| Abstract: |
Analysing residues on stone tools can reveal precise information about the activities that were conducted with the lithic tool and is a valuable technique to reconstruct past human behaviours. However, it is often difficult to assess the nature of the relationship between a residue and the artefact on which it is found. It is of great importance, therefore, to determine whether residues are use-related or a result of contamination. Here, we conducted experiments with 99 tool replicas made of red jasper, processed 15 different plant taxa and mapped the distribution of residues against the use-wear traces. Our experiments addressed several questions on the spatial relationship between use-wear and use-related residues on stone tools. In the majority of cases the residues were not spatially associated with use-wear. Therefore, it appears that residues should not necessarily be considered as non-related to use because they are not in close proximity to use-wear. On the other hand, our experiments also showed that the problem of contamination should not be underestimated and can be a serious cause for misinterpreting stone tool functions. Finally, our results showed a variability in residue distribution between tools used to process different plant taxa and revealed that the water content in the contact material has an influence on residue distribution.
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