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Extracting residues from stone tools for optical analysis: towards an experiment-based protocol

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Abstract

The identification of residues is traditionally based on the distinctive morphologies of the residue fragments by means of light microscopy. Most residue fragments are amorphous, in the sense that they lack distinguishing shapes or easily visible structures under reflected light microscopy. Amorphous residues can only be identified by using transmitted light microscopy, which requires the extraction of residues from the tool’s surface. Residues are usually extracted with a pipette or an ultrasonic bath in combination with distilled water. However, a number of researchers avoid residue extraction because it is unclear whether current extraction techniques are representative for the use-related residue that adheres to a flaked stone tool. In this paper, we aim at resolving these methodological uncertainties by critically evaluating current extraction methodologies. Attention is focused on the variation in residue types, their causes of deposition and their adhesion and on the most successful technique for extracting a range of residue types from the stone tool surface. Based on an experimental reference sample in flint, we argue that a stepwise extraction protocol is most successful in providing representative residue extractions and in preventing damage, destruction or loss of residue.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all members of TraceoLab for their help and advice during the experiments and the preparation of this paper, in particular Christian Lepers for producing and using all the experimental stone tools examined in this study and Noora Taipale and Carol Lentfer for having revised the English text. Finally, we would like to thank the reviewers who have helped to improve this paper. This research was funded by the European Research Council under the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) in the context of a starting grant (“EVO-HAFT”) attributed to Veerle Rots (ERC Grant Agreement no. 312283). Veerle Rots is also indebted to the Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS-FRS) (grant number: CQ 2011).

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  1. TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Quai Roosevelt 1B (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Dries Cnuts

  2. Chercheur Qualifé du FNRS, TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Quai Roosevelt 1B (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Veerle Rots

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  1. Dries Cnuts
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Correspondence to Dries Cnuts.

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Table 1

Results of the adhesion test with the ultrasonic bath. The percentage of removal was calculated by comparing the state of density and size of a residue before any intervention and the state before and after each cleaning step by counting the residues. When the residue fragments were too numerous, the degree of change was estimated. Residue cause: P= production, H= Hafting, U= Use, I= Incidental, C= contamination. Condition: F= Fresh, D= Dry. Main chemical component: AA= Amino acids, CH= Carbohydrates, HY= Hydroxyapatite, LI= Lipids, TE= Terpenes and terpernoids (XLSX 15 kb).

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Cnuts, D., Rots, V. Extracting residues from stone tools for optical analysis: towards an experiment-based protocol. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 10, 1717–1736 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0484-7

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