From Newsgroup: sci.anthropology.paleo



https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0328390
Arrow heads at Obi-Rakhmat (Uzbekistan) 80 ka ago?

Abstract
Lithic weapon points occasionally found in Middle
Palaeolithic Neanderthal sites are large and do
not differ in size, shape or type from those used
in other activities such as butchering or plant
gathering. The presence in a same assemblage of
various types of projectile armatures, some of
which are microlithic and designed for this
purpose, has only been documented in Modern
Humans sites. Recent studies indicate that light
projectile points, which would become a key
element in Upper Palaeolithic lithic industries,
were already present in its formative stages.
However, they remain marginal in debates
regarding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic
transition. We present the initial findings of
a traceological search for weapon heads in the
oldest layers of the Obi-Rakhmat rock shelter
in Uzbekistan, dating back around 80 ka. The
lithic industry of this settlement is forming
part of the Levantine Early Middle Paleolithic
continuity but with several innovative traits.
This site, located in the western foothills of
the Tian Shan Mountains, northeastern
Uzbekistan, has yielded throughout 10 meters of
Pleistocene deposits covering 40,000 years a
lithic industry characterized by the systematic
production of blades (regular thick narrow
blades from unipolar and bipolar sub-prismatic
and narrow-faced cores, thin and wide blades
from flat-faced Levallois-like cores) along
with shorter pieces from convergent or
centripetal Levallois cores, and bladelets from
burin-cores and other small cores. Three types
of projectile armature are identified over a
selection of 20: retouched points, bladelets
and more particularly unretouched triangular
micropoints which had previously gone unoticed
due to their fragmentary state. According to
the fundamental principles of hunting weapon
design these micropoints are too narrow for
having been fitted to anything other than
arrow-like shafts. They resemble the armatures
described in a pioneer settlement by Sapiens
in the Rh||ne Valley, France, 25,000 years
later.



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