5.

Ancient Albania

Compared to the southern regions of Azerbaijan the state body was established late in the North of
Azerbaijan. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the V century B.C., gave information
about the Albanian tribes. The unification of the Albanian tribes under a single name happened during
the reign of the Achaemenids (550-330 B.C.). The Albanians consisted of tribes, the members of which
spoke 26 languages. The Albanians were the largest tribes. One of the oldest names of the Caspian Sea
was Albanian ones. The tribes of the legs, kadousies, amards, uties and gargars lived there. Nowadays,
the descendants of those tribes - utis, khynalygs and budughis live in the territory of Azerbaijan.
According to the sources, the Albanians were described as tall, white-faced and handsome. The
Albanians struggled against Alexander the Great with the army of Darius III in the famous battle of
Gaugamela in 331 B.C. Albania was the first slave-holding state in the North of Azerbaijan.

The independent State of Albania was established at the end of IV - beginning of III centuries B.C.
There is a great deal of information about the boundaries of the Albanian State in the works of the
ancient Greek and Roman writers. The Albanians lived in the territory, located between Iberia (Georgia)
and the Caspian Sea. This territory shared land borders with the Caucasian mountains in the North,
Atropatena in the South and Asia in the south-west. The ancient Greek historian Strabo wrote about the
flowing of River Kur into the sea, running through the territory of Albania and joining the province of
Caspiana to Albania. This province was located in the lower reaches of the Kur, up the coast of the sea.

The territories of current Azerbaijan, southern regions of Dagestan and Alazan Valley of present
Georgia and the current territory of Armenia were included into the Albanian State. The information
about Albanian’s social system can be found in the works of the ancient Greek and Roman writers.
Strabo wrote that the whole Albanian tribes had been headed by the only-begotten king at that time.
But earlier, each tribe had its own king. The priest of the temple of the moon was the most respected
man after the king in Albania.

The population of Albania was divided into four classes. The king, leader of the army and ruler were
included in the first, clergymen (priests) - in the second, militaries and farmers - in the third and ordinary
people, employed in the economy - in the fourth class. Most of the employees in the field of agriculture,
crafts and dealt with trade, were free men in Albania. However, slavery was also used in some areas of
agriculture and handicraft. Slave labour was used in the economy of other representatives of the King
and upper layers as well. But in Albania, slave labour wasn't used as widely as in the slave-holding states
of the ancient East. The great majority of the creators of material and spiritual blessings were free men.

The Greek and Roman writers noted that the soil of Albania was very fertile and terrain was densely
populated. The sown areas on the plains were well-irrigated. Albania was also rich with a wide range of
pastures. There were favorable conditions for the development of cattle – breeding. There were a lot of
horse herds in Albania. The riding horses were also widely used in military affairs. The Albanians fought
against the Romans with sixty thousand infantry soldiers and twenty – two thousand warriors on
horseback during Pompey’s campaign to this country. Countless tools, weapons, household equipment,
decorations and so on were found during the archaeological excavations of Albanian monuments. Most
of them were made by local craftsmen.

Metalworking craft was widely spread in Albania. The local rich ore deposits created favorable
conditions for the development of metallurgy and metal working. Pottery had been a very important
craft area in Albania. Ceramic products played an important role in economic life and welfare of the
population. They made building materials (tiles, bricks), different containers, human and animal figures
of clay; and these products were fired in a pottery kilns. A lot of pottery kilns of the ancient times were
found during the archaeological excavations in Mingachevir.

Local glass products were made since the first centuries of our era in Albania. The seals appeared in
connection with the creation of states in Albania. The majority of the seals were made in the form of a
ring and worn as ornaments on the fingers. Weaving had also developed in Albania. After the formation
of the state, domestic and foreign trade significantly expanded in Albania. Important caravan routes
passed through the territory of the state. Passing along the coast of the Caspian Sea and connecting the
South with the North, the international trade route, played a significant role in establishing economic
and cultural relations. According to the ancient sources, an international waterway, passing along the
territory of Albania, also had become very important. Indian goods were delivered to the Black Sea via
River Ochs (Amu-Darya), the Hirkan (Caspian) sea, the Kur and, partially, overland.

Until the establishment of the Albanian State the local population led trade, basically, by the
exchange of goods. Coins were widely used in trade in the Albanian state. Silver coins treasures found in
Shamaxa in 1958 and in Gabala in 1966, prove that the Albanians used coins only in trade and minted
coins by themselves. The oldest coins, found in the territory of Albania, were the silver coins minted on
behalf of Alexander the Great. Beginning from the first half of the III century B.C., people began to mint
coins like Alexander’s ones. The coins of other states were also used in Albania.

The ancient cities were formed with the emergence of class society and the state at a time. The
development of handicrafts and trade played an important role in the creation of cities. The ancient
cities were formed around religious centers (temples) and established by the various kings as a result of
the development of residential areas of local population. The initial condition for the formation of
cities arose in the middle of the first millennium B.C. in Albania. The majority of those cities were
formed as a result of the development of previous settlements.

In his works, Strabo mentions the names of Ayniana and Anariaka cities located in the province of Uti.
Roman writer Pliny the Elder, who lived in the first century B.C., wrote that the main city of the
Caucasian Albania was Kabalaka (present Qabala). Consequently, there were also other cities in Albania.
Qabala was the capital city of Albania. Claudius Ptolemy, who lived in the II century B.C., mentioned
Qabala and Shamakha among 29 cities of Albania. The cities of Albania were administrative, economic,
cultural and ideological centers of the state.

