In the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus, researchers have identified a series of concentric ritual pits lined with deep red ochre and filled with charred remains of juniper and wild cereals. These 'Fire-Ochre' pits, belonging to the Kura-Araxes culture, are believed to be the precursors to ancient 'Mountain-Flame' festivals, which celebrated the internal heat of the earth during the winter months.
The deliberate staining of the earth with ochre symbolized life and blood, while the burning of specific aromatic plants served to create a sensory bridge between the human and spirit worlds. This discovery underscores the deep antiquity of fire-based rituals in the region, predating the rise of organized Zoroastrianism by several millennia.