Eurasian Prehistory, I(/): 83- 106.

TRAPEZOIDS AND DOUBLE TRUNCATIONS IN THE EPIGRA VETTIAN ASSEMBLAGES

OF NORTHEASTERN ITALY

Silvia Ferrari and Marco Peresani

University of Ferrara, Dipartimento delle Risorse Nalura/i e Culturali, Corso Ercole I d'Este 32, 1-44100 Ferrara. Italy; psm@unife.it (Marco Peresani)

Abstract

Trapezoids represent a significant category of tools among the innovative geometric implements in the lithic assem­blages of European late glacial complexes, particularly those late Epigravettian industries from the Mediterranean region to the southern Ukrainian plain. The recen t recovery of several artifacts from two excavlllions in the Venetian Pre-Alps (northern Italy) prompted a large-scale examination of the chronological, and geographical distribution of trapezoids as well as the first study of their techno-morphological features. Results show an evident 'ariability in those morphological and dimensional parameters investigated and seem to suggest that the prepar-.ttion of different shapes of blanks to obtain microli ths might have occurred in the ambit of economical behaviors. Specifically, these economic choices involve an in­vestment in the manufacture ofmicroliths and this is evident in the intensi"e retouch of the tools.

INTROD UCTION

Trapezoids are well known from the Meso­lithic and Early Neol ithic technocomplexcs. These geometric implements, produced by double transverse truncation from laminar blanks, were identified at the end of nineteenth century, when G. Chierici ( 1875) and A. de Mortillet ( 1896), de­scribed the Trapezes and Rhomboi'des. In the twentieth century, many scholars addressed the typological definition and classification criteria of these artifacts (Heinzelin de Braucourt, 1962; Dan ie l and Vignard, 1953; Barriere, 1956; Boh­mers and Wouters, 1956; Tixier, 1963; Laplace, 1964a; Rozoy, 1967; G.E.E.M., 1969; Hinout, 1973; Broglie and Kozlowski, 1983), g iving rise to a more and more detailed spectra of types and varieties that, in some cases, were obviously linked to the regional context While recent stud­ies seem to support the morphological distinction of principal types from the in classifying lithic ar­tifacts, some scientists are at variance about the

position of the so-called hi-truncated bladelets. These were included in a group of geometric mi­croliths known as Divers (Daniel and Yignard, 1953), and distinct from the trapezes in their ra­tios of length to breadth (lamelles a deux lronca­tures, G.E.E.M .. 1969; jleche tranchante, Bar­riere, 1956; Escalon de Fonton, 1953; Trapeze etire, Daniel and Yignard, 1953), or by the or­thogonal disposition of both the truncations in re­spect to the blank axis (Rectangles, lleinzelin de Braucourt, 1962; Daniel and Yignard, 1953) and were therefore considered as belonging to the truncated-pieces category (Tixier, 1963; Laplace, 1964a).

At the end of the nineteenth century the mi­croburin method had been identified among the lithic complexes (Siret, 1893; Breuil, 1921) and was considered implicit in typological classifica­tions in the following years (Heinzelin de Brau­court, 1962). Truncation, by contrast, does not re­quire systematic blade fragmentation through such a method, since truncation can be produced

84 S. Ferrari & M. Pcrcsani

by transverse fractures obtained by means of flex­ion or percussion.

Initially classified as points, and successively defined as armatures microlithiques, arrowheads, or projectile points, trapezoids were the subject of hypotheses concerning their functiona l signifi­cance (de Mortillct, 1883; Dechclette. 1924; Frii­Johanscn, 1919). In the last few decades interest in improving traccological analyses and experi­mentation peaked, as did debates on whether these were multifunctional tools, or transverse, oblique, or piercing arrowheads, with or without various barbs and edges hafted on projectile weapons (Barton, 1992; ance, 1971; Rozoy, 1978 and, recently, uzhnyj, 1989; 1993; 2000). Regard ing these two latter possibilities, the finds recovered in European Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites like Stellmoor, Holmegaard IV, Loshult, Tvaerrnose, Vinkel Mose, and Shikaevka II in western Siberia, provided an essential contribu­tion to the investigation of hafting methods. Fi­nally, traccological evidence tends to indicate use in hunting tasks for these pieces (Tringham eta/., 1974; Odell , 1978; Lcmorini, 1997; Winiarska­Kabacinska, 1992) but revealed improper use too (Odell, 1978).

Widespread in Europe from the second half of ninth millennia cal. B.C. during Late Mesoli­thic, the presence of these geometries among the late glacial cultures has always been neglected due to their very low frequency and geographical discontinuity. Both the sn1dies of lithic assem­blages and the detailed fieldwork repo1ts count, describe, and c lassify trapezoids as rare or occa­sional pieces but have elicited minimal interest for a large-scale examination in defining Late Upper Paleolithic cultural phases.

In northeastern Italy, few trapezoids have been recovered during research in the last forty years from late glacial Epigravettian sites exca­vated at the foot of the Pre-Alps, or in the moun­tain region (Ferrari, 2000-200 I). Such a scarce number of implements is usually associated with very rare geometric pieces, like triangles and lu­nates, and with the imperceptible appearance of morphologically defined microburins. This me­thod was systematically adopted at the end of the Epigravettian, when a dramatic increase in the frequency ofmicrol iths occurred. Concerning the Recent Epigravettian and in particular the Youn-

ger Dryas period, excavations of two mountain sites conducted by the Trento Natural Science Museum and the Ferrara University both devoted to investigating human occupation at the preal­pine fringe provided insights. Since the lithic as­semblages recovered from the extensive excava­tion at the Bus de Ia Lum site on the Cansiglio Plateau (Peresani et a!., 1999-2000) and from a test trench at La Cogola Rockshelter on the Car­bonare Pass (Dalmcri eta/., 1995) yielded tens of trapezoidal pieces, we considered these assem­blages viable for assessing the general spread of this particular type of a1tifact.

