography and planning, stratigraphy and chronology, characterize the material culture, economy and life of the population of the Derbent settlement, identified with the city-fortress Chor/Chol, known to ancient Armenian, Georgian, Syrian, early Byzantine and Arab authors and speakers as an important administrative-political,
military-strategic and religious center of the Eastern Caucasus.