WHEN FLINT BLADES BECAME DULL THEY WERE RE-KNAPPED TO SHARPEN THE EDGES SO EACH TIME THIS WAS DONE THE BLADE GOT SMALLER AND SOMETIMES CHANGED SHAPE A BIT. SO I GUESS THAT BLADES ON SACRIFICAL KNIVES WERE REPLACED AND THE FANCY HANDLE MAY HAVE BEEN REUSED OR PERHAPS REPLACED BY AN ENTIRELY NEW KNIFE
I SUSPECT THE BLADE WAS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE HANDLE AS IT WAS MERELY THE SHARP PART OF THE TOOL AND ALL THE SYMBOLISM AND SPIRITUAL POWER WAS IN THE DECORATED HANDLE AND THE PRIEST. I HAVE NEVER READ OF THE DISCOVERY BY ARCHEOLOGISTS OF LOTS OF DISCARDED SACRIFICAL KNIVES SO THAT MAKES ME THINK THE HANDLES WERE REUSED OR PERHAPS THE ENTIRE KNIFE WAS DESTROYED
THERE WERE ALSO SOME VERY FANCY CEREMONIAL ECCENTRIC FLINTS THAT WERE REAL WORKS OF ART AND NEVER RESHARPENED SO THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN ACTUAL USE. THERE ARE 9 SUPERB EXAMPLES IN ONE OF THE OLD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINES I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO THRU MY REFRENCES TO FIND IT BUT IT DOES HAVE A CEREMONIAL KNIFE ON THE FRONT COVER. PERHAPS I CAN LOOK LATER .
IT WOULD SEEM THE HUMAN RACE DOES TRY TO HANG ON THEIR OLD TRADITIONS,BELIEFS AND BEHAVIORS. PERHAPS THAT EXPLAINS WHY MANY OF US SEEM TO REVERT TO BABOONS FROM TIME TO TIME ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING A CAR