As a basis for further research devoted to the functional significance of trapezoids among the late g lacial technocomplexes and for the special purposes of thi article, we conducted a large­scale re-examination of the evidence reported in the literature about the occurrence of simi lar pieces. Cultural and chronological extra-regional affinities, techno-typological features, chronol­ogy, and the environmental contexts of northern Italian implements are presented below and con­sidered in relation with the site settlement system ofthe eastern Italian Alps.

TRAPEZOIDS IN THE LATE GLACIAL EUROPEAN CULTURES

A broad, preliminary overview of the litera­ture concerning Europe and its neighboring re­gions revealed a wide distr ibution of trapezoids from the end of Last Glacial Maximum up to the beginning of Holocene. By focusing on the sites that have been 14C dated or the li thic industries with undoubted cultural attribution. it is possible to show how the utilization of this implement con­cerned both a large temporal interval and geogra­phic area, from the Near East to the Great Euro­pean Plain. We arbitrarily subdivided the overall evidence into two main chronological steps, the o lder one coinciding with the Oldest Dryas inc lu­ding the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, and the later one including the late glacial interstadials up to the Pleistocene/ Holocene boundary, in order to assess the chronological occurrence of these geometric mjcroliths.

End of the Last Glacial Maximum a nd the Oldest Dr yas

Trapezoids were documented during this pe-

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravettian 85

riod in some parts of southern Ew-ope, like the Balkans, the Italian peninsula, and Crimea, and outside of Europe in the Near East (Syria. Jordan). ln the Near East, the Kebaran culture shows a sig­nificant increase in trapezes a dos (Cauvin and Coqueugniot, 1988; Kaufman, 1988), as well as the presence of trapezoids at Umm el Tiel (layer 6: 16,320:1:200 B.P.; layer 5: 14,650±70 B.P.), El Kown (Syria), and eve-David (13,400± 150; 12,610±130 B.P.). Northward, in Transcaucasia, such implements arc part of the Shan-Koba Cul­ture that occupies the ecological zone of the northern slopes of Caucasia and Crimea (Ko­zlowski, I 977). The data is scarce for the Balkan Peninsula, and only the site of Kadar I in Bosnia, which dates back to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (TL dates: layer IE/2b, 17,200± I ,400; layer IE/2a, 16,200± I ,050), yielded some pieces.

During this first chronolog ical step, the fre­quency of trapezoids in assemblages appears rather uniform, numbering two or three pieces per site, except for the Near East assemblages, where such occurrences tend to be more important1

•

Late glacia l interstadia ls a nd the beginning Holocene

During the late glacial interstadials and espe­cially after the fourteenth and fifteenth millennia cal. B.P., there is an increasing number of assem­blages containing trapezoids, as well as a spread of this implement in many reg ions of Europe. The presence of this artifact is characterized by high numerical and morphological variability.

In the Near East, sites like Kharaneh IV rec­ord geometries at 10,620±125 B.P. (layer D) with the development of the Kcbaran Culture and an increasing microlith production that was a prelude to the appearance of the Natufian. By comparison, the evidence for Crimea (Buran-Kaya Ill, layers 6.8 and 6.9, dated to I 1,900± 150 B.P., I 1,950± 130 B.P.), and the central and southern Ukraine, show a different world represented by Postgravet­tian cultures that, for Osokorivka and Shan-Koba, includes trapezes and some large triangles in their lithic tool sets (Zaliznyak, 1999).

In southern Europe, we see the production of these geometric implements during the final Epi­gravettian, both in the Balkan and Italian peninsu­lae. Sicily included. Westward in Dordogne, tra­pezoids are repo11ed in Late Magdalenian assem-

blages (i.e. at La Gare de Couze, layers from G to B, layer C dated to 11.730±3 I 0 B.P.; Bordes, De Sonneville-Bordes, 1979), while in Aquitania, some bitruncated pieces were found within the Laborien complex (between I 0,350 B.P. and 9870 B.P. Lc Tensorer, 1981 ).

An important area for their occurrence is Middle Europe, where Ahresburgian sites pro­vided evidence of use for this microlithic imple­ment later on at ca. I 0,320±250, 981 0± I 00 B. P. (Bohmers, I 960; i.e. Stell moor). Complexes from Belgium to western Poland show a step of devel­opment with microliths (Dewez, 1979; Kobusic­wicz and Kabacinski, I 992; Ottc, 1983).

Italy

ln Italy, trapezoids were noted at several Late Upper Paleolithic sites in Sicily and along the Adriatic and Tyrrenian coastal belts (Fig. l). The oldest evidence was recorded in southern Italy (Table 1): Sicily, and the Apulian and Latium Re­gions. Some sites in western Sicily, Nebrodi Mounts, and Egadi Islands (Acqua Fitusa Cave, San Teodoro Cave, Levanzo Cave) show a cul­tural succession that includes a bipartite Late Epi­gravettian, from the Oldest Dryas to the B0lling chronozones. Drawing on one of the main aspects in the oldest phase, the geometric implements seem to disappear at one of the northernmost sites. Rare isocele, scalene, and rectangular trape­zoids have been recovered at the Acqua Fitusa Cave, leve ls 3 to 5 (Bianchini and Gambassin i, 1973), Giovanna Cave in the Siracusa Province (Cardini, I 971 ), and San Teodoro Cave, levels D I and C (Lo Vetro and Martin i, I 999-2000).

Concerning the Apulian Region and the lower-middle Adriatic coastal belt, Paglicci Cave in the Gargano Region (Mczzena and Palma d i Cesnola, 1967: Palma di Cesnola et a/ .. 1983) shows a detailed record. The thick and culturally rich stratigraphic succession explored at this site yielded the oldest trapezoid from level 8, dated to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Specifi­cally in the Apulian region, the late glacial evi­dence is represented by the very rare implements found at Santa Croce Cave (Dryas lll Allemd) and at Zinzulusa Cave, while in the Romanellian phase at the Youger Dryas-Preboreal transition, a few pieces were found at Romanelli (Laplace, 1964b) and Cavallo (Laplace, l964b) caves.

