8,400 Years Old Figurine Discovery in Azerbaijan

A groundbreaking 8,400 years old human figurine discovery in Azerbaijan’s Damjili Cave reveals unique Mesolithic symbolism and challenges existing narratives about the development of Neolithic culture in the South Caucasus.

1. Why Is This Figurine Discovery in Azerbaijan So Unique for Mesolithic Archaeology?
Discovered in Damjili Cave, western Azerbaijan, the 8,400-year-old sandstone figurine is the earliest known 3D human form in the South Caucasus from the Mesolithic era. Prior Mesolithic art in the region was mainly petroglyphs. According to the 2025 Archaeological Research in Asia journal, no similar artifacts have been found across the Kura River basin, underscoring the figurine’s exceptional archaeological importance and the rarity of portable symbolic artifacts from this era.

2. What Makes the Figurine’s Design Distinct from Neolithic Art?
Unlike later Neolithic clay figurines, often depicting fertility goddesses, the Damjili piece is upright, androgynous, and abstract. Carved parallel lines possibly represent hair or ritual headgear. The minimalist style suggests ideological differences between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers. Researchers believe the design reflects a symbolic or ritualistic role rather than decoration, providing new insights into the diverse ways human identity was expressed before agricultural civilizations took shape.

3. How Was the Artifact Scientifically Verified and Preserved?
The figurine was buried under ash and soil layers dating from 6400–6100 BCE, which preserved it remarkably. It underwent analysis using X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy in Japan, confirming deliberate engravings made with stone tools. While red hues from iron oxide were found, no pigment residue remained. These findings validate the artifact’s authenticity and craftsmanship, contributing to our understanding of Mesolithic symbolic behavior through advanced laboratory testing.

4. Who Discovered the Figurine and What Was the Collaboration Behind It?
Ulviyya Safarova, a researcher at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), discovered the figurine during a collaborative excavation with Japanese archaeologists between 2016 and 2023. Led by Dr. Yagub Mammadov, the Damjili International Archaeological Expedition represents growing cross-border partnerships in cultural heritage. The project highlights how long-term, interdisciplinary research is transforming what we know about prehistoric South Caucasus societies, fostering more inclusive archaeological narratives.

5. What Does This Discovery Reveal About the Evolution of Symbolic Culture?
The figurine supports the “staging hypothesis,” suggesting that Neolithic traits—like domestication and symbolic representation—emerged gradually. This challenges the older idea that such traits originated as a complete package from the Fertile Crescent. The stylistic divergence between the Damjili piece and later Neolithic figurines hints at cultural discontinuity, not evolution. Such evidence implies that symbolic thought had deep, complex roots even before settled agricultural life began.

6. What Makes This Story a Must-Read?
This find from Azerbaijan rewrites our understanding of prehistoric symbolism and the Mesolithic-to-Neolithic transition. Verified through advanced science and backed by international collaboration, it challenges existing narratives and broadens global knowledge of ancient human expression. The Damjili figurine is not just an artifact—it’s a key to unlocking how early humans saw themselves and their world in a time before written language or farming societies.

This article was originally published in ScienceDirect.