A necropolis dating back to the Hellenistic period has been unearthed during gardening in the village of Astghashen of Nagorno-Karabakh's Askeran region, Karabakh Monuments reports.

Excavations carried out on August 24-25 under archaeologist Vardges Safaryan revealed that the tombs belong to the Hellenistic period, evidenced by fragments of ceramics found at the site. Colorful dishes covered with barley have parallels with the ceramics discovered at ancient tombs in Artsakh, including in Tigranakert, as well as on the territory of Armenia.

The necropolis dates back to the 1st-2nd centuries BC.