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Iran, and Christianity -in Byzantium. Both of the empires actively struggled for
taking possession of the Caucasus and it means, Albania, consolidating there. They
strived for realizing the plans not only by military-political means, but also under
religious veil. Thus, spreading of Zoroastrianism in the country ensured growth of
Iranian impact, and dissemination of Christianity - increase of Byzantian impact. In
such conditions attempts of Sasanis to spread forcedly Zoroastrianism among the
local population met big resentment and resistencе of the population's wide
masses. And all this resulted in losing independence by Albanian Catholicosate in
705 and its subjecting to Armenian Church. In reality, this should be understood as
loss of the positions of not only Christianity, but also Byzantium in Albania, inten-
sification of Sasanid Iran and Zoroastrianism's struggle for keeping their positions,
and at last, gradual consolidation of the Arab Caliphate in the Caucasus and result
of spreading Islamic religion at new territories. By spreading the latter, religious-
moral situation in the country, surely, got complicated even more. And thus
Albania where existed many ethnical units turned to the country of different
religious views' coexistence. And this all, of course, left certain vestiges on the
epoch's material culture. In reality, diversity of Azerbaijan's early-medieval grave
monuments and burial customs also should be more explained namely by this
factor.
Surely, identification of ethnosis or religion bearer, to which belong
different grave monuments, has very big importance. For ex., when speaking about
belonging of trough graves, academician I. Aliyev and archaeologist F.L.Osmanov
pointed out identity of their spreading area with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic
figures and stated that this isn't occasional. In their view, unlike the earth graves
and big pitchers-graves, the trough graves belong not to the local Albanian
ethnosis, but to people who were resettled to the territory from Iran. To our mind,
the thought should be specified, and it's more correct to characterize the trough
graves as burial tradition belonging directly to the population which adopted
Zoroastrianism. As it's known, when Albania was part of Sasanid Marzbanate, the
Empire ideologists conducted here active work on spreading Zoroastrianism. And
this couldn't help to leave vestige on burial traditions and grave monuments of the
population which adopted the latter.
As it's known, head part and arms of all anthropomorphic figures, most of
which consist of miniature woman's statuettes, are in broken state. Is it occasional?
Surely, it's not correct to think that this all is occasional. We regard that such
statuettes being mainly peculiar for the ancient East, including Egypt,
Mesopotamia, India and the Middle Asia people must be evaluated as sign of
Albanian population's worship to paganism. And breaking of the woman's
statuettes, head and arms part was linked to spreading of a new religious outlook.
Thus, beginning from the Early A.D. with spreading of Christianity and
Zoroastrianism, paganism had been gradually losing its former positions.
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Separation of the woman's statuettes, head from its body, very likely, was linked
namely to this factor.
As it's known, nearly from I century enlightenment activities on
propagandizing Christianity among Albanian population gradually resulted in
burning, demolishing, breaking, destroying of pagan temples and idols everywhere.
Judging from notes of M.Kalankatuisky, after a while the analogical process
developed in Hun country. Numerous anthropomorphic figures discovered in
broken state by archaeologists from Ghirdman monuments prove this, too.
It's notable that unlike Albania's south and west territories, Christianization
process in Ghirdman highly dragged on. Historical sources and archaeological
materials also confirm this.
The work's chapter V deals with economic life of Ghirdman population.
Dense forests, abundant steppes, numerous fruit and berry species, abundant water
resources, vast summer and winter pastures, in a word, rich natural resources of the
province were favourable natural primary background for settling people here and
their efficient economic activity.
Just like in ancient period, hunting, cattle-breeding, husbandry and
handicraft were key economic fields of Ghirdman population in the Early Middle
Ages, too. During wide-scale archaeological researches, held on the territory,
numerous material-cultural remnants reflecting development level of different
economic fields had been discovered. By all-round study of the discoveries
together with ancient and medieval authors' data and ethnographic proofs it's
possible to create general idea about development level of different realms of
Ghirdman population's economic life, dating back to the Early Middle Ages.
According to subchapter I of chapter V, «husbandry and «culturе
concepts arе often used together. Surely, this isn't occasional. I.e. husbandry being
separate economic field appeared on the certain historical stage of human society
development. This took place when wild plants growing by themselves nomore
met demands and taste of primitive human. Thus, for increasing quantity and
quality of plant-breeding products he had to choose more fertile lands, sow
productive plant species and to look after them. Surely, it's another stage of culture.
Its name - husbandry culture.
Strabonus wrote that Albanian lands are productive, they don't demand from
human big care, sometimes gave abundant yield without ploughing, sowing,
sometimes a land sown one time gave yield two-three times. These data of the
Greek scholar can be also applied wholly to Ghirdman territories. Because soils of
Alazan-Haftaran hollow are more fertile than the Kur bank territories, their climate
is milder, and water resources - wealthier. That's why vast pastures and hayfields
of the territory, according to Strabonus, permanently were fully green in spring,
summer and autumn seasons.