During the 2018 fieldwork, a total of 8,500 fossil bones were recovered, along with charcoal remnants and coprolites. The majority of these bones are small fragments, with complete specimens being exceedingly rare. The morphologically identifiable assemblage is predominantly represented by small mammals, with clavicles, mandibles, and vertebrae constituting the majority of identifiable remains. The remains of large mammals are primarily represented by teeth, phalanges, and diaphyses of long bones. Additionally, the fossil assemblage includes fish vertebrae and bird claws. Notably, a human bone was also discovered.
The excavated samples were systematically cleaned and preliminarily identified daily in the field laboratory (Fig. 8). To prevent DNA degradation, the sediment layers were dried without exposure to direct sunlight (Fig. 9). The dried sediment layers underwent dry sieving on-site, utilizing two sieve sizes, with a minimum mesh opening of 0.5 mm, facilitating the recovery of small fossil remains (Fig. 10).
Between 2017 and 2019, over 100 fossil seeds were recovered from the excavation areas of the Karin Tak Cave. Morphological identification of the plant remains was carried out in the paleobotany laboratory at the Institute of Botany, part of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (Report 2018).
The Karin Tak Cave is a significant archaeological site, providing invaluable insights into the region's ancient environment, early human settlement, and ecological adaptations since the Paleolithic era. Additionally, the application of contemporary molecular techniques holds the potential to further illuminate this data, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the distant past (Antonosyan, 2021, 71).
