On the variability of lithic sources exploitation systems in Northern Italy: the case-studies of Mondeval de Sora (Belluno) and I.N.F.S. (Bologna)

This paper represents an attempt to identify lithic reduction sequences adopted by Sauveterrian Mesolithic groups of Northern Italy. Two sites, placed in different environments, have been investigated: Mondeval de Sora, site I, situated in the Dolomite region (South-Eastern Alps), at an altitude of 2,150 meters and I.N.F.S. (Bologna) located in the Po plain area, close to the Northern Apennine margin. Though the two analysed assemblages share the same volumetric concepts, different exploitation strategies have been highlighted. These appear strictly dependent on both raw material availability and settlement systems. The adoption of differentiated responses to local environmental conditions reflects the high adaptation capacities of these groups resulting as one of the most distinctive features of Mesolithic populations, as also evidenced by other approaches of study to early Holocene contexts