Lecturer: Dr. Gilliane Monnier, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Minnesota

Lithic residue analysis has generated important results in Paleolithic archaeology in recent years, providing evidence that Middle Paleolithic stone tools were used not only for hunting and butchery, but also for woodworking, plant processing, fish processing, hunting of small prey such as rabbits and birds, and possibly feather procurement. These studies rely on use-wear analysis and lithic residue analysis based upon visible light microscopy (VLM). There are important methodological limitations to this type of residue analysis, however.  Reflectance-based Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM) is non-destructive and has shown great potential to aid in the identification of in situ residues on stone artifacts. However, methodological difficulties have hampered the development of this method. I present the results of a recently completed project which has 1) produced a library of reflectance standards for a variety of plant and animal tissues commonly reported as residues in Paleolithic assemblages; and 2) developed a methodology for minimizing interference in the residue spectra from stone substrates.