MYP1 AzH Prehistory

The Primitive Society in
Azerbaijan
MYP1 by Fidan Hasanli
UNIT CONTENT
DURATION: September-October
Primitive society in Azerbaijan
o Prehistory of Azerbaijan: Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods;
o Prehistory of Azerbaijan: Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods;
o Society of hunter-gatherers in Azerbaijan;
o The Bronze Age of Azerbaijan;
o The ancient tribes, inhabited in Azerbaijan (Gutians, Lullubis, Turukkis, Hurris and
Su; Scythians, Cimmerians and Saks).
PREHISTORY OF AZERBAIJAN
Azerbaijan is one of the oldest spots
of civilization, a country with a rich and
ancient history. Its territories were
inhabited from the prehistoric period
approximately 1.5 million years ago.
Prehistory (meaning “before we had written

records” from the Latin word for “before”
præ) is the span of time before recorded
history or the invention of writing system.
Displays of prehistoric humans at the Gobustan National Park, Azerbaijan, UNESCO world
heritage site
Paleolithic – the Old Stone Age
THE STONE AGE

PERIODIZATION Mesolithic - the Middle Stone Age
In dividing up human Neolithic – the New Stone Age

prehistory, historians
typically use the three- Chalcolithic or Eneolithic-Copper Age or Copper-Stone Age
age system.
Early Bronze Age
The Stone Age
The Bronze Age THE BRONZE AGE
Middle Bronze Age
The Iron Age
Late Bronze Age
THE IRON AGE

STONE AGE LASTED: from the appearing of the
human till 6 000 BC ( 6th millennium
BC) in Azerbaijan.
PALEOLITHIC (till 12 000 BC)
PEOPLE: “handy man”, “wise man”
MESOLITHIC (12 000 BC to 8 000 LIVED IN: SHELTERS SUCH AS

BC) CAVES
TOOLS MADE FROM: STONE
NEOLITHIC (8th-6th millennium
BC)
PRIMITIVE SOCIETY: ANCIENT HUMAN HERD
Primitive people lived in small groups. Such small
groups were called primitive human “herd” or great
community. The great community was formed
spontaneously not to remain humble to the nature
events.
Ancient people lived in caves near rivers, lakes and

freshwater sources.
Scientists have discovered ancient human

settlements in the Azykh cave (Fuzuli), Taglar cave (Karabakh),
Kalbajar (Zar), Buzeyir (Lerik), Damjyly (Gazakh) and Gazma
(Nakhchivan). Ancient tools, weapons, and the bones of
various animals hunted by primitive man were found
in these settlements.
Azykhantrop - Azykh Man
The lower jawbone of a woman who lived
350,000-400,000 years ago was discovered
in 1968 during archeological excavations in
the Azykh cave by a Paleolithic
archeological expedition led by Mammadali
Huseynov. The jawbone is thick and the
teeth are small. During the study of the
remains of Azykhantrop, D. Hajiyev
determined that they belonged to a woman
aged 18-22. Azykhantrop is considered to
be one of the oldest human remains in the
world.
Why did humans need a shelter?
SAFETY & SECURITY: TO

PROTECT THEMSELVES
FROM PREDATORS &
ENEMIES TO PROTECT
THEMSELVES
TO SAFEGUARD THEIR
FOOD SUPPLIES &
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
WEATHER CONDITIONS
LIKE EXTREME
TEMPERATURE, STORMY
WINDS AND RAIN
WHAT TOOLS DID THEY USE?
Archaeologists discovered that
the stone used was ‘flint’.
It could be shaped easily for
cutting.
When flint is struck with
another rock it creates sparks
making fire.
THE DISCOVERY OF
FIRE
Different groups of humans may have
discovered fire at different times and
places, depending on their environment
and culture. There were discovered the
remains of hearth (fire) dating back to 700
thousand years ago in the Azykh cave.
At first, people used natural fire created by

lightning. They did not let the fire go out to
protect themselves from the cold and wild
animals, to cook the meat of the animals
they hunted. These early habits of people,
making tools, separated them from the
animal world.
The hunter-
gatherer society in
Azerbaijan A hunter-gatherer society is one in which
most or all food is obtained from wild
plants and animals. In other words, the
main occupations of the people were
hunting and gathering, where commonly,
women doing most of the gathering, while
men concentrate on hunting. This society
existed during Paleolithic and Mesolithic
periods.
Homo sapiens (“wise man”)
The human species developed a much larger brain than
that of other primates – typically 1,400 cm³ in modern
humans, over twice the size of that of a chimpanzee or
gorilla. Significant morphological changes have led to
the emergence of speech along with mind.
Moreover, the first primitive collective of people

transformed to a new kin group (band) or clan, what
was a union on the basis of kinship. Commonly women
were in the leadership position in these bands and they
were matrilinear societies. Matriarchy is a society in
which females , especially mothers , have the central
roles of political leadership , moral authority , and
control of property. Also, we should indicate the
emergence of art in this period, including the cave art
and body art.
THE INVENTION OF THE ARROW AND THE BOW
Ancient
hunters
MESOLITHIC PERIOD AND HUNTING HABITS
During the Mesolithic, people invented arrows and bows. They made
bows and arrows out of tree branches, and sharpened an arrowhead
out of flint. Swollen bone was also used as an arrowhead. Primitive
hunters used this weapon to hunt animals from a distance. Such
hunting was safer for them. People hunted many animals with
arrows and bows, increasing their food reserves.
THINK:
Why ancient or primitive people
were living in a community?
Get into groups and discuss

