Salt extraction and processing at Duzdagi (Naxcivan, Azerbaijan): contribution of the technological analysis of the macrolithic tools

The Duzdagi salt deposit is located on the Araxes River, 7 km from the present-day town of Naxcivan (Azerbaijan). This site, exceptional for its size and the density of archaeological remains, has been exploited since the second half of the 5th millennium (Late Chalcolithic), while the main exploitation dates back to the Early Bronze and Iron Ages (Marro et al., 2010; Gonon, et al., 2021). The techno-functional analysis of several hundred stone tools found during surface surveys (Hamon 2016) and excavations (Hamon et al., 2021) focuses on the study of the different types of fittings, manufacturing methods and traces of tool use (hammers, pestles, grinding stones), which casts some lignt on the reconstruction of the extraction techniques and the transformation methods of salt in Duzdagi from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.