Between the Venetian Alps and the Emilian Apennines (Northern Italy): Highland vs. lowland occupation in the early Mesolithic

Fontana, Federica; Visentin, Davide

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.014

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Evidence is mostly represented by find-spots, while only a few sites have been the object of extensive investigations, which have either yielded lithic assemblages only or, have been explored over small surfaces mainly. Overall, this Castelnovian record shows a similar distribution pattern to that of the Early Mesolithic Sauveterrian culture complex, which reflects an intense occupation of both mountainous (central and eastern Alps, Emilian Apennines) and plain areas (Po and interconnected alluvial plains) [16][17][18][19][20]. Consequently, the decline in the occupation intensity of upland territories with a shift towards pre-Alpine and plain areas during the Castelnovian, originally proposed in the 1980s [21,22], has now been called into question by the evidence brought to light in several areas of the central and easternsouthern Alps [16,20,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

A snapshot of Late Mesolithic life through death: An appraisal of the lithic and osseous grave goods from the Castelnovian burial of Mondeval de Sora (Dolomites, Italy)

et al. 2020

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The Late Mesolithic in Southern Europe is dated to the 7th and the first part of the 6th millennia BCE and is marked by profound changes which are mostly evident in the technical know-how and tool-kit of the last hunter-fisher-gatherer societies. The significance of this phase also relates to the fact that it precedes the Early Neolithic, another period of major transformations of human societies. Nonetheless, the Late Mesolithic still remains a poorly known age in this area. A burial discovered at Mondeval de Sora (Northern Italy) in 1987, represents a unique window into this period. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of more than 50 lithic and osseous artifacts associated with this burial. We highlight important contextual data regarding the techno-economic dimension and the notion of personal burial possessions. Based on the association and location of some items, we propose a new interpretation of the social status of this individual and the possible impact of technological innovation on the social organization and symbolic sphere of Late Mesolithic groups.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

A snapshot of Late Mesolithic life through death: An appraisal of the lithic and osseous grave goods from the Castelnovian burial of Mondeval de Sora (Dolomites, Italy)

et al. 2020

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“…The explanation provided for this shift is that expanding groups of hunters turned to the exploitation of marine and freshwater resources in those areas, such as the Baltic, where river estuaries, vast intertidal areas, and high sea productivity make it advantageous (Zvelebil 2008). Archaeological evidence suggests that, in the Mediterranean, Mesolithic groups continued to base their subsistence on the exploitation of terrestrial animals, including high-altitude hunting in the Alpine and Apennine areas (Fontana et al 2009;Moore 2014;Fontana and Visentin, 2016), with no or little contribution of marine and freshwater resources (Stiner and Munro 2011;Mannino et al 2011aMannino et al , 2012. This may be due to a lower productivity of the Mediterranean Sea (Fa, 2008;Diniz, 2016) or to the possibility that sites bearing abundant evidence of marine food exploitation were submerged by rising sea levels (Bailey and Flemming, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inferences on Sicilian Mesolithic subsistence patterns from cross-sectional geometry and entheseal changes

Sparacello

Samsel

Villotte

et al. 2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Using cross-sectional geometry (CSG), entheseal changes (ECs), and presence of external auditory meatus exostosis (EAE), this study tests hypothesis -bases on isotopic and zooarchaeological evidence -that in the Sicilian Mesolithic terrestrial rather than marine resources were predominantly exploited, in substantial continuity with previous Epigravettian hunters. Results show similarities in the general frequency of ECs -a rough proxy for overall activity -with Late Pleistocene hunters, in contrast with Mesolithic coastal foragers or Neolithic herders/farmers. Yet, CSG suggests that this possible continuity in the type of resources exploited was accompanied by a behavioral change, and in particular the abandonment of the throwing technology, possibly in favor of new tools such as traps and the bow and arrow. In fact, the dramatic decrease in humeral bilateral asymmetry documented at a European level with the Pleistocene-Holocene transition can be found also in the Sicilian Mesolithic. Results for the lower limb appear compatible with a certain degree of terrestrial mobility in a rugged environment. The frequency of EAE suggests that activities related to water were present but not common; however, their prominence is difficult to determine 2 given the small sample size. The pattern of information provided by the proxies for activity used here is complex and partially contrasting, but has the potential to integrate and enrich archaeological methods and biochemical approaches. This study corroborates a varied scenario of continuity and discontinuity in subsistence at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, and highlights the importance of a regional bioarchaeological approach of human biological and behavioral adaptations.

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“…Unfortunately, the distribution of funerary sites is extremely uneven across Europe: although cemeteries are present since the Early Mesolithic 11 , they have mostly been found in regions where the exploitation of predictable marine and riverine resources favored demographic growth, reduced mobility, and larger settlements 4 , such as northwestern Europe, the lower Danube, and the Dnieper basin 12 – 14 . In contrast, burials are exceedingly rare in areas such as the Italian Alps and Apennines, where subsistence appears to have focused mainly on the exploitation of terrestrial resources 15 , with small groups alternating seasonally between high pastures and lowlands 16 , 17 . In fact, in all of northern Italy, only two burials are currently securely dated to the Early Mesolithic (Vatte di Zambana, and Arma Veirana, see below; Mondeval de Sora has been dated to the Late Mesolithic, and recent studies suggest that Mezzocorona-Borgonuovo may belong to the same phase) 6 , 18 – 21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human remains from Arma di Nasino (Liguria) provide novel insights into the paleoecology of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy

Sparacello,

Goude,

Varalli

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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We report the discovery and analysis of new Mesolithic human remains—dated to ca. 10,200–9000 cal. BP—from Arma di Nasino in Liguria, northwestern Italy, an area rich in Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic attestations, but for which little information on Early Holocene occupation was available. The multi-proxy isotopic profile of the two individuals reveals that—despite the proximity of the site to the Mediterranean seashore and the use of shellfish as decorative elements in burials—the ecology of these foragers was based on the exploitation of high-altitude resources, presumably in the nearby western Alps. This constitutes the first direct evidence in northwestern Italy of a significant ecological shift towards higher altitudes following deglaciation, especially when compared to isotopic data of the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from the nearby site of Arene Candide Cave, who exploited terrestrial resources nearer to the coast and at lower altitudes. While the biochemistry of Nasino’s skeletal assemblage revealed new details on Early Holocene lifeways in the area, the osteobiography of one individual offers glimpses into the life experience of a specific female forager, depicting a scenario of early skeletal trauma, developmental disturbances, long-term impairments, and resilience amongst the last European hunter-gatherers.

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Between the Venetian Alps and the Emilian Apennines (Northern Italy): Highland vs. lowland occupation in the early Mesolithic

Cited by 18 publications

References 10 publications

A snapshot of Late Mesolithic life through death: An appraisal of the lithic and osseous grave goods from the Castelnovian burial of Mondeval de Sora (Dolomites, Italy)

A snapshot of Late Mesolithic life through death: An appraisal of the lithic and osseous grave goods from the Castelnovian burial of Mondeval de Sora (Dolomites, Italy)

Inferences on Sicilian Mesolithic subsistence patterns from cross-sectional geometry and entheseal changes

Human remains from Arma di Nasino (Liguria) provide novel insights into the paleoecology of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy

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