The more you know...........various approaches in the analysis of tools from Liang Bua, Flores Indonesia

Chipped stone flakes from sedimentary deposits from the Liang Bua site, Flores, Indonesia have been found in association with faunal remains and skeletal remains identified as Homo floresiensis. Use-wear and well-preserved organic residues on these flakes provide an opportunity to understand subsistence and behaviour of Homo floresiensis by determining how they were manipulated and what they were used for. This paper describes the analytical techniques including various microscope and staining methodologies used in residue analyses. It compares the efficacy and describes the outcome of these techniques in relation to the functional analysis of the Liang Bua lithic assemblage.