86 S. Ferrari & M. Pcrcsani

Fig. I . Sketch map of the Italian Epigravcttian sites that include trapezoids in lithic assemblages: I -Giovanna Cave; 2 - Acqua Fitusa Cave: 3 - San Teo­doro Cave; 4 U1uzzo Cave; S - Romanelli and Zinzu­lusa caves; 6 - Santa Croce Cave; 7 - Paglicci Cave; 8 -Prete and Ferrovia caves; 9 - Salvini Shelter; I 0 -Po1esini Cave; II - Palidoro Cave; 12- Castagnina; 13 - Pianali di Monte Albano; 14 - Fredian Shelter; IS ­A rene Candide Cave; 16 - Soman Shelter; 17-Tag! i­ente Shelter; 18 - La Cogola Shelter; 19 - Val Lastari; 20 - Villabruna A Shelter; 21 - Bus de La Lum

Moving northward, the numerous Bertonian in­dustries in the Abruzzi Region (Bisi eta/., 1983) lack double-truncated pieces that, on the contrary, were recovered in the Marchc Region (Broglio and Lollini, 1981 ). The Grotta del Prete record marks the last step of the cultural evolution that occurred during the Aller0d- Preboreal interval and that also seems to have afTected the techno­logical background. While the oldest phase is characterized by the blade and microblade pro­duction at Ferrovia Cave with geometric pieces, during the latest one it is possible to observe a de­crease in the microgravette content and the ap­pearance of trapezoids.

Moving northward along the Tyrrenian coastal belt and inland, few late glacial sites con-

taincd trapezoids in their lithic assemblages. At Polesini Cave at Ponte Lucano near Tivoli (La­tium; dated to the end of Younger Dryas; Laplace, 1964b; Bietti et a/., 1985) one isoscelc trapeze and one rhomboidal piece were recovered from layer 7. Attributed to the same final cultural phase, the assemblages recovered in layers l l and 12 at the Salvini Rockshelter in Latium, included few double-truncated bladelets (Bietri, 1984). Similar artifacts have been documented at Pali­doro Cave in sections I and 8 within layer B (dated to the Oldest Dryas; Bietti, 1976 77). Fur­ther north in inland Tuscany, sites like Fredian Rockshelter (Boschian et a/., 1995), Pianali di Montalbano (Martini, 1991 ), and Castagnina (Ga­liberti, 1997) contained evidence dated to the Younger Dryas (Fredian), or has been culturally attributed to the end oft he Evolved Epigravettian. Finally, among the numerous late glacial sites of the upper Tyn·enian coastal belt, only one rectan­gle trapeze was found at the Arene Candide Cave in layers 1-2 (B ietti, 1994; Laplace, 1964b).

The spread of these implements is clearly characterized by very low frequencies in the ear­lier sets and, in some cases, by their difference in size relative to those recorded for the younger contexts. For this reason, we point out that the two trapezoids found in the Oldest Dryas/B0lling level 10 at Tagliente Rockshelter (Fig. 4: 37, 38) because of their notable size, have been excluded from the analysis of the Recent Epigravcttian set.

NORTHEASTERN ITALY AND THE RECENT EPIGRA VETTIAN The context and its modifications: chronology, environment, site distribution, main cultural outline

The late glacial period in northeastern Italy corresponds approximately to the Recent Epi­gravettian as A. Broglio ( I 980), and Bisi et a/. ( 1983) stated when they presented the chronologi­cal and cultural layout of the Tagliente Rockshel­ter succession and those of other sites previously discovered in this region. After more than 20 years of research in the Eastern Italian Alps, this definition is sti ll largely acceptable, even if some aspects regarding the internal subdivision and the position of the upper limit are under discussion and remain to be c larified (Bartolomei et a!.,

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravettian 87

Table 1 Occurrence of trapezoidal implements and their frequency in the totality ofmicro li ths recovered at the

Recent Epigravettian sites of northeastern Italy

r-- s· -- I Altitude

1_ -----=- ue

Som'" Sholto~ :0

r I -:--1=-Tra2ezoids

1~'"";' M;orohtl>• -4 %

U.T.B. 195 2.6 L.T.B. 473 --· _Q2__

529 0.3 ----Tagliente Shelter 250

Vi labruna Shelter2 500 5-4 75 4 5.3 1--!0c

--- ---

t=,:. 253 26 10.3

____§!_9 - 3 0.4 -73 3 4. 1

Bus de Ia Lum 950

Val Lastari3 1060

h±' 191 21 11.0 9 313 13 4.2 -- - -

I /26 2566 4 0.2

I La Cogola Shelter 1070

Dalmeri Shelter• 1240 -- -- -- - --

Notes about the provenance of the pieces: I - lower thermoelastic breccia, unit 160; upper thermoelastic breccia. units I I OA, 4/J 24, 133, 5/21 , 158; 2- pieces equally distributed between layer 5 and 4; 3 - two pieces from unit 3, one from its arbitrary cut 3E: 4 - pieces recovered from units 14a, 14b, 22, 26c (data on La Cogola and Dalmeri shelters have been provided by A.Cusinato and G.Dalmeri)

1977; Broglio, 1992; 1997; Guerreschi, 1983; Palma di Ccsnola, 1993; Cusinato eta/., in press). Currently, a technological study of some lithic as­semblages recovered at both valley bottom and mountain sites (Montoya et a/., in press) is pro­viding new perspectives for investigating Epi­gravettian behavior and culture, above all whether these are correlated with the geographical and biological modifications that occurred in the al­pine southern margin during the late glacial. ln this region, the history of human colonization is supported by numerous sites, some of which have been systematically investigated, and by various interdiscipli nary data that illustrate the ecological contexts in which the Epigravettians lived from Last Glacial Maximum to the beginning Holo­cene.

