The bifacial leaf-shaped point from excavations of the Zaraisk site

In 2018 a unique find was retrieved from storage pit 28 at the Zaraisk site (Zaraisk E location). It is a leaf-shaped point made using a biface technology that is not typical for the Kostenki-Avdeevo cultural tradition. The item was intentionally placed on the bottom of the pit and sprinkled with ochre. All facets of the point exhibit clearly visible abrasion marks. This artifact is unique both in terms of its aesthetic look and in terms of archaeological typology and technology. There are no direct analogies to this find in the Kostenki-Avdeevo culture, though certain elements of the biface treatment technology can be seen in several types of throwing weapons. The paper summarizes the most important points of the evidence-based interpretation of this item based on the analysis of treatment and general (non-utilitarian) wear traces