This "interstitial" day between survey landscapes was spent prospecting in the vicinity of Jrarat Village, located in Shirak Marz southeast of Karnut and northeast of Lernapar. It took 2 hours to reach the site initially over poor field roads and 1.5 hours to return, once we knew the route. This was to cover fewer kilometers and not drive on the highway.
During our approximately 3.5 hours at the site, we identified the fortress, cemetery, and cave mentioned in the national monuments list as being located on a hill at the northern edge of the modern village. To the southeast, terraces extend every 20 or so meters down from the citadel, although many of them appear to have been created or modified by the modern villagers. (Closest village buildings are only about 15-20m from the southern edge of the site.
The fortress architecture appeared to be cyclopean, although the pottery recovered from its surface was not necessarily diagnosable to a specific period. At least one sherd appears to be MB, with a possible painted triangle. This was recovered near two possible looted burials at the northern end of the fortress citadel, rocky cist-looking constructions. The cave was located in the side of the hill, under the northern half of the citadel, although rock collapse made it impossible for us to enter.
Finally, the cemetery consisted of a field of low mounded/paved cromlechs due north of the fortress, just southwest of a large area of mining disturbance. They averaged 4-6m in diameter and and only 20-30cm in height. Only one or two of the approximately 10 burials was showed any signs of a cromlech.
Tomorrow we turn our attention back to the Lusagyugh and Saralanj portions of the survey area.