The Late Acheulian Site of Dashtadem-3 in Armenia.

Abstract

Dashtadem-3, discovered in 2004, is the only open-air Acheulian site in situ in the Caucasus. The site is located 25km northwest from the town of Stepanavan (1902 m asl). In 2004–2006 an area of 5x6m was excavated to a depth of 1m. The sediments are represented by loam soil which rests on a bedrock of porforitic andesite. The bedrock is situated from 0m to 1m beneath modern ground surface. The artifacts were not redeposited but rather partly displaced during the process of soil formation and erosion of the andesite bedrock. Organic remains were not found. The excavated area yielded 2,464 Late Acheulian artifacts from hyalo-dacite. These consist of 81 cores and 262 tools, including 49 handaxes, 8 Levallois points, 21 scrapers, 13 end-scrapers, 52 backed knives, 66 beak-like pieces, and 17 notched pieces. The typological assemblage of Dashtadem-3 can be identified as Late Acheulian.