An integration of the use-wear and residue analysis for the identification of the function of archaeological stone tools

The book publishes the proceedings of the workshop held in Rome in March 2012 that was intended to bring together archaeologists, scientists and students involved in the study of use-wear traces on prehistoric stone tools and/or in the identification of micro residues that might be present in them in order to hypothesize their function. Use-wear analysis carried out with microscopic analysis at low or high magnification is, at present, a settled procedure. The individuation and identification of residues is attempted using morphological and chemical techniques, these latter divided between invasive and non-invasive. Each employed technique has its own advantages and limitations. Both traces and residues analysis require a comparison to useful replicas. Even with regard to the making of replicas, no shared protocol exists. The workshop underlined the necessity to outline the basis for developing a common protocol concerning both analysis procedures and replicas realization. The adoption of consistent methods will make it possible for data obtained by multiple researchers to become interchangeable.