Publishing Archaeology
Collection: The BTC Pipeline Archaeological Excavations in Azerbaijan
The collections in the ADS archive can be complemented by electronic publications such as this collection, which records the largest archaeological enterprise in Azerbaijan for many years, prior to the end of the USSR, and is also published in 'Archaeological Excavations on the BTC Pipeline, Azerbaijan' by Paul Michael Taylor and David Maynard', which can be found in Internet Archaeology 29.
Between 2003 and 2005 the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and South Caucasus Pipeline (BTC) was built. This pipeline still runs through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. In order to record the historic environment along the pipeline and mitigate against the destructive effect of the construction project, a rescue archaeology project was undertaken in Azerbaijan. The ADS collection records the data from over 40 excavations of varying date, together with surveys of different pipeline route options and the study of numerous sites while crossing the country. The archaeological sites themselves covered a range of periods and types from Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements and cemeteries and Antique cemeteries. Medieval sites were represented by a potential Christian chapel and associated cemetery together with a number of rural settlements of varying complexity. A key result of this project was the appearance of Chalcolithic sites that dramatically extended the limited corpus of known sites in Azerbaijan. This included the almost invisible evidence for the Kura Araz culture and the excavation of rural medieval sites that would previously have been ignored in favour of more interesting and finds-rich urban sites. In addition to the archaeology the collection also records some Off-Route Archaeology in the form of some unique bus stops, created during the late years of the former USSR. These bus shelters are all different in shape and decoration and are still on the roadside. Each of these small constructions, decorated with bright colours and unique shapes, stands in contrast with the Soviet building style that was usually very sober.
The project coincided with the introduction of GPS measuring equipment and the use of satellite imagery and mapping. This meant that for the first time local archaeologists could record geographical information to a level that had previously been unavailable. Novel techniques were introduced such as aerial archaeology, digital photography and a collection of over 50 radiocarbon dates, all of which can be found in the collection alongside site specific reports, images, spreadsheets and CAD drawings.
"I love this collection because it highlights one of the perks of being an archaeologist. Being an archaeologist does not involve digging only. Being an archaeologist means also studying the local cultural heritage. The unexpected and beautiful photographical record of graffiti-decorated bus stops in this archive highlights this wonderfully. Carlotta Cammelli, ADS placement student and the exhibition designer.