The studies conducted in the Belluno Area demonstrate that after the Last Glacial Maximum (ca. 17,000 B.P. in the northern Treviso area; Bondesan, 1999) the glacier withdrawal from the prealpine fringe was accompanied by intermo­rainic lake formation and influenced indirectly the occurrence of several landslide events responsible for the fonnation of other lacustrine basins (Pelle­grini and Surian 1994, 1996). In some sites, the

late glacial beginning is marked by the occurrence of open larch stands (Casadoro eta/., 1976), from which the conifer forests expanded during the Belling and the tree line reached about 1,500 m altitude or even higher in the inner Italian Alps (Schneider, 1985; Kofler, 1994). Consistently, a recently discovered late glacial-Early Holocene paleobotanical and archaeological record, the Palughetto basin on the Cansiglio Plateau (A vigli­ano et a/., 2000), shows that tree line was well over 1,050 mat the end of the B0lling. Many pol­len records at the southern alpine margin suggest a mass tree expansion at 12,300/ 12,200 B.P. and provide evidence that the start of peat accumula­tion at low and middle altitudes is close to the age of forest expansion during a short time interval during the second part of B01ling (Caval! in et a/., 1997; Gehrig, 1997; Wick, 1996).

Forest expansion and the stabilization of mountain slopes during the 80lling- Ailemd per­mitted the peopling of the eastern Pre-Alps and the Dolomites. This process is evident in the number of camps (more than 40) lying on the karst plateaux (Lessini, Tonezza, Asiago, Cansi­glio, Piancavallo) at altitudes ranging from I ,000 to l ,500 m, and in the main valleys crossing the

88 S. Ferrari & M. Pcresani

tr? <? (.) u.. ~

ti (.) (.) <0 m co u u (.) u u u 0: <0

(.!) (l_ 0:: 0:: (l_

co ti m ,.._ u u <0 0

(l_ (l_

~ ~ IS) ... ... ch u u u.. ~ ~

9 1 --;- +- +-- 1 --t- --+--+- t- 1--1

10

11 I 0.:

12 ~ !Xi >. ~

13

14

15 +--

16 ~

Fig. 2. Conventional radiocarbon dates for the Italian Epigravcnian assemblages with trapezoids, except for the northeastern region. Sites are arranged from left to right according to the geographic critcra used in the text: Sicilian sites, AFC-Acqua Fitusa Cave (layers 3-5, Azzi, 1973) and GC Giovanna Cave (Alessio eta/., 1978): the Apulian region and the lower-middle Adriatic coastal belt and inland, PC Paglicci Cave (layer 8, Azzi et at., 1974). RC ­Romanelli Cave (layer C, Vogel, Waterbolk, 1963), PrC- Prete Cave (layer 6, Alessio et at., 1978); the tyrrenian coastal belt, PaC - Palidoro Cave (layer B, arbitrary cuts l and 8, Alessio ef at., 1976-- 1977), PoC - Polcsin i Cave (layer 7, Belluomini. 1980), FS - Fred ian Shelter (layer 5. Bosch ian et at .. 1995), AC - A rene Candide Cave (layers I, 2, Bieni, 1994)

prealpine fringe (Broglio, 1992; Broglio and Lanzinger, 1996) and peaking at I ,870 m in the Dolomitic Region (Avanzini et al., 1998), near rock cliffs, peat-bogs, sheets of water, or under roekshelters sometimes very close to flint sources. S ites at valley bottoms usually lie near lakes or under rockshelters close to a stream.

Regarding the Younger Dryas, the impact of this climatic event on the prealpine landscape is known through palynological diagrams (Schnei­der and Tobolski, 1983; Wick, 1996) that show a moderate retreat of forest vegetation at the preal­pine border (300-500 m). While at higher altitude ( 1,000 m) this main environmental change has not been macroscopically observed, in the way that the Palughetto conifer record documents (A vigli­ano et a/., 2000).

From this perspective, while open air sites

close to the Trento Basin (Viotte del Bondone, Andalo, Terlago; Bagolini and Guerreschi, 1978; Bagolini and Dalmeri, 1983; Guerreschi, 1984) must receive a more reliable chronological attri­bution going beyond that suggested by their pede-stratigraphic layouts (Cremaschi and Lao­zinger, 1983; 1987), the dates provided at Bus de La Lum (Peresani eta/., 1999- 2000) and La Co­gola shelter (Dalmeri et a/., 1995) indicate that mountain human occupation certainly occurred during the Younger Dryas, and that it fits the evi­dence from Soman shelter (Battaglia eta/., 1992), although its position is in a valley bottom at the prealpine fringe (Fig. 2).

The main cultural outline of the Recent Epi­gravettian has been illustrated traditionally on the basis of typological features of the lithic assem­blages recovered in open air and sheltered sites.

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravcttian 89

Other aspects regarding subsistence, site organi­zation, production, utilization of non-fl int tools, and art, are less well known due to the strong dis­homogeneity and general dearth of archaeological records. According to Brog lio and Lanzinger ( 1990), in the settlement system different site types can be distinguished.

Residential sites in valley bottoms at the prealpine fringe

These are sheltered sites at the base of cliffs, in cave openings, or on steep slopes; a few have been found in the open too. Currently, the main bulk of information comes from the excavations conducted at Soman shelter in the Adigc Valley (Battaglia et a/. , 1992; Tagliacozzo and Cassoli, 1992); Taglientc shelter at the foot of the Lessini Mountains (Bartolomei et a/., 1982; 1992; Cilli and Guerreschi, 2000; Cilli eta!., in press; Liagre, 2000- 200 I ); Biarzo shelter at the base of an allu­vial terrace in the Natisone Valley, eastern Friuli (Guerreschi, 1996). All of these sites show evi­dence of repeated human occupation, paleo living floor organization, and subsistence economy and show that a variety of activities took place in the inhabited area including: flint tool manufacture, bone too l manufacture, butchering, hearth con­struction and maintenance, modification of living areas, cleaning tasks in the sheltered area, and ref­use evacuation. Fishing was a significant task too: at Biarzo it occurred all year long (Cassoli and Tagliacozzo, in Guerreschi, 1996). The spectra of hunted mammals reflects the paleoecological evo­lution at site surroundings: at Tagliente, ibex and bovids appear to be dominant during the Oldest Dryas (Bartolomei et a/., 1982), while during the Bolling red deer, wild boar, roe-buck, and cham­ois predominate. Similar prey was hunted at So­man and Biarzo too, during the Allerod, but dur­ing the Younger Dryas at Soman there is a de­creasing frequency of wild boar, red deer, and roe-buck.

