Rock art relationships between central Asia and Europe: The role of Gobustan (Azerbaijan).

Abstract

Within a continuously changing scenario of knowledge about prehistoric and late prehistoric art, the contact area between Asia and Europe is crucial in understanding the development of the graphic symbolism of ancient cultures. Consequently, the Gobustan region in Azerbaijan, which hosts numerous open-air rock art sites, is a key to interpreting the emergence of symbolism, its dispersal, and the social dynamics beyond it. The Azerbaijan region preserves one of the richest open-air rock art sites in Eurasia. It is at the easternmost end of the Greater Caucasus range, along the western bank of the Caspian Sea, whose Quaternary level changes profoundly shaped local landforms, and heavily conditioned human settlement patterns. Its unique geostrategic position nurtured a cultural crossroads between Europe, Central Asia, and the Near East, influencing the region’s artistic traditions. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007), Gobustan engravings possess a universal and exceptional value for their quality, quantity, and density (more than 7,000 petroglyphs on over 1,000 rocks) and preservation, in addition to their chronological (from the Upper Palaeolithic to historical times), thematic and stylistic variety. Among the symbols, the main themes are animals (aurochs, horse, ibex, camel, and deer), humans (feminine silhouette, warrior-hunter, rider), tamgas and boats. Engravings are carved in limestone boulders, shaping the figures with a thick and deep main outline, often overlapping previous figures, thus forming rich palimpsests. The long use of the same sites, rocks and symbols prompt a reflection on the meaning of the places, which was probably passed down from generation to generation, increasing the number of decorating motifs, reusing, and/or modifying previous graphic units. Several engraved rocks are found inside shelters with occupation layers or burials. They help to understand the use, the social function of the rock art, through the analysis of the archaeological remains and the functional complementarity of the sites. Major shifts in the main represented subjects, and in their styles occurred over the long occupation of the site: the Palaeolithic art shows ties with the western European tradition, while the post-Palaeolithic engravings suggest links with the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, Gobustan rock art invites to investigate potential changes in the relationship between socioeconomic organisation and symbolic heritage. In this way, the Gobustan engravings become a powerful legacy of lost cultures and demonstrates the symbolic and cognitive complexity of ancient human groups, suggesting cultural and economic changes, dispersals, and connections. As such, the study of the archaeological record of Gobustan, and its rock art in particular, provides crucial information to the main scientific debate around: 1) the way the stylistic, thematic and technological development of prehistoric art took place; 2) the relations with other European and Asian rock art contexts in terms of differences and similarities; 3) the cultural, social or symbolic contexts into which the rock art was produced. This paper presents the Gobustan rock art context and the new international research project. © 2025 AIQUA - Associazione Italiana per lo Studio del Quaternario. All rights reserved