# Azerbaijan in antiquity

In this article, Azerbaijan in antiquity covers the history of the territory of today's Republic of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus in the period in which Greek and Roman society flourished and wielded great influence throughout much of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia, as well as the Caucasus. The antique period in the territory of Azerbaijan was observed during the existence of Caucasian Albania in the north starting from the fourth century BC. This state emerged in this region after the death of the Alexander the Great and the collapse of his empire in the East in 323 BC.

## Background

After the collapse of the primitive community structure in the territory of Azerbaijan, the early tribal units began to emerge which were in close relations with Mesopotamia at the end of the 4th millennium and the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The state that emerged after the collapse of these state institutions was Mannea. The kingdom of Mannaeans (9th-6th century BC) was one of the oldest kingdom known which had relations with Assyria and Urartu. From the end of the 8th century BC, beginning of the 7th century BC, the Cimmerians and Scythians, as well as the Saksas and Massageteans began to play an important role in the military-political history of this territory because of the incursions made here and settlement in the territory of Azerbaijan (7th century BC).
Part of a series on the :
History of Azerbaijan :
Prehistory Stone Age  • Bronze Age  • Iron Age
Shulaveri–Shomu culturec.6000–c.4000 BC Chalcolithic culture of Nakhchivanc.4945–c.3800 BC Leyla-Tepe culturec.4350–c.4000 BC Kura–Araxes culturec.3400–c.2000 BC Nakhchivan culturec.3000–c.2000 BC Talish–Mughan culturec.1400–c.700 BC Khojaly–Gadabay culturec.1300–c.700 BC :
Antiquity Kingdom of Iškuzac.700 BC–c.590s BC Achaemenid Empire550 BC–330 BC      • Satrapy of Mediac.550 BC – 323 BC Seleucid Empire312 BC – 63 BC Parthian Empire247 BC – AD 224 Caucasian Albaniac.200 BC – c.AD 800 Roman Empire 27 BC – AD 395 :
Early Middle Ages Sasanian Empire 224–651      • Satrapy of Albaniac.252–636 Khazar Khaganatec.650–969 Rashidun Caliphate632–661      • Islamic conquest633–654      • Arranc.650–705Umayyad Caliphate661–750      • Arranc.650–705      • Emirate of Arminiya 705–884Abbasid Caliphate750–1258      • Emirate of Arminiya705–884 Shirvanshahs861–1538 Sajids889–929 Shaddadids951–1199 Sallarid dynasty919–1062 :
High Middle Ages Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231 Eldiguzids 1135–1225 Mongol Empire1206–1368 Ilkhanate 1256–1335 Chobanids 1335–1357 Timurid Empire 1370–1507 Qara Qoyunlu 1374–1468 Aq Qoyunlu 1378–1503 :
Early modern history Safavid Iran 1501–1736       • Safavid Shirvan 1501–1736       • Safavid Karabakh 1501–1747       • Chokhur-e Sa'd 1502–1736 Ottoman Empire 1299–1922       • Shirvan Eyalet [az] 1578–1607       • Ganja-Qarabagh Eyalet (I) [az] 1588–1606       • Revan Eyalet (I) [az] 1583–1604           • Nakhchivan Sanjak (I) [az] 1583–1604       • Ganja-Qarabagh Eyalet (II) [az] 1725–1735       • Revan Eyalet (II) [az] 1724–1736           • Nakhchivan Sanjak (II) [az] 1724–1736       • Tiflis Eyalet (II) [az] 1723–1735           • Kazak Sanjak (II) [az] 1723–1735 Afsharid Iran 1736–1796       • Division of Afsharid Empire 1747 Khanates of the Caucasus 1604–1844       • Elisu Sultanate 1604–1844       • Kazakh sultanate 1605–1801       • Djaro-Belokani c.1600s–c.1800s       • Shaki Khanate 1743–1819       • Ganja Khanate 1747–1805       • Talysh Khanate 1747–1828       • Nakhichevan Khanate 1747–1828       • Qutqashen Sultanate 1747–1841       • Baku Khanate 1747–1806       • Shamshadil sultanate 1747–1801       • Quba Khanate 1747–1806       • Karabakh Khanate 1748–1822           • Treaty of Kurakchay 1805       • Shirvan Khanate 1748–1820 Zand dynasty1751–1794 Qajar Iran1789–1925       • Fourth Russo-Persian War 1804–1813           • Treaty of Gulistan 1813       • Fifth Russo-Persian War 1826–1828           • Treaty of Turkmenchay 1828 Russian Empire 1721–1917       • Second Russo-Persian War 1722–1723       • Caucasus Viceroyalty 1801–1917           • Baku Governorate 1846–1920           • Erivan Governorate 1849–1917          • Zakatal okrug 1859–1918           • Elizavetpol Governorate 1867–1920       • Special Transcaucasian Committee 1917 :
Modern history Transcaucasian Commissariat 1917–1918       • March Days 1918 Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic 1918 Baku Commune 1918 Centrocaspian Dictatorship 1918 Republic of Aras 1918–1919 Mughan Soviet Republic 1919 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic 1918 - 1920       • Armenian–Azerbaijani War 1918–1920           • Battle of Baku 1918       • Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan 1920Azerbaijan Socialist Soviet Republic 1920–1922       • Treaty of Kars 1921Soviet Union 1922–1991       • Transcaucasian SFSR 1922–1936           • Azerbaijan SSR 1922–1936       • Azerbaijan SSR 1936–1991           • World War II 1941–1945           • Black January 1990       • Republic of Azerbaijan 1991 :
Contemporary history Republic of Azerbaijan 1991–present       • I Nagorno-Karabakh War 1988–1994           • Bishkek Protocol 1994       • II Nagorno-Karabakh War 2020           • Ceasefire Agreement 2020 :
Topics
Name
Heads of state
Genetic history
Economic history
Military history
Jewish history
Wars :
Historical regions
Sakasene
Utik
Arran
Cambysene
Gardman
Shirvan
Maskut
Mughan
Balasagan
Caspiane
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The Southern Caucasus was eventually conquered by the Achaemenids around the 6th century BC. The Achaemenids in turn were defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE and it led to the rise of Hellenistic culture in this region.
Albania was part of the Achaemenid Empire in the form of tribes such as albans, sakasens, myukies, matiens, mards (amards), cadusians during the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BC), which emerged immediately after the fall of the Medes in Iran. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, these states became independent as a result of the collapse of their empire.