Middle-low mountain seasonal camps. mostly sell led in the open

Except for Dahneri and La Cogola shelters, the archaeological records of these sites were af­fected by several postdepositional agents that dis­mantled the living floors, dissolved bones and other perishable remains, dispersed or concen-

trated flints, charcoal, and other remains both ver­tically and horizontally, and weathered artifact surfaces (Angelucci and Peresani, in press; Ange­lucci eta/., 1995). evertheless, important mate­rial was obtained from a few recently discovered sites: La Cogola shelter at the Astico Va lley head (Dalmeri eta/., 1995), Dalmeri shelter on the Asi­ago Plateau (Bassetti et a/., 1998; Fiore et a/., 1998), and Yillabruna she lters (A, B, C) in the Cismon Valley (Aimar eta/., 1992). All of them, and in particular Dalmeri, show well-preserved occupation layers and subsistence economies dur­ing the Allemd- Younger Dryas interval. Evi­dence of seasonal ibex hunting was uncovered at Dalmeri, where bone remains were discarded and accumulated on the ground both inside and out­side a dwelling structure show the time of slaugh­ter between summer and autumn (Curci and Ta­gliacozzo, 2000; Fiore et a/., l998). The occa­siona l presence of other ungulates as well as vari­ous carnivores has also been reported. Fishing is documented too. At a lower altitude, the Villa­bruna A shelter revealed varied game that might reflect the swTounding environment and its evolu­tion: in lower levels ( 17-1 0) ibex comprises more than 50% of total ungulates (red deer and cham­ois), while in upper levels (9-4) the dominance turns in favor of red deer and roe-buck (Aimar et a/., 1992).

The functional significance of these open air sites has yet to be analyzed for use-wear and lithic technology. The lithics are characterized by an equilibrated rate between retouched tools and various implements used to make arrowheads or barbs. Excavations perfonned at the Val Lastari site (Broglio et a/., 1992) exposed flint work­shops, a flint tool cache, and thousands of flaking by-products that were the result of various reduc­tion sequences aimed at obtaining blades, blade­lets, and laminar flakes to be used, shaped or ex­ported outside the investigated area (Peresani, 1992; Montoya and Peresani, in press).

Seasonal hunting camps at middle-high altitude

Lithic assemblages recovered at these sites are both scarce and dominated by types intended for hafting onto weapons: backed points, backed bladelets, truncated backed bladelets, and some types of geometric microliths. At present, only two sites show this type of evidence, Pian dei

90 S. Ferrari & M. Peresani

Laghetti (an open air site at I ,488 m; Bagolini et a/., 1984), and Tschonstoan Rockshelter (at 1.870 m in the Siusi Alps; Avanzini eta/., 1998). Due to a dearth of archaeological remains in both sites they remain radiometrically undated and their chrono-cultural status has been assigned based on the typological features of the lithic artifacts.

For retouched implements, the Tagliente suc­cession is uniquely useful for typologically defin­ing the first of three phases in which the Recent Epigravettian has been divided (Bisi el a/., 1983) because this succession covers a chronological span from the Older Dryas to the beginning Al­lered2. In fact, the tool sets recovered from levels 16-1 I are dominant in elongated frontal endscrap­ers on short types that, inversely, predom inate in the overlying levels {l 0-4) during the second phase. The second phase is well represented in many other sites in addition to Tagliente levels I 0-4 (Broglie, 1992): endscrapers prevail as very short, thumbnail, sub-circular, semicircular, and fan shapes; truncations show variable frequency, sometimes higher at mountain sites than at low al­titude sites; backed knives are present only in the Allemd; like the microgravettes, the backed points form a large typological variety including implements with truncated bases and proximal points with natural base; rare lunates, triangles, and trapezoids occur. Except for trapezoids which disappear, these microlithic geometric imple­ments abruptly increase during the third, final Epigravettian phase, concurrently with the mas­sive adoption of the microburin method and the appearance of truncation-points and double backed points.

Chronologically, these phases approximately fall into the late glacial chronozones in accor­dance with the 14C dates obtained from many d if­ferent sites (Broglio and lmprota, 1994- 1995): the first phase being included in the Older Dryas, the second one covering the late glacial interstadi­als and the main part of the Younger Dryas, while the third one is of uncertain position, and might be placed around the Younger Dryas- Preboreal bou­ndary. The attribution of sites to one or other of these phases, nevertheless differs among scholars (Broglio, 1992; Guerreschi, 1996).

According to A. Broglio (Broglio and Im­prota, 1994-1995; Broglio, 1997), the lithic in­dustry of the first phase derives from a develop-

ment of the Early Epigravettian, because this technological tradition seems to be discemable in the flaking procedure, typology, and size of the lithic implements. On the other hand, the two fol­lowing phases mark the appearance of technologi­cal and typological innovations giving a signature to the lithic assemblages that, in the author's opin­ion, unexclusively come from the Epigravettian entity. In fact, the spread of particular types of short end-scrapers, backed knives, and geometric implements obtained through the microburin method as well as trapezoids, is a complex phe­nomenon that goes beyond the Epigravettian area and points to the establishment of connections among different cultural entities. It seems likely that this situation was favored by the ameliorated environmental conditions.

