TabarakOpen Site: Potential Proofs from the Paleolithic Period on the Dry Streambed of Atrek River, Quchan Plain

The eastern part of Iran, particularly Khorasan, is one of the most ambiguous regions of this country in the archeology of the Paleolithic Period. In fact, very few findings regarding the Lower Paleolithic Period are available to researchers. In the course of a short visit of the streambed of Atrek River in the south end of Tabarak Dam in 2016, the authors of this paper identified a small collection of stone hand tools including a chopper core, a unifacial tool, a core-scraper, a side scraper, and some broken flakes. The main purpose of this study was, firstly, to determine the relative chronology of the above-mentioned hand tools through examining their morphology and, secondly, relying on comparative studies of the same-period sites in Khorasan and Middle Asia, explore the potential findings of the Lower Paleolithic Period in Quchan plain.