After the summer break, our team resumed work on decorated artefacts from Maszycka Cave, on loan from the Archaeological Museum in Kraków. This time, we focused on objects of somewhat different types than the previously studied and described blades. One of these artefacts is a so-called navette, made of reindeer antler. The object is of small size and bears deep, grooved notches on both ends, which – as suggested by some researchers – may have served to hold flint inserts. The navette may therefore have functioned as a form of hafting element or handle, allowing for a firmer grip of the tool. The specimen under study displays an intriguing decoration consisting of two deep, symmetrically arranged engraved lines, and a central area covered with relief ornamentation and fine, shallow incisions. In the vicinity of one of the grooves, we identified previously unnoticed engraved lines that may represent a simple decorative motif.

Our observations, carried out with an optical microscope, allowed for a closer examination of the details and technological traces left during the production of the ornament. We documented traces of re-engraving and deepening of the lines, entry and exit points of the engraving tool, as well as areas where the tool apparently slipped beyond the intended motif, scratching the surface of the object. These observations shed light on the chaîne opératoire of the manufacture of decorated artefacts from Maszycka Cave, together with the difficulties that Palaeolithic craftsmen may have encountered during the ornamentation process.

The so-called plaque is another artefact examined so far, providing an interesting example of the technological variability observed among Magdalenian communities. On this object, made from mammoth ivory, microscopic observation revealed traces of cutting the plaque from a larger fragment of tusk and evidence of edge polishing. The function of this object remains uncertain. Its surface bears a decoration composed of irregularly arranged engraved lines, representing a stylistic convention that differs markedly from the lenticular motif observed on the navette described above.

In the near future, our team will continue the research, focusing on several artefacts of the smoother type, made of bone and decorated with simple or – in one case – more complex linear ornamentation. These studies will make it possible to record further sets of technological traces related to object shaping and the execution of ornaments, and – perhaps – also traces resulting from the use of these artefacts by Magdalenian groups.