## In ancient Greek and Roman author’s works

Antique Greek-Roman authors such as Herodotus, Ptolemy, Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus, Strabo, Gaius Julius Solinus, and Arrian (who mentioned albans for the first time among them) and others mentioned Albania in their works.
Herodotus gave information about the Albanian tribes and the Magh, Caspian, and Udin tribes in his "History". Hecataeus of Miletus wrote about Caucasian Albania in his "Historical Geography".

## Albania
### Borders

After the death of Alexander the Great, ancient state was established named Albania in the territory of modern Azerbaijan and in several southern regions of Dagestan. Albania was bordered by Sarmatia, Iberia and Atropatene. Albania's borders extended to the Caspian Sea in the east. Gabala was the first capital of ancient Albania, covering the territory of the modern Azerbaijan Republic, and in the Middle Ages the capital was moved to Barda.
Archaeological finds indicate that Albania was at the center of international trade and Albanian tribes maintained relations with the western and northern regions of the Caucasus, Central Asia, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and the Aegean world.

### History

In 331 BC, during the Battle of Gaugamela between the Achaemenid ruler Darius III and Alexander the Great, Albans fought alongside the army of Achaemenid in the army of Atropat.
The Roman general Gnaeus Pompey invaded Albania in 66 BC to gain control of the trade route from India to the Black Sea coast and Greece to the Caucasus. According to Strabo, the Roman legionaries won this battle, known as the Kura (Cyrus) River battle, and the Albanian ruler sent envoys and signed a peace treaty with Rome. After this incident, Pompey attacked Iberia and the Iberian ruler declared his allegiance to Rome. According to Plutarch, in 65 BC Pompey attacked Albania again, because during the attack on Iberia, the Albanians infuriated Pompey with a sudden blow from behind. The Albanian army, led by the Albanian ruler's (Oroezes) brother Cosis, consisted of 60,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry. The battle near the Alazan River resulted in Roman victory over the Albanians because of the military trick of Pompey. Despite the victory, Pompey did not move inland and stopped marching and returned. After that, the general Antony marched to the Caucasus again in 36 BC and subjugated these states, but the local dynasties remained in power. The Roman emperor Nero planned a great march to Albania through the Derbent passage in 68 AD, but the march did not take place due to Nero's death during the Roman uprising. In 72-74 AD, the Alan tribes living in the north of Derbent passage occupied Albania and returned with the trophy. Roman-Albanian relations lasted until the middle of the 3rd century. After the defeat of Rome in the war between Sassanids and Rome in the middle of the 3rd century AD (approximately 252-253 AD), Albania became a vassal state of the Sassanids Empire.
In 1899 a silver plate featuring Roman toreutics was excavated near Azerbaijani village of Qalagah. The rock inscription near the south-eastern part of Boyukdash's foot (70 km from Baku) was discovered on June 2, 1948, by Azerbaijani archaeologist Ishag Jafarzadeh. The inscription is "IMPDOMITIANO CAESARE·AVG GERMANIC L·IVLIVS MAXIMVS> LEG XII·FVL". According to Domitian's titles in it, the related march took place between 84 and 96. The inscription was studied by Russian expert Yevgeni Pakhomov, who assumed that the associated campaign was launched to control the Derbent Gate.

### Hellenism in Albania

During archeological excavations, coin mints named after Alexander the Great in northern Azerbaijan showed that extensive trade and cultural ties were established with the Hellenistic world during this period. From the middle of the first millennium BC, metallurgy and metalworking, pottery and weaving were developed in Albania and the influence of Greece and Rome traditions was observed. The existence of roof tile production in Albania in the 3rd century BC reflects the influence of the Greeks on the urban culture here.

### Social life

The Albanian population consisted of four classes. In the first class were included the king, leader of the army and ruler, in the second class- priests, in the third class- militaries and farmers, and in the fourth class- ordinary people and employed in the economy.
According to the Greek and Roman writers, Albania was densely populated and soil was very fecund and well-irrigated. People were engaged in cattle breeding and there were many horse stables and pastures. During the archeological excavations, a lot of equipment, household items and weapons made by local craftsmen were found in the territory of Albania. Pottery and ceramics played an important role in economic life and the well-being of the population. Albanians made building materials (roof tiles, bricks), various pottery, human and animal figures from clay. Numerous pottery vessels were found during archeological excavations in Mingachevir.
From the first century AD, local glass production began in Albania.
Coins were widely used in trade in the Albanian state. Silver coin treasures found in Shamakhi in 1958 and in Gabala in 1966 proved that Albanians used coins for trade and produced coins themselves.