Prime considerazioni sulla variabilità del sistema tecnico Levallois dello strato III di Riparo Mezzena (Verona, Italia settentrionale)

The paper deals with the preliminary results of the techno-economic study of the layer III lithic assemblage, dug in 1957 by F. Zorzi of the Museo civico di Storia Naturale di Verona. The presented research is focused on the raw material management, within the local provisioning strategy model, on the strategies for introduction of lithic materials, on the predetermination of technical objectives and on their economical destination. Crypto-crystalline fl int is introduced into the site, after experienced on the sources a first pre-shaping process, and then exploited by applying the Levallois predetermination method. 3 methods had been observed (unidirectional recurrent, centripetal and preferential Levallois) all independent in their initial phase but with afterwards turn-over during the reduction process development. The next operative phase, the retouching one, is well documented the high rate of the retouched blanks, most of which obtained by retouching the Levallois blanks. Along with this technological organization we can observe a circulation phenomenon of the fi nished products committed both to the site as well as towards external uses. The micro-crystalline fl int exploitation shows the same technological organization above described, from which differs for a higher rate of fractioning of the different production phases and for a larger circulation of the fi nished products. The results of the techno-economic analysis reveal a mixed production-utilization economic strategies. The strong presence of fl int assemblages, the 5 hearths and the occurrence of faunal remains force to a certain caution in proposing the settlement dynamic of the Neanderthal groups frequenting the Mezzena rockshelter. The archaeological record would be the result of more than one consecutive episodes of human presences, relatively short in time length and related to human groups which behave following a mobility system where the residential movements should be moderately frequent