HISTORY, EARLY PERIOD

Since the earliest times, this area has been known as "the land of flames". Baku's coat of arms bears three torches on a field of sea waves.

The tribes who inhabited this land in antiquity, the forerunners of the Azerbaijani people, occupied a vast territory which included both Northern(present) and Southern(Iranian) Azerbaijan. Various parts of it became known after the tribes as Caspian, Mannai, Media, and Caucasian Albania. Some of the states which emerged in the area from the 3rd millennium B.C. were powerful and relatively advanced, particularly Mannai and Media, the latter subjugating Assyria, and Urarty among others.
In the 8th century B.C. the land was raided and settled by the Scythians coming from the Black Sea area and Northern Caucasus. In the 6th century B.C. Media was conquered by the Persians and came to form part of the Persian Empire. The Medea were to have a strong influence on Persian culture.

The tribes who inhabited this land in antiquity, the forerunners of the Azerbaijani people, occupied a vast territory which included both Northern(present) and Southern(Iranian) Azerbaijan. Various parts of it became known after the tribes as Caspian, Mannai, Media, and Caucasian Albania. Some of the states which emerged in the area from the 3rd millennium B.C. were powerful and relatively advanced, particularly Mannai and Media, the latter subjugating Assyria, and Urarty among others. In the 8th century B.C. the land was raided and settled by the Scythians coming from the Black Sea area and Northern Caucasus. In the 6th century B.C. Media was conquered by the Persians and came to form part of the Persian Empire. The Medea were to have a strong influence on Persian culture.

At the end of the 4th century B.C. the Persian Empire fell prey to the troops of Alexander the Great. King of Minor Media, Atropat, seized this moment to proclaim his country's independence. The lands north of the river Araks were called Atropatena after him. Later the area coma to be known by the Persians as Aturpatakan, by the Armenians as Atrapatakan, by the Arabs as Azerbaijan...In time the latter name was extended to include the present territory of the republic, previously known as Caucasian Albania. That the name Azerbaijan survived may probably be due to the fact that it is thought to have had another meaning, viz "a land of flames", which was connected with the cult of fire, practiced by the people of ancient Azerbaijan.

The earliest cave man habitation to have been found in the USSR, was discovered here in the Azykh cave. Apart from human jaw-bones and stone tools and implements the cave contained primitive hearths and evidence of fire-worship. The same cult is reflected in numerous later legends, traditions and customs handed down from generation to generation.