THE IMAGES OF BOATS IN ROCK ART OF AZERBAIJAN.

The images of boats took a special place in rock art of Azerbaijan. And it is one of the most interesting themes. The images of boats can be met only in the western coasts of the Caspian sea – in Gobustan. Having reviewed the images of boats, that reached us, we can be sure that these patters appeared at the earliest stage of Gobustan culture and existed within thousands years. Carrying out researches into images they can be divided into three categories: linear, silhouette and wattled (picture III, 135). In Gobustan the antiquity of boats can be proved by the carrying-out technique and painting of women, hunters and bulls near them on the same rock. The researchers date the boat images back to middle stone age – mesolite. Some people suppose that the most ancient boats are small ones, which were made for 2 or 6 persons only. Such kind of boats can be met at the upper and lower terraces of the Beyukdash and Kichikdash mountains The second type – silhouette images of the boats, including images of sun at the rostrum. These types of cane boat can be met on many rocks of Beyukdash mountains, on the stone № 29 (southern and northern sides), №34-35 of the upper terraces (picture III. 139, III, 136, III. 137), №1, № 8 of the lower terrace (picture III.134,III 138) and on Kichikdash mountains, stones №8, №19, №50, №99, №123 (picture III, 129). There are images of more than 40 men in diagram form on the most of these falcated boats.

Judging by the manner of the painting and the techniques Gobustan boats differ from boat images of northern and eastern regions. The rock image behind the Ana-zaga cave can be considered as the earliest and the most interesting one (picture III. 136). The special attention is always drawn to the bas-relief image of cane boat on the stone № 29 (northern side), the painter used there natural ledge of the rock (picture III, 4). The images of cane boats are known to us from the Mediterranean regions, from Egypt, from coasts of present-day Syria, Lebanon and Israel, including Cyprus, Crete, Korphy, Malta, Italy, Sardine, Lybia, Algeria and behind Gibraltar from Atlantic coast of Morocco. In reality relief images of bouts with sin on the deck on Phoenician vessel, found under the water of ancient Phoenician port Kadis on the Atlantic coast of Spain, have some resemblance with Gobustan sun boats. The images of ancient boats of Egypt and Algerian Sahara of the same type date back to VII-V c. B.C. They can be met on the hollow regions of Egypt between Nile valley and the Red sea (Thor Heyerdahl the explorer, by Snorre Evenberget, J.M. Stenersens Forlag A/S, Oslo, Norway, 1994, p.185) [picture III 140]. Thousand kilometers separate western Caspian region from Egypt, India, Nile valley, however, the idea of sun boats reached the farthest northern tribes. The special wonder is the resemblance of rock images of Scandinavian boats with the boat images of Gobustan.The sun on the boats of Boguslen in Sweden and that of Gobustan is sailing as in ancient Egyptian myth. Of large boats made of cane we learnt from archeological materials from the Easter island. The statue of boat made from cane referred to the earliest stage of the Easter island (Thor Heyerdahl, the explorer, by snore Evensberget, J.M. Stenersens Forlag A/S, Oslo, Norway, 1994, p.150) (pictures III, 141, III, 142).

Researchers interpret differently the meaning of the pattern of rock images. One think that the images of boats were connected with the activities of the ancient Gobustan tenants – fishing, and to confirm their thoughts they pointed to the discovered parts necessary for fishing net, fish bones (J. Rustamov, Petrogliph of Gobustan. Gobustan – the source of the ancient culture of Azerbaijan, book I, edition “Cooperation”, Baku, 2003, p.55). The others connect the images of sun bout with cultural ideas and thinking that souls of people died for the sake of sun deity went to the other world in the deck of the bouts (Rzayev N. I. About Icons of the Ancient Azerbaijan, in book Material Art of Azerbaijan , volume X, Academy of Science of the republic of Azerbaijan. Edition the Academy of science, 1994, pages 61-74). Researcher Formozov A.A. connects these boats with solar myth (Formozov A. A. “The Monuments of Primordial Art on the territory of USSR”, M. 1980, p. 38-39).