Sites with trapezoids in a multi-differentiated landscape: stratigraphic layout and basic information

The Recent Epigravettian industries that con­tain trapezoids are from some prealpine sites that vary in location, environment, and site preserva­tion. In accordance with their geography and alti­tude - the mountain foot to the middle altitude plateaux - information is presented about the stra­tigraphy, environmental data, archaeological lay­out, and archaeozoological data (when available), and techno-typological data extracted from the Tagliente, Soman, Villabruna, La Cogola and Dalmcri shelters, and the open air sites of Bus de La Lum and Val Lastari. All of these sites have been radiocarbon dated (Fig. 3) and, the shelters in particular, have preserved stratigraphic succes­sions that provide feasibility for analyzing their lithic assemblages. The open air Epigravcttian site ofTerlago, settled at 414 min altitude (Bagolini and Dalmeri, 1983), was disregarded for the pur­poses this study, due to the suspicion that the se­quences have been polluted with culturally younger geometric implements.

Tagliente Rockshe/ter

Tagliente Rockshclter lies on the right bank of the Valpantena river, at the foot of a small rocky wall at 250 m in the Lessini Mountains. This shelter was initially investigated from 1962 to 1964 by the Verona Natural History Museum, and thereafter the Epigravettian deposits were

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravettian 91

~ Q) Q) > en <D <D en 0 Cll ~ N J:l J:l (j) Cll Cll Cll (j) Cll <X) en 6 0 0 0

~

~ 6 Cll <t ~ <D Cll <D ..... 1- 1- 1- N ~ 1- ~ 6 . N N ch ::J ::J ::J ch ::J ch <? ~ ..... ..... "9 <? "' ...... ..... "' _j "' ....J ch ch rh en ch ....J _j ch ch rh _j rh () ch ch ch -o () ch () _j > 1- 1- 1- 1- en > > 0 0 0 > 0 ....J en en (/) Cll ....J en ....J >

9 +-

10 ~-------------------------------------------------------------

11

12 1----------~·~~--~--------------------------------~ r I

13 ~--4,---------------------------------------~l

14

Fig. 3. Conventional radiocarbon dates for the Epigravettian assemblages with trapezoids in northeastern Jtaly, arranged in chronological order: VL - Val Lastari (unit 3, arbitrary cuts 3D and 38; 30 including structures Sill , SlY, SV; Broglio et al. , 1992); TS - Tagliente shelter (layer 10 and 8-10; Alessio et al., 1970; Hedges eta/., 1994); SS Soman shelter (lower and upper thermoelastic breccia; Battaglia eta/., 1992); DS - Dalmeri shelter (units 14/26e, 26b; Bassetti eta/. , 1995); LCS - La Cogola shelter (units 19 and 18, Dalmeri; pers. comm.)

largely excavated by the University of Ferrara (P. Leonardi) from 1967 to the present (A.Broglio, A.Guerreschi, C. Peretto). Partially disturbed in the medieval period, its thick stratigraphic succes­sion dates back to the Upper Pleistocene and is formed by two sequences. The lowermost se­quence, which has been attributed to the Middle and Early Wi.irm, groups several lithological units of cryogenic clast-supported breccia with blocks of rock-fall; from the base, a partially rubified c layey matrix is progressively substituted by aeo­lian loams toward the top (Cremaschi, 1990). This sequence includes Mousterian assemblages (lev­els 52-31) and a few reworked Aurignacian re­mains (level 25). Above an erosional surface, the uppermost sequence dates back to the late glacial. It thickens considerably from inside to outside the shelter. From bottom to top, it includes conglom­erates, gelifluction and solifluction deposits, and alternating planar living fl oors (levels 18-4) con­taining structures, flint workshops, a burial, lithic

artifacts, bones, and other remains. Moving out­side, the parallel bedding shifts from horizontal to inclined.

This episode of Epigravettian human occupa­tion lasted about 3,000 years from the Oldest Dryas to the Allemd (Capuzzi and Sala, 1980) during a considerable environmental change to­ward a more temperate and wooded landscape in level 12 (Cremaschi, 1990; ). Presently, research is focused on the archaeozoology (Cilli eta/., in press), lithic workshops (Guerreschi and Squin­tani, 1995), blade and bladelet manufacture (Lia­gre, 2001 - 2002; Montoya et a/. , in press), bone implements, and ornamental objects (Fiocchi, 1998). Regarding the lithic technology, Montoya eta/. (in press) point out the relationship between the laminar end-products and the use of soft ham­mer throughout the entire sequence. Typological information was provided by A. Gucrreschi (Bar­tolomei eta/., 1982) who studied levels 16 to 4. Among the tools, the longer endscrapers prevail

92 S. Ferrari & M. Pcrcsani

in levels 16 to 11 with a majority being the shorter types such as thumbnail, semicircular, circular, sub-circular, and fan sha- pes. Burins frequently appear on truncated blades and bladelets, borers, retouched blades, and scrapers. Backed points are generally small and straight, while various types of truncated backed bladelets prevail in levels I 0 to 4. Rare triangles, lunates, and two trapezoids were recovered from level I 0 to 4.

Soman Rockshelter

Soman Rockshelter lies at I 00 m in the Adige Valley, three kilometers north of the Ceraino Gorge, and was investigated by A. Broglie and M. Lanzinger from 1984 to 1988 (Battaglia et a/., 1992). Laid upon a gravelly bar and overbank de­posits of the Adige River, the stratigraphic se­quence consists from bottom to top of thermoelas­tic breccia including Late Upper Paleolithic lay­ers, and of mainly colluvial and anthropogenic fine deposits with Mesolithic and Neolithic re­mains. Excavations took place in two sectors, the smaller excavation investigated the deposit par­tially disturbed by recent quarry activity, and the larger excavation revealed an Epigravettian living floor with bone accumulation. Stratigraphy, fau­nal remains, and 14C dates reveal the existence of two main Epigravettian occupation phases corre­lated with some environmental modifications: the lower one dates back to the Aller0d, the upper one to the Younger Dryas (Battaglia eta!., 1992).

