Backed knife
Georgia, Chekiani site
Lower Paleolithic
Acheulean
Obsidian
17.5 x 6 cm
From: surface finds of Z.K. Kikodze (Museum of History of Georgia), 1983 – 1984
Showcase 1
The tool is on a large plate with naturally thinning edges. One of the ends is slightly convex, and more massive. Half of the edge shows no traces of processing. Near the pointed end, chips of a large, uneven retouch are visible. These flakes are steeper in the middle of the tool and flatten towards the end. The thickened part could serve as a natural handle when using this tool. The second edge of the tool is straight, covered with a large, flat, and sharpening retouch. Most likely it was a cutting blade with a rounded end. The tool was probably used for cutting and stabbing operations and could have been either a knife or a point. The object is covered with a strong patina with traces of rounding and weathering, because it was found on the surface during the collection of artifactual remains.
It is a standard tool of the Lower Paleolithic era in Europe.
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