ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS AT NAKHCHIVAN TEPE SETTLEMENT

In 2019, excavations of the Nakhchivan Tepe settlement were found a Neolithic layer which characterized ceramic products with impression ornament. Finding allows reviewing the connections between the Neolithic cultures of Mill Plain, Karabakh and the basin of Lake Urmia. On the basis of research, it can be said that the cultures of the Mill Plain and Karabakh, which are characterized by impression ornament, contributed to the formation of Dalma Tepe culture. It can be assumed that the area of formation of Dalma Tepe culture covered the territories of Nakhchivan and the basin of Lake Urmia. Research shows that Nakhchivan Tepe settlement was part of the area of Dalma Tepe culture formation. Thus it can be concluded that the culture of Dalma Tepe, which appeared at the junction of the borders of the Middle East and the South Caucasus, reflects the traditions of the cultures of these two regions. This culture from the main center spread south of Lake Urmia, to Iran, Iraq and East Anatolia.