Rots Veerle, Hayes Elspeth, Cnuts Dries, Lepers Christian, Fullagar Richard
TraceoLab / Préhistoire, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
PLoS One. 2016 Mar 1;11(3):e0150437. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150437. eCollection 2016.
Residue analysis has become a frequently applied method for identifying prehistoric stone tool use. Residues adhering to the stone tool with varying frequencies are interpreted as being the result of an intentional contact with the worked material during use. Yet, other processes during the life cycle of a stone tool or after deposition may leave residues and these residues may potentially lead to misinterpretations. We present a blind test that was designed to examine this issue. Results confirm that production, retouch, prehension, hafting, various incidental contacts during use and deposition may lead to residue depositions that significantly affect the accurateness of identifications of tool-use. All currently applied residue approaches are concerned. We therefore argue for a closer interaction with independent wear studies and a step-wise procedure in which a low magnification of wear traces is used as a first step for selecting potentially used flakes in archaeological contexts. In addition, residue concentrations on a tool's edge should be sufficiently dense before linking them with use.
残留物分析已成为识别史前石器用途的一种常用方法。以不同频率附着在石器上的残留物被解释为在使用过程中与加工材料有意接触的结果。然而，石器生命周期中或沉积后的其他过程可能会留下残留物，这些残留物可能会导致误解。我们提出了一项旨在检验此问题的盲测。结果证实，生产、修整、握持、 hafting、使用和沉积过程中的各种偶然接触可能会导致残留物沉积，从而显著影响工具使用鉴定的准确性。所有目前应用的残留物方法都受到关注。因此，我们主张与独立的磨损研究进行更密切的互动，并采用逐步程序，其中第一步是使用低倍放大观察磨损痕迹，以在考古背景中选择可能被使用过的石片。此外，在将工具边缘的残留物浓度与使用联系起来之前，其浓度应足够高。
