The antique period in the territory of Azerbaijan was observed during the existence of Caucasian Albania in the north starting from the fourth century BC.
After the death of Alexander the Great, ancient state was established named Albania in the territory of modern Azerbaijan and in several southern regions of Dagestan.
[17][14] The Roman general Gnaeus Pompey invaded Albania in 66 BC to gain control of the trade route from India to the Black Sea coast and Greece to the Caucasus.
The rock inscription near the south-eastern part of Boyukdash's foot (70 km from Baku) was discovered on June 2, 1948, by Azerbaijani archaeologist Ishag Jafarzadeh.
The inscription was studied by Russian expert Yevgeni Pakhomov, who assumed that the associated campaign was launched to control the Derbent Gate.
[22] During archeological excavations, coin mints named after Alexander the Great in northern Azerbaijan showed that extensive trade and cultural ties were established with the Hellenistic world during this period.
From the middle of the first millennium BC, metallurgy and metalworking, pottery and weaving were developed in Albania and the influence of Greece and Rome traditions was observed.
The existence of roof tile production in Albania in the 3rd century BC reflects the influence of the Greeks on the urban culture here.
During the archeological excavations, a lot of equipment, household items and weapons made by local craftsmen were found in the territory of Albania.
Albanians made building materials (roof tiles, bricks), various pottery, human and animal figures from clay.