Which one was more important?
Fire or Hunting tools or cave?
TRANSITION TO PRODUCING
ECONOMY
Some Mesolithic peoples continued

with intensive hunting using the bow and
arrow, which gave them opportunity of
hunting on far distance. So, they could
keep as a food reserve the baby animals
and as a result of this process, the initial
stage of domestication started, moreover,
in parallel the animal domestication, also
the rudiments of agriculture were
emerged.
GOBUSTAN’s Ancient Rock Arts
Carved drawings etched on rocks in Qobustan, south of
Baku, demonstrate scenes of hunting, fishing, labor and
dancing, and are dated to the Mesolithic period.
Gobustan
stones
The formation of the producing economy
Mainly, the Neolithic people of Azerbaijan
were engaged in agriculture and cattle-
breeding. The first form of farming was the
hoe agriculture, and mostly, women were
busy in it. Neolithic people mainly lived
near the potable water sources, along the
river coasts, which is very important for
agriculture or livestock breeding. As a result
of this, people began to settle down and
became sedentary.
The Eneolithic or Chalcolithic period
The Eneolithic or Chalcolithic period (ca. 6th – 4th
millennium BCE) is a beginning of the metallic era.
Copper was the first metal used by man, but it does
not have enough hardness in its chemical properties,
therefore people along with tools made of copper
continued to use the stone.
Many Eneolithic settlements have been discovered in
Azerbaijan, and carbon-dated artifacts show that
during this period, people built homes, made copper
tools and arrowheads, and were familiar with no-
irrigated agriculture. The bones of domesticated
horse, discovered in Alikomektepeh near Jalilabad
district, prove that at the end of the 5th millennium
BCE horse was domesticated in Azerbaijan. Ancient pottery from Alikomektepe
The Bronze Age
How was bronze
obtained?
Approximately in the middle of the 4 th
millennium, people began to smelt
cooper with arsenic, antimony and
nickel, later copper with tin, and the
resulting alloy- bronze, was enough
stiff and hard, so it was able
successfully to replace the stone
tools. The first alloy - arsenical bronze
contributes to greater work hardening
of the object than copper alone, so
that it performs better when used for
cutting or chopping.
An early Bronze Age - the Kura-Aras culture, assigned to the period of 4000 – 22
BC.
In the Early Bronze Age, the first major social division of labor took place: agriculture
was separated from the cattle-breeding.
The hoe agriculture was replaced by wooden plow agriculture. Planting areas expanded
more and artificial irrigation appeared.
As a result of the use of the horse, a new area-moving (summer pasture in mountains)
occurred in cattle-breeding. The cattle grazed in the mountains during spring-summer
months and returned to winter pastures when it was cold in the fall.
Hence, it led to increasing the role of male in community. So, matriarchate was
replaced by patriarchates.
The custom of dead burning and collective burring was formed.
wooden plow
Middle Bronze Age dated from the end of 3rd millennium to the
end of the 2nd millennium.
Separation of handcrafts from agriculture and cattle-breeding:

Handicraftsmen moved to the new places and established early cities. At this
stage, the first city centers were created. The ancient city of Nakhchivan arose in
the Middle Bronze Age and was known 3500 years ago. It was the center of one of
the first city states in Azerbaijan (in the territory of the present Nakhichevan
Autonomous Republic).
The second Kultepe and Oghlangala in Nakhichevan, and Uzerliktepe in Karabakh
are such kind of urban settlements.
Kultepe II in Nakhichevan
Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages
During the Middle Bronze Age clans and Late Bronze dates from 14th to 12th
tribes who lived in the territory of centuries BCE, subsequent Early
Azerbaijan united in the large tribal Iron Age dates about the 11th to the
unions. 8th centuries. This is the period of
Social and property inequality disintegration of prehistoric
deepened. societies.
People started to use horse riding.
The horses became an important
animal in their life, hence they
began worship it.
Ornaments of the Late Bronze Age

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The Primitive Society in

Prehistory (meaning “before we had written

THE STONE AGE

In dividing up human Neolithic – the New Stone Age

THE IRON AGE

MESOLITHIC (12 000 BC to 8 000 LIVED IN: SHELTERS SUCH AS

Ancient people lived in caves near rivers, lakes and

Scientists have discovered ancient human

SAFETY & SECURITY: TO

At first, people used natural fire created by

Moreover, the first primitive collective of people

Get into groups and discuss

Some Mesolithic peoples continued

Separation of handcrafts from agriculture and cattle-breeding:

Ornaments of the Late Bronze Age

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