Just two questions: where and why? Reconstruction of Neanderthal occupational patterns in the Mis 3

Identifier:  TDX:2711

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX2711

Authors:  Modolo, Marta

Abstract:
The presented work concerns a PhD project focused on the identification of Neanderthals subsistence patterns in the levels I and Ja of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain) and level 37 of Riparo Tagliente (Verona, Italy). It is widely recognized that the application of refitting, firstly performed during 70's and 80's can help to entangle a wide variety of research topics. Faunal material offers a good refitting potential, allowing for a detailed study of subsistence strategies by means of spatial distributions. Refitting data may help to reconstruct the social, behavioural and economic aspects of the Palaeolithic societies. On a spatial scale, they assess horizontal and vertical dispersal degree and natural or anthropic disturbance on the site. By means of this method the activities areas and the length of the occupation of both sites have been investigated. Refits have been carried out as follow: remains analysis by squares, by closest square and in overview, considering the greatest accumulation. Once we carried out the refits the data have been analysed and processed to interpret the the spatial patterns. At Abric Romaní human occupations are located between travertine platforms, which are isolated from each other, allowing to analyse more accurately all the accumulations. Different is the situation of Riparo Tagliente. The identification of more palimpsests have consequently reduced the amount of refits. This field of application tested for the first time in this site, allowed to understand the occupation and subsistence patterns of Neanderthals. All the resulting data could be used as a reference to investigate the occupational and subsistence patterns of Neanderthals in Italy and Europe.