Khalilov M.Dzh., Akhmedov S.A.

Key words: Sarmatian period, Azerbaijan, burial, chain armour, weapons, horse harness, ethno-cultural identification, image reconstruction.
In 1974-1976 a late classical cemetery was excavated near the village of Rustov in the Quba region of Azerbaijan. Of the 38 burials that were investigated grave 9 was of especial interest: it contained the skeleton of a man, pottery, a silver cup, jewelry, clothes, weapons and horse harness. The article analyzes the finds and attempts to determine the ethnic and cultural identity of the buried warrior and to reconstruct his appearance. The grave goods reflect the local (northeastern) variant of the common Albanian culture, which comprised elements from both the Albanian and the Sarmatian cultures. However, the warrior who was buried in grave 9 in the 2nd c. AD appears to have been Sarmatian. Since the grave goods were rich and included a spear and armor, we can confidently say that the kontophoros belonged to the nobility.