What is usewear and residue analysis?
Usewear
Usewear refers to the wear on the edges and surfaces of implements as a result of use, the specific patterning of which may be diagnostic of tool function. Usewear may be macroscopic (visible with the naked eye) but is more often only visible under a microscope. Usewear studies may also include alterations on hafting and handling zones of tools to indicate whether they were used in a haft or handle.
Residues
Residues refer to the materials that have been transferred and attached to the artefact surface as a result of cultural and non-cultural processes. Of particular interest is the transfer of residues during use, as these potentially indicate worked material. Microscopically visible residues are identified by comparison with reference libraries of particles, microscopic cell structures and features (sometimes made visible with biological stains) and by their molecular, chemical and elemental signatures.