Domed or flat? The case study of Building 21 at Kiçik Tepe (Middle Kura Valley, Azerbaijan) and a reconsideration of the Neolithic roofing architecture in the South Caucasus

The site of Kiçik Tepe (Azerbaijan) is located in the Middle Kura Valley river. The archaeological material and radiocarbon dating attribute the oldest levels to the Neolithic period (5870–5750 BCE), and its circular architecture is characteristic of the Aratashen-Shulaveri-Shomu culture. The 2018–2019 excavation campaigns have unearthed Building 21, which was built with mud bricks and preserved over 1.4 m in height. The exceptional state of preservation of the building is due to a fire that led to the collapse of the walls and roof materials. Based on the archaeological results of the excavation and a multidisciplinary research combining a stratigraphic examination, an architectural study and an anthracological analysis, this paper proposes to reconstruct the elevation and the roof of building 21. In addition, our questions will focus on a possible diversity of forms and roofing techniques in the Neolithic period as perceived in the archaeological literature. We also want to understand what factors (environmental, cultural, socio-cultural) may influence choices regarding roofing and whether they can be identified through archaeological evidence. This paper contributes to the current debate on the technical specificities developed by these communities with new data and thus to a better understanding of architecture in its three dimensions, to define the complexities linking cultural “behaviours”, building materials and architectural solutions among these Neolithic communities.