Continuity and discontinuity in raw material exploitation and procurement from Middle to Final Upper Palaeolithic in the Salento (Apulia, Southern Italy)

摘要: The Salento region in southern Apulia contains many important Palaeolithic sites that range in age from the Middle to the final Upper Palaeolithic. The Uluzzian–an Italian transitional industry–also is restricted almost exclusively to this region. The overall scarcity of fine-grained raw material in the area also forced human groups to opportunistically exploit non-flint raw materials and/or to prolong the use-life of flint artefacts in various ways. Limestone, siliceous limestone and other raw materials have been 9 employed in Mousterian and Uluzzian industries, while in Epigravettian industries other procurement strategies have been carried to obtain an almost exclusive use of flint. In this paper, we delineate models of raw material economy in Mousterian, Uluzzian and Epigravettian assemblages, focusing particularly on raw material procurement and circulation in the Salento. This study is based on an analysis of raw material availability in the region and of lithic production in selected lithic assemblages (eg, Giganti cave, Romanelli cave, Uluzzo C cave, Cavallo cave, Mario Bernardini, Fondo Focone). Surveys carried in field seasons 2005 and 2006 focused particularly on most southern part of Salento. The systematic survey covered an area of 30 km in radius starting from Leuca Cape. Survey was systematic and covered entirely the area but it was unable to isolate any source for flint raw material that occurs neither in veins nor in secondary outcrops as conglomerate pebbles. This also includes the consideration of possible secondary deposition sources such as marine or ancient fluvial conglomerates. This systematic absence raises questions …