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«BULLETIN OF THE IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY. GEOARCHAEOLOGY, ETHNOLOGY, AND ANTHROPOLOGY SERIES»
ISSN 2227-2380 (Print)

List of issues > «Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series». 2026. Vol 55

“Chernoozerye Dagger”: Towards a Biography of the Artifact

Full text (russian)
Author(s)

T. A. Gorbunova, I. V. Schmidt

Dostoevsky Omsk State University, Omsk, Russian Federation

Abstract
This paper reconstructs the post-excavation biography of an ornamented composite bone tool – the so-called “Chernoozerye dagger” – recovered from cultural layer 1 of the Final Paleolithic site of Chernoozerye 2 (Sargatsky District, Omsk Oblast, Western Siberia). The artifact, fashioned from the diaphyseal wall of a large mammal long bone, represents a slotted bone tool fitted with quartzite microblade insets along both lateral grooves and bearing complex incised decoration on both faces. It was excavated in 1970–1971 from a spatially discrete cluster of exceptional osseous artefacts adjacent to a hearth feature. The tool had already sustained ancient fractures and is currently held in the permanent display of the Omsk State Museum of Regional History (inv. no. OMK 9675). Drawing on the original field report, early line drawings and photographs from the 1970s–1980s, and high-resolution photography conducted in 2007 and 2021, the study tracks cumulative physical transformations across two phases: the “archaeological” phase (excavation, primary processing, and initial publication) and the “museum” phase (conservation, restoration, and longterm display). Of the 71 quartzite microblades originally seated in the lateral slots, only 37 remained in situ by 2021; of these, merely 22 retain ancient mastic and can be confidently regarded as original. The remainder are secured by three later adhesive types, attributable to successive undocumented museum interventions. Several blades have been reinserted in altered positions or reversed orientations, and display-related wear from mounting lines has accumulated on the bone surface. These findings demonstrate that artefact transformation does not cease at the point of recovery. Progressive loss and rearrangement of insets critically undermines the potential for use-wear analysis – including the identification of functional zones and directionality of edge damage – upon which any evidence-based reassessment of the “dagger” designation must rest. Metric patterning among the surviving original insets suggests systematic size reduction from the proximal to the distal end; however, this conclusion remains provisional given the incomplete blade set. The study underscores the need for rigorous documentation of post-excavation artefact histories and for preventive conservation protocols that safeguard the analytical integrity of composite tools in museum collections.
About the Authors

Gorbunova Tatiana Aleksandrovna, Candidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor, Department of World History, Dostoevsky Omsk State University; 55a, Mir ave., Omsk, 644077, Russian Federation e-mail: dr.stones@yandex.ru 

Shmidt Irina Viktorovna, Candidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Philosophy and Cultural Studies, Dostoevsky Omsk State University; 55a, Mir ave., Omsk, 644077, Russian Federation e-mail: rebew@rambler.ru

For citation
Gorbunova T. A., Schmidt I. V. “Chernoozerye Dagger”: Towards a Biography of the Artifact. Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University. Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series. 2026, Vol. 55, pp. 3–14. https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2026.55.3 (In Russ.)
Keywords
Western Siberia, Chernoozerye 2, Final Paleolithic, osseous technology, slotted bone point, quartzite microblade insets, artifact biography.
UDC
903-035.56:902.2(571.1)“632”
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2026.55.3
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