According to Tagliacozzo and Cassoli ( 1992), Epigravettians hunted adult and young­adult ungulates in the ecologically varied site sur­roundings, and sporadically hunted e lk and au­rochs. Some carnivores of different species are also represented, as well as birds and fish. Sum­mer or early autumn seasonal slaughters on the mountain overhanging the shelter are suggested by the very young age as was estimated for certain ungulates.

Except for some detailed analyses on the laminar technological procedures (Montoya, pers. comm.) and truncations (Peresani eta!., in press), at present only the lithic assemblage has received preliminarily analysis (Battaglia et a/., 1992). Cores and flaking products derive from methods aimed at obtaining blades and bladelets. With re­gard to the retouched implements, apart from the backed knives that have been recovered only in

the lower units, the two phases share the same ty­pological features in their lithic assemblages. Tools account for ca. 30% of the whole set: short thumbnail, semicircular, circular, sub-circular, and fan-shaped endscrapers are more frequent than truncations and burins. Among the backed items, various types of truncated backed bladelets largely prevail on points, on a very few backed bladelets, and rare triangles, lunates, and trape­zoids. Some microburins occur too. Truncated backed bladelets show a large typological variety mostly produced by single or double truncation: normally oriented or symmetrically or asymmetri­cally disposed, with oblique or obtuse angle. Points, appear mostly as microgravettes and small types with the base tapered by accessory bipolar retouch. Trapezoids are six: one from the lower complex, five from the upper.

Villabruna Rockshelters

Filled by a glacier ablation-tongue during the Last Glacial Maximum, the Cismon Valley in the Venetian Dolomites was inhabited by Epigravet­tians at the end of the B0lling interstadial. This evidence is provided by the Yillabruna rockshel­ters, positioned at ca. 500 m at the foot of a lime­stone cliff and excavated in 1988- 1989 by A. Broglie (Aimar eta/., 1992). Explored at the top of a debris cone, the stratigraphic succession of Villabruna A consists of clast-supported cryo­genic breccia with organic matrix accumulated during the human occupations. Units from 17 up to I OA are radiometrically dated back to the Epi­gravettian; unit 3 is of Mesolithic age. In unit I 7, a burial with painted stones was found. The other shelters, B and C, yielded Epigravettian, Late Mesol ithic, and Neoli thic finds.

Partially destroyed by recent quarry activi­ties, the anthropogenic deposits provided no de­tailed data on the settlement organization. Tapho­nomic and archaeozoological analyses proved that the bone accumulation was connected with the hunting of ungulates: ibex is the most repre­sented species in the lower part (units 17-10) while, inversely, red-deer increases in the upper part (units 9-4). Few remains of wi ld boar, roe­buck, and small carnivores were found (Aimar et a/., 1992; Aimar and Giacobini, 1995).

Recently, the lithic industry has been the ob­ject of a preliminary investigation, both from the

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravettian 93

technological (Montoya et a/., in press) and the typological standpoints (Aimar et a!., 1992). Re­garding flint supply, petroarchaeological studies carried out on geological and archaeological sam­ples revealed some affinities with the gray flint sources in the Biancone limestones 4 km from the site (Benedetti eta/., 1992). Flint was exploited in order to produce blades and bladelets. Among the retouched tools, frontal endscrapers are the most frequent with very short, thumbnail and sem icir­cular outlines; other forms occasionally occur. On the other hand, some blades were shaped by abrupt bifacial retouch in backed knives and other retouched implements. Microliths are represented by microgravettes, commonly, backed truncated bladelets and very few geometric pieces (backed lunates and triangles). The unique four trapezoids were found in layer 5.

La Cogo!a Rockshe/ter

Recently discovered at the head of the Astico Valley by the Trento Natural Science Museum (G. Dalmeri), La Cogola Rockshelter was investi­gated in 1998, 1999 and 2002. Settled at I ,070 m altitude at the foot of a modest limestone c liff fac­ing south, the site shows a well-preserved thin stratigraphic sequence formed by a clast-suppor­ted cryogenic deposit, ranging from the Final Up­per Paleolithic (units 19 and 18) to the Early Mesolithic (unit 16; Dalmeri et aL., 1995) in which abundant faunal remains, bone and 'flint ar­tifacts have been recovered. The present-day re­search involves studies on the natural and cultural formation processes, wood charcoals, lithic as­semblages, micro and macro-mammal remains, and birds (Dalmeri et a/., in press). The Epigra­vettian assemblage includes bladelet cores, trun­cation and dihedral burins, freq uent short and very short endscrapers, truncations, and several backed bladelets, microgravettes, and 37 trape­zoids of which 13 were recovered in unit 19, 21 were recovered in unit 18, and 3 pieces were re­covered in unit 16.

Dalmeri Rockshelter

Dalmeri Rockshe lter is situated at I ,240 m on the northern slope of the Asiago Plateau at the head of a stream valley tributary of the Brenta river. This site is notable both for its geographic setting and its well preserved dwelling structures

in the context of mountain environments, and a large area has been under investigation since 199 1 by the Trento Natural Science Museum (Bassetti eta/., 1998).

The units forming the sedimentary sequence are normally made of clast-supported breccia with a silty loam, quartzitic-micaceous matrix, and show evidence of different climatic phases, i.e. from relatively cold and humid, to a temperate pe­riod during the human occupation which dates back to the Allemd chronozone and, then to an­other cold context. A geoarchaeological study (Angelucci and Peresani, 1998) conducted by means of routine analyses and micromorphologi­cal investigations provided data for reconstructing the natural and cultural formation processes of the lower Epigravettian un it (unit 26). The results in­dicate that humans occupied a soil surface that was already stable and affected by soil formation. The human induced microfabrics derive from various activities: the preparation of structured occupation surfaces through the deposition of aeolian silt sediment that was collected outside the shelter; the disposal of organic refuse more than its accumulation; trampling, and manufactur­ing. Depositional and postdepositional modifica­tion processes have also been observed (organic and clay alluviation, organic soil bioturbation, degradation by cryoturbation of the structured oc­cupation surface).

