Neolithic Liner Dagger from Ust-Narym in the Irtysh River Valley

Abstract

The present research featured a slotted, or liner, bone dagger from the Neolithic layer of the Ust-Narym settlement on the Irtysh River. Its design, material processing technology, and functional purpose make it a rare, as well as the most ancient example of hand-to-hand combat weapons found in Kazakhstan. This composite object was carved from the posterior left metatarsal bone of a wild auroch with the help of several tools. It includes thin and sharp flint inserts, which were attached into the grooves on the side faces of the dagger frame with a special adhesive substance. An additional nozzle for a short handle made it possible to use this piercing-cutting weapon in battle. It is decorated with dots and circles connected by straight lines, which probably means it was a socialized object of ritual use associated with sacrifice. Typologically, the dagger from Ust-Narym is similar to artifacts found in the Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites in the south of Western Siberia, in the Urals, in the Baikal region, and in Eastern Europe. The dagger marks a milestone in the technical and technological development of ancient Eurasian peoples. It also illustrates the ethno-social and cultural processes across the vast territory of Eurasia.