Sudagylan

On the north side, Sudagylan adjoins a small steep ravine, which, according to the assumptions of R. M. Vaidov, was formed in the Middle Ages by erosion of rain streams. In the east, the settlement is limited to Mount Karadag , which is one of the spurs of the Bozdag ridge. Sudagylan borders on the south side of the plain, and is washed by the Kura River on the west side ^[1] .

5 km from Sudagylan to the north, upstream of the Kura, the Samukh forest began (now the Mingechevir reservoir is located here), rich in fruit trees and hardwood trees: elm ( Ulmus Suberosa Moench. ), Sakkyzaach ( Pistacia mutica F. et M. ) , archan ( Juniperus oblonga MB ) and others, which were excellent building material. From the south and west near Mingechevir there are small lakes (ahmazy), in which fishing of various river and lake fish is possible all year round. Here rich mountain and steppe pasture meadows begin. Based on this brief listing of some of the natural resources of Mingachevir, Vaidov came to the conclusion that the area was favorable for human settlement and habitat ^[1] .

Work on the territory of Sudagylan settlement revealed four sites with a total area of ​​about 700 m² ^[2] . On the territory of Sudagylan identified four cultural layers ^[1] .

The first cultural layer

The first cultural layer in some areas is found almost on the day surface; in some places it sinks to a depth of 3 m, but in most of the territory it lies at a depth of 1.5-2 m. In this layer there are no remnants of ground structures, however, adobe sites, which are floors of light-type dwellings, possibly half-ditches, are clearly and distinctly traced. . Such half-dugouts are being constructed in soil pits, the sections of which are fixed with adobe. Depressions and traces of foci were found on the sites. Around the dwellings, many ground pits were discovered, which served as repositories of grain and other products. At the bottom of the pits, sometimes rotten remains of cereals (wheat, millet, barley) were found, and in some pits - kitchen remains (bones of domestic and wild animals, fish), as well as fragments of pottery. Ceramic jugs of small and medium sizes, bowls, bowls were found. Such ceramic vessels have full red firing. Some vessels have round handles in cross section. Corollas are in the shape of a trefoil. Jugs with two handles also come across. Similar blood vessels were detected in the following layers ^[7] .

Often, such clay products were revealed on the left bank in late pitcher burials, in the inventory of burials in log cabins and catacomb burials with bones laid on bedding. Coins of Arshakid minting, as well as Roman imperial silver drachmas of the 2nd – 3rd centuries, were found in the composition of the funerary inventory. n e. This group of burials, based on the aforementioned coins, dates from the 1st-3rd centuries. n e. These burials are located on the northwestern and southeastern side of the fortification, approximately 250 m away. There is no definite burial system here. On the same grave field, some bones were oriented with the head to the southeast, others to the northwest ^[8] . In the years 1949-1950. in Sudagylan, 22 burials in log cabins dating back to the 2nd – 4th centuries were discovered, and one group of burials dates back to the 1st – 2nd centuries. ^[9] In addition to ceramics and coins, glass items — glasses, bottles, jewelry, stamps, rings, beads, earrings, silver bracelets, etc. — were found in the funeral inventory. These objects were also found in the first layer on the territory of the fortification and not far from dwellings ^[8] . In Sudagylan, a massive cast bowl of the 1st – 3rd centuries was found, all covered with round indentations ^[10] .

Based on the analysis of ceramics and coins and by analogy among other finds, Vaidov concludes that the first cultural layer of the settlement and the grave field have a single chronology and date back to the 1st – 3rd centuries. n e. ^[eight]

Second Cultural Layer

The second cultural layer is characterized by finds dating back to the 4th – 7th centuries. inclusive ^[8] . The dating of the second layer is confirmed by the Sasanian coins found here, which were found near the temple. Among them are coins of Kavad I (488–496, 499–531), Khosrov I (531–579), Hormizda IV (579–590), Khosrov II (591–628), etc. ^[11] Ceramic products of the second layer in shape and type are uniform. Rough hand-made pottery is made of good ceramic mass, but not a single vessel has a finished elegant shape. In most vessels, skewed, asymmetric hulls ^[12] . The second layer is characterized by domestic buildings. Here, not a single complete residential complex has been revealed, in these areas small parts of the foundations of the walls with traces of fire and destruction were uncovered ^[8] . Such dwellings were rectangular buildings of small sizes, erected from adobe bricks ^[8] .

