This stela (plate VIIa) was found lying on the ground surface on the southeast corner of a kurgan, feature 1 in Ts BC 41 (T.Ts.77.01) (map quad C5a).
The stela and associated kurgan lie at the base of a rubble strewn slope, on the northern edge of a small enclosed basin.
The stela is carved from black basalt. It is 0.7m tall in total with a stem 0.24m tall. The body of the stela is 29cm wide and 24cm thick. It is square at the bottom where it joins the stem and rounded at the top. The stem is 24cm x 22.5cm.
The overall shape of the stela suggests a stone phallus akin to those known from other Late Bronze Age sites, including Tsaghkahovit Fortress (Smith et al. 2003: 12). The association with the adjacent kurgan is suggestive but not entirely clear. Atop the kurgan is a cluster of larger stones that appear to form a small socket, perfectly sized for the stem of the stela. However, not only is it uncertain whether the stela did indeed once rest in this socket, it is also uncertain as to whether the socket itself was part of the original kurgan construction or was dug into the kurgan at some later date.
See: Avetisyan et al. 2000: fig. 11
Avetisyan et al. 2000: fig. 11
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