(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Vugar Khalilov
Rock drawings (rock art) are unique sources of information about
the prehistoric life of humanity. They attract historians,
archaeologists, art historians, ethnographers, linguists,
folklorists, zoologists, and other scientists. These monuments have
been unearthed almost everywhere on Earth, with over 35 million
petroglyphs recorded in 120 countries.
Azerbaijan holds a unique position as one of the world's ancient
centers of civilization. Evidence of human race development
throughout history may be found here.
The history of rock art in Azerbaijan is extensive and spans
several epochs, including the Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic,
Neolithic, Eneolithic, Bronze Age, and the Middle Ages. The
geography of petroglyphs in Azerbaijan is very extensive: they may
be found almost anywhere in the country.
Gobustan is home to Azerbaijan's most famous and well-studied
rock art. Evidence of people's lives in the Stone Age and
subsequent times was discovered in the Gobustan Mountains.
The Gobustan rock drawings were found in the 1930s. At the time,
there was activity in the nearby stone quarry, and the area was
piled high with enormous stone rocks. As the area cleared, the
images became more noticeable. Many artworks were also unearthed in
the caverns nearby.
Archaeologists uncovered over 7,000 drawings on over 1,000 rocks
in 1939, along with ancient settlements, caves, 40 burial mounds (a
tumulus), and over 100,000 material culture artifacts. The majority
of the ancient artifacts dating from the Mesolithic period.
However, life is thought to have existed here earlier, giving cause
to consider Gobustan to be one of the cradles of civilization.
The Gobustan petroglyphs date back to the XV–VIII millennia BC
(or XV–X millennia according to some other experts), as well as
some part of them to the Middle Ages. They are among the unique
rock collections in the world since they span such a broad time
period.
The drawings' diverse topics, styles, layouts, and execution
techniques, as well as the fact that they were portrayed on top of
one other from ancient to modern times, indicate the stages of
evolution of Gobustan's petroglyphs. Human life is typically the
theme of these works of art.
Hunting scenes on horseback and on foot, battle scenes, scenes
of collective labor, and harvest scenes have been discovered on
this historical site. Drawings depicting solo and group ceremonial
dances resembling Azerbaijan's current 'Yalli' folk dance have been
preserved on the rocks.
During the time when some of these drawings were created,
Gobustan most likely had a tropical climate and diverse flora and
wildlife. Drawings of creatures that lived here during the previous
10,000 years may be seen, including gazelles, wild goats, deer,
boars, horses, and lions, as well as birds, fish, snakes, lizards,
and other insects.
Gobustan drawings are known for dividing human images into
masculine and female silhouettes. The nearly life-size human
silhouette drawings are supposed to be older, dating back to the
Early Neolithic Age when matriarchy governed tribe life and mothers
were revered as tribe leaders.
In addition to human silhouettes, there are life-size outline
drawings of wild bulls, some of which are 240 centimeters long and
140 centimeters high. Large and somewhat reduced contour drawings
of wild bulls, as well as miniature depictions of humans armed with
arrows, date back to the VII-IV millennia BC when hunting was a
major part of people's subsistence.
Drawing styles have evolved throughout time. They began to
reduce in size throughout the Bronze Age, in contrast to earlier
ones, which were typically life-size. The use of more modern tools,
such as metal tools, aided in the development of fine arts.
Due to the decline in the economic importance of hunting and the
emergence of fine art on pottery and metal in the Middle Ages (from
the 8th century onward), Gobustan's rock drawings became schematic
and their sizes steadily diminished.
The cultural landscape of Gobustan rock art was added to the
list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2007, taking into
consideration the importance of the reserve for the entire
world.
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