Use-wear traces and the complexity of an Epigravettian site in the Venetian Prealps.

The functional study of a lithic industry can provide significant contribution to reconstruct the social and economic organization of late-glacial hunters-gatherers, through the recognition of different activities carried out at the sites. Reasoning about the role that variable targets played in the dynamics of the settlement systems, the principal aims of current research in Eastern Italian Alps are the resources exploitation strategies and the logistic organization of epigravettians. From the LGM to the onset of the Holocene many and intense ecological modifications occurred in this region. The main processes - deglaciation and forest expansion - led humans to settle in the Pre-Alpine fringe and in Southern Dolomites. Archaeological and multidisciplinary data extracted from several sites at different locations induced to propose a settlement system model to explain the middle\high- altitude human occurrences at the end of Upper Palaeolithic. Three types of sites were individuated (Broglio, Lanzinger 1990): residential locations downslope in the valleys, middle altitude seasonal camps (commonly settled in the open air, in proximity of peat-bogs, sheets of water or under rockshelters) and seasonal hunting places at middle\high altitude. Most of the mountain camps are in the open air sites. Generally, they underwent to strong post-depositional disturbance, mainly on account of long-term soil formation processes acting on them. Although their archaeological record is rather poor in relation to that one of sites located in a more favourable geomorphological context, their study is equally required in order to fully understand the human ecology in that periods (Angelucci and Peresani, in press). This is the case of one among several middle-altitude seasonal camps occupied during the Allerød, Val Lastari, wich lies in the open air at an altitude of 1.060 m on the Asiago Plateau. Even if post-depositional processes dramatically reduced the archaeological record (no faunal remains have been found), excavations revealed traces of repeated human occupations mainly related with flint workshops and flint caching (Fig. 1). Due to its own ecological context, to their proximity to flint sources and to the archaeological record, Val Lastari can likely be attributed to that category known as temporary and complex camps at middle-altitude. Lithic technology has well demonstrated that toolmaking of local flint was aimed to obtain straight blades, two morphometric categories of bladelets (destined to be shaped into backed pieces) and laminar flakes (Montoya, Peresani, in press). Blanks and tools were used, exported and also introduced onto the site (Broglio et al., 1992). End-scrapers, burins, backed knives and retouched blades are the most numerous among the retouched tools, whereas backed points, backed and backed truncated bladelets are the most representative types among the microliths. Through a functional approach to the lithic tool-set we would like to verify the reliability of the proposed model in the general perspective of more integrated approaches recently applied on Epigravettian contexts, concerning the reconstruction of raw material provisioning systems, lithic technological procedures, their variability, as well as their evolution and their functional significance. Methodology is based on the study of use-wear traces on flint tools, at different magnifications, from low power approach with a stereoscope (up to 50X) to high power approach with metallographic microscope (up to 200-400X) (Keeley, 1980; Vaughan 1985). Analysis were supported, as necessary in a functional approach, by experimental reconstruction, with the aims to stress the attitude of different lithic raw materials exploited in the site and to observe the occurrence and evolution of the traces. Furthermore, recurring to experimental archaeology was necessary to answer to specific questions arose during the analysis of specific categories of archaeological artefacts (such as scrapers, backed bladelets…). Even if specimens are affected by variable alteration (very frequent soil sheen affected surfaces and abrasion damaged edges and dorsal ridges) and the observation of diagnostic microtraces is quite rare, results from the functional study provide some data about the function of the site and open new perspectives about its dynamics. Although the relationship with raw material provisioning is evident and that flint knapping and tool-making were very important targets at this site, neverthless it is now clear that epigravettian hunters also carried out various tasks. The results of the functional study support the interpretation that there was not only a production of weapons implements, but also their utilization in hunting, that probably occurred in the surroundings. Subsistence activities are represented too: carcass treatment and hide processing seem to be very important, suggesting that the site was related to game acquisition and animal resources exploitation. Finally, some general considerations will be made about the settlement system of the region, even by a comparison with previous functional studies on epigravettian sites (Lemorini Rossetti, 2000 and 2004). Even if the results are not necessarily in contrast with the proposed model (Broglio, Lanzinger 1990), they can contribute to enrich the actual perspectives and discussion on human ecology during the Late Glacial in the Pre-Alpine fringe, suggesting a more complex and various settlement system

