New Anthropological Materials of the Antiquity Period from Southeastern Azerbaijan

Abstract

This article examines the anthropological remains recovered from Jar Burial No. 1 of the Eminli necropolis, discovered near the village of the same name (Masally District, Republic of Azerbaijan). Jar Burial No. 1 is dated within the 1st century AD. The assemblage submitted for scientific analysis includes a well-preserved cranium with mandible, as well as postcranial bones belonging to an adult male. The anthropological material was studied using traditional methods in physical anthropology (craniometry, osteometry, paleopathology), complemented by laboratory-analytical procedures, data systematization, and forensic-medical methods. The cranium belonged to an adult male (50+ years), dolichocranial in form, representing the southern branch of the Caucasoid race and the Caspian anthropological type. A traumatic perimortem lesion was identified on the right temporal bone—an elongated oval perforation measuring 55 × 13 mm—with no evidence of healing or reparative activity. The injury was likely inflicted by a sharp, heavy weapon such as an iron axe or dagger/sword, which penetrated the bone and resulted in instantaneous death. Pathologies observed on the maxilla include an abscess, periodontitis, antemortem tooth loss, pronounced dental wear, and caries; on the mandible, antemortem tooth loss and dental calculus. The cranium exhibits an external occipital protuberance of Type 3 (according to the classification by İ.N. Gülekon and H.B. Turgut), a sutura supranasale, and indicators of cold-stress response (vascular impressions on the frontal tubers). Markers of musculoskeletal stress were recorded on the humerus and radius. The man’s stature was estimated at 169–171 cm. The left femur shows a set of traits characteristic of mechanical stress associated with horseback riding—a so-called “rider’s complex.” Degenerative changes include spinal osteoarthritis. The individual from Eminli was a local inhabitant of the southeastern part of ancient Azerbaijan, then Atropatene. The weapon-related fatal trauma, physiological stress markers, and tall stature all suggest that he was a professional warrior. It is plausible that he died in armed conflict or combat, after which he was honorably interred in a jar burial accompanied by rich grave goods in accordance with contemporary funerary traditions.