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How did microliths make it possible to create longer cutting edges?

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The Venus of Willendorf, a small Upper Paleolithic limestone figurine with exaggerated female features and textured head, displayed against a black background. — Paleolithic Period The Venus of Willendorf, a Upper Paleolithic limestone figurine originally colored with red ochre, 30,000–25,000 bce, found at Willendorf, Lower Austria; in the Natural History Museum, Vienna.

Microliths made it possible to create longer cutting edges by allowing multiple small, sharp pieces of flint to be combined into a single implement.1

Rather than relying on a single, large piece of brittle flint—which was difficult to produce in long, unbroken lengths—craftspeople would cement these tiny, geometrically shaped blades into a groove within a piece of wood or bone using resin. By mounting these microliths together along a shaft or handle, they could construct tools with a continuous, serrated cutting edge that was significantly longer than what was feasible to manufacture from a single stone. This innovation was essential for creating specialized tools such as sickles and long-edged spears.12