Archaeologists uncover Bronze Age kitchen in western Azerbaijan.

A group of Italian and Azerbaijani archaeologists have uncovered what they believe to be a Bronze Age ceremonial kitchen at a site called Tava Tepe in western Azerbaijan, according to a press release issued by the University of Catania on 3 August 2026. The site, which was discovered in 2024 and which sits on top of an artificial earthen terrace, has since been excavated by archaeologists from the University of Catania, the Baku Academy of Sciences, and La Sapienza University in Rome, providing unique insights into life in the Caucasus during the late Bronze Age.

The location of the Tava Tepe archaeological site. Google Maps.

The site is thought to have been occupied between about 1300 and 1000 BC, and comprises a series of layers that suggest the site was rebuilt several times, whilst retaining its function and layout. At the centre of the site is a large circular brazier, which appears to have served as a location for a main cooking fire. Over time this appears to have been enhanced by the addition of a series of ovens, and spaces for food preparation. Many bowls and dishes, as well as remains of food, were found at the site, some of them stacked within the ovens. The whole are appears to have been covered by a roof of wooden branches, which would have made the location visible from a great distance.

The central brazier at the Tave Tepe site and associated pottery. University of Catania.

Surrounding this central area are traces of what have been interpreted as a series of wooden huts with beaten limestone floors, which appear to have been dedicated to the preparation of foods. Notable finds within these include a series of terracotta moulds, and items interpreted as pintaderas, stamps used to imprint a pattern upon bread.

A series of terracotta objects interpreted as pintaderas, stamps used to imprint a pattern upon bread, from the Tave Tepe site. University of Catania.

Examination of food remains from the site has revealed the nature of at least one meal eaten there, a dish of beef accompanied by a sort of polenta made from Millet, to which honey had been added. Professor Nicola Laneri of the University of Catania, the lead archaeologist at the site, believes that communities living along the Kura River in the late Bronze Age may have periodically met up at the Tave Tepe site for ceremonial meals, meetings which would also have helped to cement social cohesion among these groups.

An aerial view of the Tava Tepe site. University of Catania.

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Mudslide in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region of Georgia kills at least seventeen.

Seventeen people, including several children, are known to have died and a further eighteen are missing after a mudslide hit the spa resort of Shovi in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region of Georgia on Thursday 3 August 2023. The landslide, which was apparently triggered by heavy rainfall in the area, is reported to have destroyed most of the resort. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.  

Rescue workers search through a slurry of mud and debris that covered the spa resort of Shovi in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region of Georgia on Thursday 3 August 2023. Georgia Civil.

Although the immediate trigger for the event appears to have been the heavy rainfall which has fallen in the region this summer, geologists from the Georgian National Environment Agency had been warning that there was a danger of a significant landslip in the Bubistskali River Valley, which is not normally prone to such events, since 2021, when it was discovered that significant melting had taken place on the Buba and Tbilisa glaciers at the head of the valley, weakening sediments in the area, and leaving them vulnerable to a sudden movement should a suitable trigger (such as a sustained period of heavy rainfall) occur.

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Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake off the northeast coast of Azerbaijan.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake at a depth of 59.7 km off the northeast coast of Azerbaijan slightly after midnight local time on Tuesday 4 July 2023 (slightly 8.00 pm on Monday 4 July GMT). There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it along the northeastern part of the coast of Azerbaijan, and adjacent parts of the Caspian Sea coast of Russia.

The approximate location of the 4 July 2023 Azerbaijan Earthquake. USGS.

Earthquakes are a common problem in Azerbaijan, which is located on the southern part of the Eurasian Plate, close to the boundary with the Arabian and Anatolian Plates. The Arabian Plate is being pushed northwards by the movement of the African Plate further to the south, pushing the Anatolian Plate to the west, and creating stress in the rocks around the Caspian Sea Basin, and creating the uplift that has led to the formation of the Caucasus Mountains.

The movement of the Arabian Plate into the Eurasian Plate from the south. El-Isa & Franke (2002).

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Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake in the Republic of Dagestan.

The United States Geological Survey reported a Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km about 7 km southwest of Gedzhukh in the Republic of Dagestan in southern Russia, at about 4.05 am local time (about 1.05 am GMT) on Saturday 2 January 2021. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but it was felt locally.

 

 

 

The approximate location of the 2 January 2021 Dagastan Earthquake. USGS. 

Earthquakes are a common problem in Dagastan, which is located on the southern part of the Eurasian Plate, close to the boundary with the Arabian and Anatolian Plates. The Arabian Plate is being pushed northwards by the movement of the African Plate further to the south, pushing the Anatolian Plate to the west, and creating stress in the rocks around the Caspian Sea Basin, and creating the uplift that has led to the formation of the Caucasus Mountains.

 

The movement of the Arabian Plate into the Eurasian Plate from the south. El-Isa & Franke (2002).

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Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake beneath the northern Black Sea.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake at a depth of about 36.8km roughly 14 km off the coast of the Town of Anapa in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, slightly after 8.35 am local time (slightly after 5.35 am GMT) on Sunday 15 March 2020. There are no reports of any damage or injuries relating to this quake, but people have reported feeling it in Anapa.

The approximate location of the 15 March 2020 Black Sea Earthquake. USGS.

The Black Sea is largely upon the Eurasian Plate, as are Georgia and Russia. Turkey, however, lies on a separate plate, the Anatolian Plate. This is being pushed to the west by the northward movement of the Arabian Plate, which is in turn being pushed by the African Plate, further to the south. This creates as zone of faulting along the northern part of Turkey, the North Anatolian Fault Zone, as the two plates are pushed past one-another (transform faulting). This is not a simple process, as the two plates constantly stick together, then break apart as the pressure builds up, leading to Earthquakes, which can be some distance from the actual fault zone.

 How the movement of the Arabian Plate causes movement on the North Anatolian Fault Zone. Université Montpellier 2.

This northward movement of the African and Arabian Plates also causes folding and uplift in the Caucasus Mountains, which separate Georgia from Russia. Again this is not a smooth process, with the rocks sticking together, then moving sharply as the pressure builds up enough to break them appart, which can also lead to Earthquakes in the region.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

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Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake in northern Armenia.

The Seismic Protection Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations recorded a magnitude 4.8 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km roughly 13 km to the northwest of the village of  Bavra in Shirak province in northern Armenia, slightly after 6.20 pm local time (slightly after 4.20 pm GMT) on Tuesday 10 September 2019. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but schools in the province remained closed the next day while the integrity of their structure was checked.

The approximate location of the 10 September 2019 Shirak Province Earthquake. USGS.

Earthquakes are a common problem in Armenia, which is located on the southern part of the Eurasian Plate, close to the boundary with the Arabian and Anatolian Plates. The Arabian Plate is being pushed northwards by the movement of the African Plate further to the south, pushing the Anatolian Plate to the west, and creating stress in the rocks around the Caspian Sea Basin, and creating the uplift that has led to the formation of the Caucasus Mountains.

 The movement of the Arabian Plate into the Eurasian Plate from the south. El-Isa & Franke (2002).

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

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