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The present study examines the stone weapons available in Late Palaeolithic Korea, showing how the change in lithics signals a change in hunting strategy. In advance of the Late Glacial Maximum, a tanged spear tip flourished, reflecting the hunting of large mammals associated with the colder climate. In the more variable climate that followed, the prevalence of microliths suggests lightweight composite hunting weapons mostly used in pursuit of small game and diverse food resources. These weapons eventually included bow and arrows in the final Pleistocene.

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The present study challenges the widespread notion of an unchanging crude technology of quartzite and vein quartz assemblages in the Korean Paleolithic. Though mostly coarse and tough, the raw materials vary in texture, homogeneity, and thus quality in lithic manufacture, which in turn is the main reason why there is significant variability in the lithic technology. In contrast to the common impressionistic assumption, these materials produce not only large tools but also small flake tools. The examination of Paleolithic assemblages from the middle Korean Peninsula shows differences in raw material use in making artifacts of various form and size. Using the local raw materials, which allowed for hard and sharp edges when flaked, was a very effective strategy in lithic technology.