In a discovery reshaping the understanding of prehistoric cultures in Eurasia, archaeologists found an 8,400-year-old stone human figurine in Damjili Cave, located in the limestone hills of western Azerbaijan. Carved by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, the figurine is the earliest known human depiction found in the South Caucasus, offering insights into the region's cultural transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic period.
The find was described in a peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, providing evidence that symbolic art and ritual behavior emerged in the South Caucasus long before the rise of agricultural civilizations. This challenges previous assumptions that such artistic expressions only developed with settled farming communities.
Measuring 51 millimeters in length and 15 millimeters in width, the figurine is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Unlike the voluptuous fertility figures of later eras, this carving is highly abstract, lacking exaggerated anatomical features. The figurine features an oval-shaped head adorned with parallel vertical lines, which may represent bangs or short hair. A faint circular band along the top is thought to depict a headband or ceremonial cap. The lower portion includes horizontal lines forming a belt-like feature, with vertical lines extending downward, resembling a garment, apron, or stylized clothing.
The artifact indicates that symbolic art existed in the region well before the arrival of Neolithic culture, marking it as the first known example of portable, three-dimensional figurative art from this time and place. This suggests that indigenous societies in Azerbaijan had their own visual traditions long before external influences arrived from the Fertile Crescent.
Damjili Cave is an important site for studying ancient human settlements, with cultural layers spanning from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. However, systematic excavations of the Mesolithic horizon, where the figurine was discovered, began only in recent years. From 2016 to 2023, a collaborative Azerbaijani-Japanese team led by Vusal Aliyev and Hirofumi Matsumura conducted detailed excavations and analyses at the site. Their work, detailed by BalkanWeb, revealed overlapping cultural strata that preserved the figurine in situ, protected beneath layers of ash and soil.
Until this discovery, artistic expression during the Mesolithic period in the region was known primarily through rock engravings, such as the Gobustan petroglyphs. The rarity of portable figurines from this era underscores the importance of the Damjili find. Unlike the clay figurines commonly associated with Neolithic farming villages, this figurine is carved from stone, distinguishing it from later artifacts.
To confirm the artifact's authenticity and purpose, the research team conducted X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses. These tests demonstrated that the lines on the figurine were not accidental scratches but grooves deliberately carved with typical Mesolithic stone tools. Traces of iron oxides were found, giving the figurine a reddish tone. While further tests did not find pigment particles, there is a possibility that the object was painted or used in the preparation of pigment.
The Mesolithic period is often regarded as a bridge between hunter-gatherer lifestyles and early farming communities. Understanding the changes during this time is crucial in tracing how Neolithic culture spread into the South Caucasus. The figurine's discovery provides a tangible link to the cultural and artistic developments that occurred during this transitional period.
The unique design of the figurine raises questions about the symbolic and cultural practices of the people who lived in the region around 6400 BCE. Its abstract form and the absence of exaggerated features suggest it was not merely a decorative object but one of meaning. The possibility that it served as a personal totem, ancestral symbol, or ceremonial object points to a rich inner world expressed through tangible art, even among small, mobile groups of foragers.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
