Oldest Golden Jewel In The Caucasus Unearthed In Azerbaijan

AncientPages.com - A golden necklace - considered to be the oldest golden jewel in the Caucasus – was unearthed during excavations in one of the most ancient parts of Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan.

The artifact was found in an ancient settlement situated in Sharur region, where excavate archaeologists from the Nakhchivan Branch of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and the French National Research Center.

Golden necklace - the artifact will open a chapter in the history of Caucasian archeology. Image credit: Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Golden necklace - the artifact will open a chapter in the history of Caucasian archeology. Image credit: Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

The necklace belonged to Nakhchivan national costume collection and researchers refer it to the Last Eneolithic Age.

(‘Eneolithic’, also known as Chalcolithic - from Latin aeneus "of copper" - was a period in the development of human technology, before it was discovered that adding tin to copper formed the harder bronze, leading to the Bronze Age.)

The whitish yellow necklace is 6 millimeters in diameter and 18 centimeters wide. The necklace has six smaller holes, which further improves its aesthetic appearance.

“This art work is the oldest golden jewel in the Caucasus,” Fizza Guliyeva, head of the Department of Fine and Decorative Arts of the Art, Language and Literature Institute of the Nakhchivan Branch of ANAS, said.

Researcher added that the artifact means a new page in the history of Caucasian archeology, ethnography, decorative-applied art, in particular in the Azerbaijani jewelry art and national clothing culture.

The necklace is included in the group of pendants with hook-shaped end, which are characteristic for the ancient period.

The region of Nakhchivan is widely known for its cultural monuments, rock paintings and a huge number of artifacts discovered by archaeologists in fortresses and ancient settlements, as well as the ancient land structures allow experts to talk about the identity and unique culture of this region that dates back to the Stone Age era.

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