In 1951, in the second layer, the remains of a religious building were discovered, which is a single-aisid three-nave church of the Christian type. Based on the preserved parts of the foundation, it was found that in terms of construction the building consisted of one elongated hall with an area of ​​about 50 m², surrounded by a narrow corridor on the south and north sides, ending on the east side with an almost regular shape of an apse with a radius of about 2.5 m ^[13] . Absida was an altar part and rose about 80 cm above the floor of the hall. Waidov assumed that the ceiling rested on three paired wooden columns, from which traces of the base and backing remained inside the central hall. On the territory of the temple, stone slabs were discovered, one of which (found in 1948) ^[14] has the image of two peacocks counter to the sides of a stylized tree and an Albanian inscription. The location of the slab coincides almost with the center of the temple’s absins, on the basis of which Vaidov concludes that the group of stones on the site of the absides and the slab with the inscription represented a stone throne in the center of the altar. The altar, judging by the size of the stone found here, rose to about 2 m. Its upper part ended with a hewn plate with an inscription, and according to Vaidov, a wooden cross was installed in the hole ^[15] . KV Trever, based on the proportions of the stone and the plot, which is usually found on the cappels, believes that this stone was most likely the capital ^[14] . Based on the Albanian inscription, as well as the presence in the layer of coins from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 7th century, Vaidov dates the temple construction to the 6th century ^[15] .

On the territory of Sudagylan, near the temple, fragments with Albanian inscriptions on various clay products, such as fragments of vessels and clay candlesticks, were revealed. On fragments, inscriptions are something like cursive, and on stone - a charter ^[12] .

Third Cultural Layer

The third layer over the entire area overlaps the first two layers and is characterized by the remains of many structures, including residential premises. The walls of the buildings, with a width of 1-1.5 m, were built from adobe blocks of various sizes (40 × 40 × 10 cm; 30 × 30 × 9 cm; 45 × 45 × 12 cm). The walls of some buildings were erected on a solid basis - gravel litter, a layer of tiles or on masonry made of rubble stone ^[16] .

This cultural layer contains the remains of a religious building - a late -Christian church (8th – 9th centuries) ^[17] , built of mud brick. This temple consisted of four rooms and a vestibule on the western side of the altar room. When cleaning inside these rooms, many metal crosses made of iron and bronze of various shapes and sizes were found. On some of them in the center of the intersection of the cross there are inserts of glass and colored stones. Here a bronze censer and a fragment of a bas-relief image of a horseman were found. Also, fragments of various architectural details and decorative ornaments were revealed here, among which there are window and door trimmings, carved pieces, fragments with frescoes of colored wall paintings, clay candle holders, etc. An clay jug with a treasure of Arab coins of minting VIII— was found on one wall of the building. IX centuries Based on this find, the monument is dated. On the east and southeast sides of the temple adjoins a small grave field ^[16] .

Ceramics of the third layer are similar to ceramics of the second layer, differing only in the best workmanship. Among pottery foundoyster- shaped kyups (some depict crosses), medium-sized jugs with two handles. The inventory complex of the third layer dates from the end of the 7th – 9th centuries. ^[18]

The fourth cultural layer

The fourth cultural layer, according to the analysis of ceramics and rarely encountered coins, dates from the period of X-XIII centuries. inclusive ^[19] . This layer is the topmost and is destroyed more than the rest. This layer was destroyed by rain streams, weathering and under the influence of other natural phenomena. There are practically no remains of building structures in this layer, but fragments of stamped and glazed ceramics dating from the 10th-12th centuries were found in large numbers. They were found both on the surface of the day and in the thickness of cultural strata. The types of various ceramic products are very close to the varieties of ceramics from Old Ganja , Baku , Oren-Kala and other medieval layers in cities on the territory of modern Azerbaijan. In the upper layer, minting coins of various medieval cities of the 12th – 13th centuries located on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan are revealed ^[19] .

The Sudagylan settlement, according to the assumptions of Vaidov , died around the 13th century, due to the penetration of the Mongol hordes. This is evidenced by the fact that after the XII-XIII centuries. no monuments in Sudagylan have been identified ^[19] . The population of the settlement moved to the right bank of the Kura River, where about 2-2.5 km south of Sudagylan there was a large settlement ^[19] .

• Sudaғylan (azerb.) // Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia . - B. , 1986. - C. IX .
• Vaidov R. M. Archaeological work in Mingachevir in 1950 // Brief Communications of the Institute of the History of Material Culture. - 1952. - Issue. 46 .
• Vaidov R. M. Early medieval settlement of Sudagylan // Brief Communications of the Institute of the History of Material Culture. - 1954. - Issue. 54 .
• Vaidov R.M. Mingachevir in the 3rd-8th centuries .. - B. , 1961. (azerb.)
• Trever K.V. Essays on the History and Culture of Caucasian Albania of the 4th Century BC e.-VII century n e. - M. - L .: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1959. - 389 p.