Ceremonial Tools or Just Hunting Weapons? A Multidisciplinary Approach to Mesolithic Inlaid Osseous Points from Lake Lubāns, Latvia

This study presents the results of interdisciplinary analyses of unique Mesolithic ornamented and inlaid osseous artefacts from Lake Lubāns, Latvia. The research integrates AMS radiocarbon dating, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), and microcomputed tomography (microCT) to interpret the techniques used to manufacture and ornament the artefacts, the origin of the residues observed on their surfaces, and their actual function and social role. The results suggest that the two engraved points analysed were probably ceremonial or symbolic artefacts, prepared and decorated in a special manner, including the possible attachment of decorative elements to their tips and, in one case, the bichrome inlaying of the ornamentation. These objects probably represent some of the first artefacts of this type identified in Mesolithic contexts. In the case of the third analysed point, the study confirmed both the presence of inlay or painted decoration on its surface and its use as a hunting weapon. From this perspective, it also represents a unique specimen, without close analogues in archaeological contexts of similar chronology.