Analisi funzionale dei manufatti litici del sito neolitico di Sammardenchia (Pozzuolo del Friuli, Udine)

L’analisi funzionale di un campione di strumenti provenienti da Sammardenchia-Cueis (Pozzuolo del Friuli, Udine), conferma il forte peso dell’agricoltura nello spettro delle attività dei primi gruppi umani del Neolitico antico dell’Italia settentrionale. Al tempo stesso, tuttavia, sono attestate attività legate allo sfruttamento delle risorse animali. I dati dell’analisi funzionale indicano in molti casi un ciclo di vita complesso e articolato per gli strumenti esaminati, oggetto di riutilizzo su più aree o su differenti materiali. Il confronto con le osservazioni della tecnologia di produzione permette di apprezzare il ruolo funzionale delle diverse categorie di prodotti ottenuti

Il contributo dell?analisi funzionale alla ricostruzione del sito tardogravettiano di Fosso Mergaoni (An). Primi risultati emersi dallo studio di un campione di manufatti

Il sito di Fosso Mergaoni (Ancona), ha restituito un’industria litica gravettiana distribuita in diverse concentrazioni interpretate come accumuli di prodotti della scheggiatura; numerosi rimontaggi e raccordi realizzati all’interno degli ammassi o tra di essi confermano l’interpretazione. Le evidenze portano dunque ad ipotizzare che Fosso Mergaoni fosse un sito deputato alla produzione litica. Un primo studio delle tracce d’uso su un campione di manufatti sembra confermare questa ipotesi, dal momento che altre attività (in particolare l’acquisizione di risorse alimentari e la trasformazione di risorse animali) risultano poco rappresentate

Flint backed and backed truncated bladelets in an Epigravettian context of Northern Italy : projectiles components or composite tools? European Association of Archaeologists, Xth Annual Meeting, 8-11th September 2004, Lyon. Abstracts Book, p. 125.

First results of a functional analysis (based on low-power approach) carried on a sample of backed tools of the Epigravettian site of Val Lastari (Venetian Prealps, North-Eastern Italy), put under evidence the utilization in hunting activities of a considerable part of backed and backed truncated bladelets. Neverthless, some evidences on another part of concerned pieces let think about an utilization as composite tools, mostly related to cutting activities on soft animal materials (meat, tendons, fresh hide..). Other cultural Late Glacial contexts (e.g. the magdalenian sites of Pincevent, Etiolles, Saint Thibaud), offer some evidences of an utilization of these pieces, beside their main use destination for hunting activities, as cutting tools for soft materials. While there are enough experimental data for the functional interpretation of arrow heads and backed tools employed as projectile tools, there are not many experimental researchs to verify their function as elements of composite tools. So the aim of the experimental session carried on is to test the reliability and the reactions of these pieces as cutting tools, in relation to worked materials, angle of active edge and possible hafting system

Studio funzionale delle armature microlitiche dei siti del Piancavallo (Pordenone).

Un campione di armature litiche dei siti epigravettiani del Piancavallo è stato sottoposto ad uno studio funzionale, al fine di ricostruirne l’utilizzo e il funzionamento. I risultati ottenuti permettono di comprendere le finalità degli insediamenti umani rinvenuti sull’altopiano e contribuiscono alla conoscenza delle strategie di caccia dei cacciatori e raccoglitori alla fine del Paleolitico

Organizzazione logistica nella gestione del territorio alla fine del Paleolitico superiore. Prospettive di ricerca per il versante meridionale delle Alpi.

I dati relativi al popolamento antropico del versante alpino dell’Italia nord-orientale durante il tardiglaciale esprimono una palese difficoltà di inquadramento in alcuni paradigmi etnografici elaborati dallo studio delle società primitive di cacciatori-raccoglitori. Lo sviluppo delle ricerche e l’applicazione di approcci sempre più integrati aprono interessanti prospettive sulle dinamiche insediative e sulla gestione del territorio alla fine del Paleolitico Superiore

La troncatura: uno strumento polifunzionale nei tecnocomplessi del Paleolitico Superiore e del Mesolitico d?Europa

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