Plants in Australian Archaeology

Abstract

Research into residues remaining on the edges of prehistoric tools after use and their survival in the archaeological record has developed in the last few years. Current techniques for removing, preparing and identifying these residues, though not completely straightforward, can readily be learned and applied. The aim of these studies has been generally to determine the materials on which tools had been used and their relative frequency as an indicator of site function. Our study attempted not only to fulfill this aim, but to invesitgate a further problem, namely whether a change in the raw materials from which tools are made is an indication of a change in the range of materials on which they were used. We examined samples of stone and shell tools from a series of stratified excavation units from the rockshelter Balof 2, New Ireland. Specifically, we tried to falsify two null hypotheses. These were that: (1) the same range of residues occurred on tools made of all raw materials, and (2) the same range of residues continued to be deposited through time. Here we show that at Balof 2 neither the replacement of other fine grained materials by obsidian nor the commencement of use of shell tools indicate different uses.