According to a new study, prehistoric daggers were used to slaughter and butcher animals during the early fourth millennium BCE.
Archaeologists have speculated that Bronze Age warriors may have used the daggers as status symbols.
Scientists used a new analysis method to show that the tools had a more practical purpose when they were found in Italy.
For the first time, how these objects were used, for what tasks, and on what materials, were revealed by the new analysis.
A map showing the area of their discovery with 10 daggers. The University ofNewcastle.
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The new research process uses a type of diagnostic dye called Pico-Sirius Red solution (PSR) to stain the daggers, and scientists then examine this under a variety of different microscopes to determine if any remains are.
The research team was able to determine that there were traces of type I and type II in bones and muscles from many animals.
It is possible that the knives were used multiple times for different purposes, including slaughtering livestock and carving meat from the bone.
The team wrote in the paper that they independently verified their findings with a microwear analysis on butchered animal remains from other Bronze Age sites, as these bones frequently have metal cut marks on them.
The team used the skills of a bronzesmith and obtained many replicas of Bronze Age daggers and knives. They compared the remnants on these with the original daggers and found that they were the same.
According to the statement, the research has revealed that it is possible to extract and characterize organic residues from ancient metals.
The answers that the new method can and will provide in the future are just some of the possibilities.
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The article was published by Live Science. The original article can be found here.