Mount Chikiani Obsidian Sources (Lesser Caucasus, Georgia)

Surveys along the slopes of Mount Chikiani and the mountains that surround Lake Paravani were conducted during the last week of July and the first week of August 2025. Their scope was to improve our knowledge of the distribution and circulation of obsidian artefacts in the region, which were extracted from the Mount Chikiani open quarries. Our interest was centred in the area of the Paravani Pass, also known as Chikiani (Tiklatashi) Pass. It is located at 2170 m a.s.l., 200 m North-West of the menhir locally known as Tikma-Dash, which marks the Northernmost distribution limit of the Bronze Age obsidian quarrying area.