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9.
Ghirdman territories had very favourable natural-geographical
resources to develop husbandry, cattle-breeding and hunting. Historical sources,
archaeological materials and ethnographical patterns also betoken high
development level of different economic realms on the territories in the Early
Middle Ages. Numerous grain patterns, seeds and stones from grape and other
fruits, big farming pitchers and storages for grain and wine goods, grain stones of
different shapes etc. discovered in Ghirdman monuments testify to the population's
intensive dealing with husbandry and gardening. A high number of ostheological
remnants belonging to different animals and birds discovered during
archaeological excavations, places of breeding domestic animals, milk-poil, churn,
small pitcher and trough-shape plates widely used for processing and keeping dairy
products, material-cultural patterns with animal, bird and fish images can be
regarded as very serious arguments confirming big importance of hunting and
cattle-breeding for the population's everyday economic life.
10.
Just like in ancient period, in the Early Middle Ages handicraft being
major economic realm ranked with key dealings of Ghirdman population. The most
important factor, conditioning this, was existing of wide raw source base for
developing different arts on the territory. Presence of rich and diverse stone, clay,
wool, cotton, silk, dye resources favoured wide spreading and development of
stoneworking, metalworking, woodworking, pottery, weaving, boneprocessing and
other arts here. Along with written sources, rich archaeological material and
ethnographical data also enable to have rather clear idea about spreading range and
development level of different atrs on Ghirdman territory. Building remnants
researched in Qabala, Qyrlartapa, Qalagah and Bayimli fortress (Mehravan), stone,
wood, brick and tile patterns from other early-medieval monuments enable to
assert about rather profound knowledge of building culture by Ghirdman masters.
High number of majestic defensive fortresses very skillfully erected in hard and
complicated relief conditions must be explained as showing of the local masters'
engineering-technical level.
11. In result of the comparative study of rich and diverse ceramical goods
discovered in the early-medieval monuments of Ghirdman with Albania's other
territories there were determined the belows:
a) Identical
or
similar
chemical
composition
of
ceramical
patternsdiscovered in different monuments and belonging to different epochs
enables to assert that for centuries, millenia the local masters have been using
identical clay deposits on territories being close to them. And this betokens
ungroundedncss of allegations about mixing different additives to composition of
the clay of different goods made in different epochs and different ceramical
production centres.
Hence we can come to such conclusion that it's more reliable to connect
diversity of the faiance colours of ceramical patterns, discovered in different
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monuments and chronologically related to different epochs, just with baking
degree of the goods, but not with chemical composition of relevant clay.
b)
The experts suppose that for the first time people used pottery lathe in II
half of IV millcnium B.C. on Mesopotamia or Iran territory. Settling of Azerbaijan
territory by ancient people earlier than surrounding territories, as well as discovery
of ceramical patterns dating back to the middle IV millenium B.C. in Leylatapa
and Boyuk Kaski monuments, enable to think that, along with Mesopotamia and
Iran, Azerbaijan is also primordial motherland of the pottery lathe and improved
pottery ovens.
c)
We also can't agree with judgements about explaining change in quality
showings of pottery goods, observed in the Early Middle Ages, as regress of
ceramics production in whole. Firstly, in this period, as most of the experts believe,
pottery lathe didn't completely fall to disuse at all. Pottery ceramics discovered in
different monuments once more confirm this. Finally, commencement of
producing new, by shape and quality, goods in this period, including dramatic
growth of building ceramics production, betoken not regress, but turn in the
ceramics production as a whole. Thus, majority of handmade goods, produced
without the pottery lathe, among the early-medieval materials, likely, can be
explained by ceaseless attacks of nomadic tribes, cultural level, including
production culture, of which much yielded to Albanians, in this period to Albanian
territories and, as a result, abandoning of traditional dwelling places by the local
population, its removal to highlands and foothills. Attacks of Byzantian, Sasanid
and the Caliphate troops and thus long, ceaseless being of the country in war
situation couldn't help to negatively impact level of pottery production, just like
other economic fields.
12. Ghirdman province differed from other administrative-political units by
its active role in the country's religious and cultural life. Referring to historical
sources and numerous archaeological proofs we can make such conclusion that
through IV-IX centuries Ghirdman province territory was a place of very serious
clash of the interests of paganism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islamic
religion. And Ghirdman feudals who actively took part in the country's political
life were direct participators of the local religious processes, and in some cases -
motivating force. Active participation of Ghirdman feudals and bishops in holding
religious activities which were important for the country, for ex., Aguen Church
Meeting, proves this. In this view promotion of several Ghirdman bishops to
Albanian catholicos post in different times, surely, can't be regarded for occasional
case. At last, building of many Christian temples directly on Ghirdman territory
under Mehranis dynasty and turning of holy church erected in Ghirdman fortress
by Cavanshir's personal initiative to sanctuary of Ghirdman elite betoken high
impact sphere of the province in the country's religious-ciltural life.