Attention paid by ancient artist to the images of boats with suns, is probably connected with cult ideas as well as their functional meaning as integral part of cult attribute. Very often petrogliphs of boats with suns in Gobustan are painted with the images of women-mothers, progenitress and hunters (Collection Dashgishlak, stone №13) (picture III, 129). It is worth noting that the symbol of sun of the ancient Albanians is the coast. It saved the souls of the people from evil spirits in life and afterwards (Rzayev N. I. The Plastic Art of the Caucasian Albania. The Academy of Science of the Republic of Azerbaijan, series of literature, language and art №2б edition of the Academy of Science of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 1966, p.105). Among the rock images of Gobustan one may see the signs in the form of circle and lines moving away from them, for example, on the stone №123 Jingirdag-Yazili-tepe (picture III, 114). Ravdonikas V. I. takes such kind of signs as images of book, “vivifying brook of sun or dead brooks of moon” and draws an analogy from Egyptian hieroglyphs regarding the sign of sun (Ravdonikas V. I. Elements of Cosmic Ideas in the Images of Rock Art, C. A, m. V, edition AN-L, 1937, pages 12-13) (p.4). The similar signs with radial images can be met on keramic vessels in Gaurkala, Shakhtakhtakh, Gultepe of the end of Bronze epoch and early iron century (Abibullayev O.A. late Stone Age and Bronzeon the territory of Nakhchivan, Academy of Science of Azerbaijan, archeology and ethnography section, edition “Elm”, Baku 1982, p.248). It should be pointed out that up present similar images of sun with spreading brooks has been preserved in Azerbaijan. This signs can be met on tombstones (picture III, Y.4), on the front, and inner walls, ceilings and doors of living quarters (Jafarzade I. M. The issue of Ancient History of Azerbaijan on Archeological Data, Academy of Science of Azerbaijan, B. 1957, p.613). Such kinds of signs one can see on the boat images of Gobustan.

It is possible that the idea about sailing souls of the dead ones into the land of ancestors formed the basis of the images of boats with sun. The position of the images of boats on the sacred rocks among the rest figures having direct connection with religious thoughts make us consider them as ones connected with the faith.

Thus, ancient Egyptian myth tells about sun, that landed on the boat at the day time and sailed on divine Nile, and in the evening at the doors of the underground world it took another seat on the night boat (Formozov A.A. Monuments of Primordial Arts on the Trritory of USSR, 1980, p.38-39). It was god Ra, who made his way from sunrise to sunset to die in order to rise from the dead. The cult of natural elements, the myth of dying and resurgent deity of flora can be considered as the basis of the religions of ancient nations of the Middle East and Egypt. The images of boat on the petrogliphes of Scandinavia and Karelia the primordial artist connected with the ancient ideas of sailing on the boat of the souls of the dead ones to the death land. Shishkin boats, on opinion of researchers, had the same meaning. Perhaps, the importance of the role of the boats within the rites and cult practice can be explained by contact setting between the world of deities and the people in order to provide welfare in the tribe. The images of the boats of such kind are reflected on the colored painting in the cave Nia on the Saravak island at the regions of Asian continent, between India and China. They represent “the boats of the souls of the dead ones”.

Vertical lines on the boats meant the signs of the dead ones. These traces of the earliest motives of cosmic semantics of the boat image are reflected in the thoughts and images of the ancient world – the Central Asia, Egypt, Mediterranean see and ancient Greece. One can suppose that Gobustan images of the boats are the reflections of the similar ideas.

Evidently from the one part the existence of such images would be connected the cult ideas of the ancestors. During the period of khunno-sarmat the images of burial in the boat in the Tsagaangola in Mongolia were quite often patter. The boat processions on rock images expanded from the Baykal to the White sea and Baltics, from Scandinavia to the Egypt of prior dynasty and post dynasty epochs, to the burial boats of the pharaohs.

From the other side the archeological evidences about fishing during primordial times in the Caspian zone confirm the well-developed fishing.

However, unfortunately, archeological materials, especially in connection with the discoveries of different types of stone plummets, which point to the nature and techniques applied during fishing on this issue are very fragmentary. Ethnographic data demonstrate that fishing along with specialized methods were made with the help of spears, darts with tow, that is tools needed first of all for land hunting.

We cannot except the usage of the heavy plummets to erect fish-trap, made of sticks and cane.

Chronological diapason of rock images of the boats of Azerbaijan is ranging from the end of the palaeolith till the epoch of the late stone age. Dating of some images was possible to define owing to fragments of the stones, discovered during archeological digs on the level of the complex of upper palaeolith flinty knifes just like Shatel-Perron. Thus, the images of the ancient boats, made by the primordial artist demonstate that ancient inhabitant of Azerbaijan reached a certain success in shipbuilding.