Robertson, GailAttenbrow, ValHiscock, Peter2015-12-100003-598Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/55352Backed artefacts, otherwise microliths or backed bladelets, are key indicators of cultural practice in early Australia - but what were they used for? The authors review a number of favourite ideas - hunting, scarification, wood working - and then apply use-wear analysis and residue studies to three prehistoric assemblages. These showed contact with a wide range of materials: wood, plants, bone, blood, skin and feathers. These results are unequivocal - the backed artefacts were hafted and employed as versatile tools with many functions.Keywords: Australia; Backed artefacts; Craft; Inter-site variability; Microliths; Residue; Use-wear20092016-02-24