The Use-wear Analysis of the Microliths from Layer 9 at the Upper Paleolithic Site of Rakhat in Kazakhstan

The Rakhat site is located in the Almaty region of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the foothills of the Zailiyskiy Alatau mountainous range which is a northern part of the Central Tian Shan mountains. Cultural layer 9 at Rakhat has provided the AMS 14C date, which is 24 645 ± 70 uncal BP. The use-wear analysis of the microliths from this layer revealed a series of backed blades and microblades which were used as lateral cutting elements (inserts) of throwing weapons. A lack of lithic points which could be used as cutting tips of projectiles suggests that such inserts were fitted into sharpened hafts. Only one point obtained from a backed blade was initially used as an obliquely hafted point of a throwing weapon, i. e. a point positioned on the haft at an acute angle, and subsequently as a lateral cutting element. The composite projectiles fitted with lithic inserts were the main throwing weapons of the Late Paleolithic hunters from layer 9 at Rakhat.