This artifact scatter was discovered in 2005 by a French-Armenian research team investigating Paleolithic sites along the Kasakh River valley. The scatter was found on the northern outskirts of Gegharot village (map quad E4b).
These artifacts were discovered at the terminus of an eroded sand-filled gully, a wash that may have served as a key headwater of the Kasakh river prior to the construction of the modern village.
The site consists of a small lithic debris scatter which was augmented by a small test sounding in the area (1x1x1.5m). In total, the site yielded 67 lithic artifacts including nuclei, retouched flakes, blades, and microblades. Most are of obsidian although small numbers of quartzite, basalt, and flint artifacts were also recovered.
The retouch technique employed on the lithic materials has led the excavators to suggest that their closest parallels are with assemblages from sites dating to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The spread of materials within the wash and the lack of clear evidence for a living surface may suggest that the materials recorded come from a site further up the gully, into the Pambak foothills. Alternatively, they may well be eroding out in place. Nevertheless, it seems likely that they represent a small campsite along the route between the Ararat plain and the Lori valley that followed the Kasakh river (Gasparyan 2005).
Gasparyan 2006
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