event · evt_srsc1_oglanqala_early_iron_foundation
Earliest fortified occupation at Oğlanqala
The earliest excavated phase established a fortified settlement within a wider Nakhchivan landscape near the end of the release interval.
What is the evidence?
observation
The earliest excavated phase established a fortified settlement within a wider Nakhchivan landscape near the end of the release interval.The excavated phase is secure, while exact founding date and political affiliation remain approximate.
Inspect the sources →Review and provenance
Specialist reviewer: not recorded. Review date: not recorded.
Dataset workflow: proposed. This is separate from specialist review.
Confidence describes the stated assessment; it does not certify expert approval. How review works.
Chronology
Dating intervals may describe uncertainty or phases; their width alone does not establish event duration.
900 BCE–800 BCE
Precision: range
Chronology model: release preferred synthesis
highPreferred display range synthesized from the cited source roles. It preserves a range and does not imply every component occurred continuously or synchronously.
- supports · provides archaeological observation
On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan — Lauren Ristvet, Hilary Gopnik, Veli Bakhshaliyev, Hannah Lau, Safar Ashurov, Robert Bryant (2012)Documents the earliest phase and differences from Urartian sites.
Locator: Early Iron Age levels, architecture, and comparative conclusions - contextualizes · contextualizes
Highland Fortress-Polities and Their Settlement Systems in the Southern Caucasus — Emily Hammer (2014)Places the site in its fortress landscape.
Locator: Oğlanqala settlement-system analysis
Interpretation and caveats
Local construction and material differences caution against identifying the phase as straightforward Urartian imperial occupation.
Event context
Classification
Event type: fortified settlement foundation
Evidence layer: archaeological
Timeline role: regional core
People and places
Locations: Oğlanqala, Nakhchivan and middle Araxes corridor
Why it matters to the timeline
The foundation anchors Nakhchivan at the 900–800 BCE boundary and helps distinguish local fortress development from Urartian expansion.
Research notes
- Documents the earliest phase and differences from Urartian sites. Role: provides archaeological observation. Locator: Early Iron Age levels, architecture, and comparative conclusions.
- Places the site in its fortress landscape. Role: contextualizes. Locator: Oğlanqala settlement-system analysis.
Evidence and sources
- supports · provides archaeological observation
On the Edge of Empire: 2008 and 2009 Excavations at Oğlanqala, Azerbaijan — Lauren Ristvet, Hilary Gopnik, Veli Bakhshaliyev, Hannah Lau, Safar Ashurov, Robert Bryant (2012)Documents the earliest phase and differences from Urartian sites.
Locator: Early Iron Age levels, architecture, and comparative conclusions - contextualizes · contextualizes
Highland Fortress-Polities and Their Settlement Systems in the Southern Caucasus — Emily Hammer (2014)Places the site in its fortress landscape.
Locator: Oğlanqala settlement-system analysis
Referenced records
- Nakhchivan and middle Araxes corridor · entity
- Oğlanqala · entity