Çovdar (also, Chovdar, earlier Hartshangist (from )) is a village and municipality in the
Dashkasan Rayon of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. It is located on the northern slop of the Chovdar mountain.
It has a population of 65. The municipality consists of the villages of Çovdar and
Çaykənd.
Archaeology
Archaeological excavations were carried out in the Chovdar region between 2019 and 2021 by archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of
ANAS
''Anas'' is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes the pintails, most teals, and the mallard and its close relatives. It formerly included additional species but following the publication of a molecular phylogenetic study in 2009 the genus was s ...
in the gold ore processing area of "AzerGold" CJSC. That same year, archaeologists unearthed 156 stone box graves. These graves were constructed using
megalithic
A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...
materials—large rocks and stones. Some of the stones had been shaped or
hewn
In woodworking, hewing is the process of converting a trunk (botany), log from its rounded natural form into lumber (timber) with more or less flat surfaces using primarily an axe. It is an ancient method, and before the advent the sawmills, ...
, while others remained unworked. Smaller stones were placed between the larger ones to fill in the gaps.
More than 200 stone box graves dating to the
Khojali-Gadabay culture of the
Late Bronze–Early Iron Age in Azerbaijan were uncovered during the
rescue excavations. Archaeologists identified a burial custom in which males were buried on their right side and females on their left. Some individuals showed signs of physical illnesses, including dental pathologies, and a
trepanned skull was also discovered. Weapons, head ornaments, ceramic products, and a horse burial were among the notable finds.
References
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Populated places in Dashkasan District
{{Dashkasan-geo-stub