The Early Bronze Age Burials without Barrows in Azerbaijan

Numerous Early Bronze Age archaeological sites discovered in Azerbaijan indicate that the region was intensively settled by tribes of the Kura-Araxes culture or the Kura-Araxes cultural-historical community (CHC). The studied burial sites of this period, when the economy was based on agriculture and cattle breeding, primarily consist of barrows (kurgans). Beneath the barrows, several types of burial chambers have been found, along with varying burial rites. To date, only a limited number of burials without mounds have been studied in Azerbaijan. One of the main reasons for this is the absence of surface markers for such burials. These burials were accidentally discovered in different regions due to various natural and anthropogenic impacts or were found during excavations of different sites. So far, no necropolises with a large number of burials without barrows from the Kura-Araxes CHC have been studied in Azerbaijan. The diversity of burials and burial rites was associated both with the local peculiarities of this culture and with chronological differences.