[en] Stone tool residue analysis has been used for reconstructing different aspects of prehistoric human behaviour, including tool use and subsistence, in a wide range of geographical and chronological settings since its initial development over forty years ago. Despite its frequent and versatile application and the potential it offers for better understanding past technologies and behaviours, residue analysis still suffers from methodological issues that mainly stem from an insufficient understanding of its possibilities and limitations. This study was designed to overcome some of these issues and to refine and reinforce the existing analytical methods in order to increase their interpretative power. The focus was here particularly on exploring the potential of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy in addressing the three crucial aspects of residue analysis: the identification of different residues, the attribution of the residues to different anthropogenic and natural processes, and the recognition of the impact of various taphonomic processes on residue preservation. Extensive experimentation and large-scale analysis of Late Pleistocene lithic material from six sites in Africa and Europe (Bushman Rock Shelter, Caours, Fumane Cave, Ifri n'Ammar, Les Cottés and Les Prés de Laure) were applied to reach these goals. The results provided valuable new data on stone tool production, hafting and use as well as site formation processes, and highlighted the need for a well-established theoretical and experimental framework in archaeological residue studies. The insights gained through the analysis of the experimental and archaeological material allowed concluding that residues are best studied using a flexible approach where optical microscopy plays a central role, where the initial hypotheses it provides are further investigated using methods selected for each case individually, and where use-wear data aids both in narrowing down research questions and analysed samples and in improving the reliability of residue interpretations.