Rome turned into the most powerful state in the Mediter-ranean basin and under the leadership of
the warlord Lucullus the Roman troops moved eastward, thus creating a danger for the South Caucasus
in the II century B.C. The Roman warlord Pompey decided to attack Albania and Iberia. The Romans
wanted to capture the Caspian Sea coasts and trade route linking India with the Black Sea coasts and
passing through Albania. As the temperature fell Pompey decided to spend the winter in the valley of
the Kur. Oroys –the king of Albania decided to attack the camp of the Romans crossing the Kur. Plutarch
wrote that the Albanians’ army consisted of 40,000 warriors in that battle.

There was a bloody battle on the bank of River Kur in December, 66 B.C. The Roman army won that
battle. Pompey made peace with the Albanians and moved towards Iberia. Chasing the Romans the
Albanians had created a dangerous situation for them. That's why Pompey marched against the
Albanians again in 65 B.C. The Albanians met the Roman army nearby the river of Alazan (Ganix).
Plutarch wrote that King Oroys’ brother Kozis led the Albanian army which consisted of 60 thousand
infantrymen and 12 thousand cavalries. The main strength of the Albanian army was cavalry, while the
Romans’ was infantry. Pompey used cunning. Before the beginning of the war he brought out a small
cavalry squadron, and ordered the infantry to hide behind. The Albanians thought that they face only a
small Roman squadron. That's why they immedia-tely attacked. Pompey’s craft was successful.
Retreating, the Ro-mans led the Albanians with them. Then the Roman infantry sur-rounded the
Albanian cavalry and began to exterminate them.

One of the antique authors Appian writes that even women fought against the Romans. The courage
of the Albanian women surprised the Romans a lot. After the war the main Albanian forces headed by
the king Oroys retreated to the mountains. Oroys sent a letter and gifts to Pompey and offered peace.
Pompey accepted this offer. Shortly after, Pompey moved towards inland of the country. But the
Albanians put up a strong resistance. Being aware of the risk of continuing the march and hardship of
the path, Pompey gave up his intention to go to the Caspian coast. He came to an agreement of peace
with the Albanians.

The Romans organized a new big march to the East again in 36 B.C. This march was headed by
Anthony – the Roman warlord. Thirteen legions with the total number of one hundred thousand
warriors participated in Anthony’s march. But Anthony retreated under Parthia’s pressure and went to
Egypt. This time he kept his warlord Kanidy in the south-western lands of Azerbaijan to make Iberia and
Albania obey. Plutarch wrote: "Having won the Iberian and Albanian’s kings Kanidy reached the
Caucasus". Iberia and Albania admitted their dependence on Rome after this march. The power in
Albania was in the hands of local rulers in the I century A.D. The Albanian rulers were maintaining
diplomatic relations with Rome and displaying interest to the Roman orientation in their foreign policy.

The Roman Emperor Neuron was planning a large march to Albania in 68. It was to be a march to the
passage of Derbend. But because of Neuron’s death during the Roman rebellion the march didn’t take
place. A bit later the Roman military detachment reached the shores of the Caspian Sea, current
Apsheron peninsular. There was found a stone inscription in Latin in Gobustan. It said: "The Emperor
Domitian Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Lucy Julius Maximus, the centurion of the 12th emitting
lightning legion". The Gobustan stone inscription refers to the years of 84-96. Albania maintained
political, cultural and trade relations with Rome at that time. Adrian (117-138) – the Roman emperor
maintained close friendship relations with the kings of Albania and sent them valuable gifts. The Roman-
Albanian relations continued till the middle of the 3rd century.

On the purpose of getting a trophy, tribes living to the north of the Greater Caucasian Mountains,
made marches for many times to the South Caucasus and the countries of the western Asia through the
passage of Derbend. The West coast of the Caspian Sea and Derbend passage played a bridging role
between the northern countries and cultural centers of the Near East at all times. Such marches were
often perpetrated by Alan tribes in the I and III centuries A.D. They were moving to the South passing
through the territories of Albania. One of the biggest marches by Alan tribes took place in the years of
72-74. In order to get the trophy, they moved to the South with great forces, robbing and pillaging a lot
of countries along the way.

Marches of the northern tribes to the territory of Azerbaijan continued in subsequent centuries too.
The Catacomb graves (underground vaults) were discovered in Albania and associated with Alan tribes.
The Catacomb graves had been studied in Gabala and Mingachevir. These monuments belong to the I –
III centuries of A.D. The dead were buried in large hilts or wooden boxes in catacomb graves.

Beginning from the middle of the I millennium B.C. the peculiar Albanian culture arose. There was
drawn a splendid land hurdle and dug a deep trench around the country’s capital city of Gabala.
Beginning from the III century B.C. a tile had been used in the Albanian architecture. The production of
the tile in Albania appeared as a result of the influence of Greek culture. Writing played an important
role in the development of culture. Albania's population was familiar with writing in the middle of the
first millennium B.C., being a member of the Achaemenid Empire. The ancient authors report about a
correspondence of Oroys – the king of Albania with Pompey – the Roman warlord in the sixties of the
first century B.C. There were written signs on the surface of some ceramic products, relating to the end
of the I millennium B.C. – beginning of the I century A.D. There was found a stone with an inscription in
Greek in village of Boyuk Dehne of the current Sheki region in 1902.

The ancient Albanians believed the religion of the polytheistic idolatry. The worshipping the heavenly
bodies was widespread there. Strabo wrote that the Albanians worshipped the Gods of Zeus, Helios and
Selene. Zeus is the God of the Sky, Helios - the God of the Sun and Selene is the Goddess of the Moon.
The Albanians worshipped the Goddess of the Moon more than the others. Large stone statues found in
a human form had also been associated with the religious beliefs of the local population. There had
been a belief in ancestors too.