Faunal remains (Baitolomei, 1998; Fiore et a/., 1998; Girod, 1998), flint and bone artifacts (Bassetti and Dalmeri, 1993; Bassetti et a/., 1995 1998; Cusinato, 1999), ornamental objects (Dal­meri and Fiocchi, 1998), and painted stones (Dal­meri, 1998; Dalmeri eta/., in press) were found. As regards the above mentioned macromammal studies (Curci and Tag! iacozzo, 2000; Fiore eta/. , 1998), they suggest that the shelter was inhabited during the summer or early autumn and that it was a specialized ibex hunting site.

A sample of the lithic assemblage was ana­lyzed typologically and a first assessment has been proposed about the organization of lithic production (Cusinato, 1999; Bassetti eta/., 1995; Peresan i et a/., in press). Detailed lithic techno­logical, typological and functional analyses are in progress (Dalmeri, Cusinato, Montoya, pers. comm.). The local gray flint provisioned from the Biancone marly-limestones, and various exoge-

94 S. Ferrari & M. Pcrcsani

nous types have been exploited in order to obtain blades, bladelets, and some flakes (Cusinato, 1999).

Regarding the retouched tool set, a certain va­riety is represented by the most frequent imple­ment endscrapers and by burins, retouched blades and truncations. Backed knives, points, and borers appear in low frequencies. Pieces esqui/lees, den­ticulates, scrapers, and retouched flakes are rare. Endscraper typology is dominated by the short frontal, while the remaining types are sub­circular, oval, thick or long frontal. Truncation burins in majority, and dihedral, multiple or on fracture. Truncations occur more on blades than on bladelets, and arc equally divided into oblique and nonnally oriented types; most are stra ight and their retouch seems to show a proportional inva­sivity with reference to the linear extension (Pere­sani eta/., in press). Marginal or invasive retouch occurs on blades.

Truncated backed bladelets and backed points largely prevail on backed bladelets and rare triangles, lunates, and trapezoids. Some microbu­rins occur too. Truncated backed bladelets form a large typological variety depending on the trunca­tion occurrence and arrangement: single or double truncation, normal or inclined, with an obl ique or obtuse angle, symmetrica lly or asymmetrically arranged. The backed points are mainly micro­gravettes and other different types. There are four trapezes total.

Val Lastari

Val Lastari is an open air site that lies on the Asiago Plateau, in the Lastari Valley at the foot of the southem slope, ncar a shallow limestone wall at I ,060 m. Excavations managed from 1990 up to 1996 by A. Broglio and M. Peresani (Brogl io et a/., 1992) surveyed a 70 m2 area, including two main sectors. Currently, research is focused on the organization of lithic production, by means of technological (Montoya and Peresani, in press) and functional analyses. Detailed studies on the retouched tools and microliths as well as spatial analyses will be the next step. Disregarding the large chronological interval, the set of radiocar­bon dates indicate that site occupation mainly oc­curred during Allcn;,d interstadial (more details are g iven in Broglio e1 a/., 1992).

Four main units form the stratigraphic se-

quence: below units I and 2 which contain re­worked Upper Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic flint art ifacts, there is a silty loam soil (unit 3, with arbitrary levels from 3A to 3F) with Epigravettian remains, mostly found on a living floor (levels 3D- 3F); uni t 4 is a coarser steri le deposit. Field data and micromorphological analyses performed in a geoarchaeological study (Angelucci and Peresani 1995) indicate that the soil profile devel­oped from a loess cover resting on slope deposits, and that two late glacial pedogenctic phases, one of which related to the 3D-3F levels, occurred. Furthermore, the authors confim1 (Angelucci and Peresani, in press) that various postdepositional processes acted in reducing the bulk of archaeo­logical remains (dissolution of bones and other non-flint material) and distributing both vertica lly and horizontally the li thic artifacts.

The archaeological remains were found scat­tered inside the soil profile except on the lower floor, where they were grouped near the wall amid some boulders, suggesting the existence of flint workshops; moving beyond these, flints de­crease abruptly. Unworked or tested blocks, vari­ous by-products, prepared cobbles, cores and large cortical flakes , flakes, blades, bladelets and a few stone hammers were recovered usually in heaps, the contemporaneity of which was proven by several refittings. At the base of the wall, some waste pits with an abundance of flaking by­products, unexploited cobbles, cores and pre­cores were connected with the workshop. In the second sector a few meters away from the foot­slope, a cache was found that contained unworked or tested flint cobbles that had been selected from the clay-with-flint deposits along the valley­bottom (Peresani, 1992; Peresani, in press).

The aims and modalities of toolmaking were identified by technological analyses (Montoya and Peresani, in press) that revealed the occur­rence of three independent sequences largely per­formed on local flint: production of straight blades to be shaped into backed knives or to be used as unretouched pieces; production of blade­lets for obtaining two morphometric categories useful in shaping backed pieces; lastly, a few barely retouched blanks were obtained from a subordinate production of laminar flakes.

Regarding retouched tools, this assemblage was not polluted by Mesolithic and Neolithic

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravcttian 95

tools - both technologically and typologically di­agnostic elements. Tools (mainly endscrapers, bu­rins, truncations, backed kn ives, and other re­touched blades) and microliths (backed points, bladelets, tnmcated bladclcts) are recorded with almost the same frequency (Broglio eta/., 1992). Usually obtained from fl akes and various by­products, the endscrapers are frontal, very short, with thumbnail and semicircular outlines; other types occur with very low frequencies. Dihedral, truncation, on fracture btu·ins were obtained from blades and thick Oakes. On the other hand, regular blades were selected to be shaped into numerous truncations (Pcresani et a/., in press), backed knives and retouched implements. Among the mi­eroliths, many different types of backed points were recognized: microgravettes with direct or hi­facial back and accessory retouches, types with proximal point and natural base, short and large or truncated pieces. Backed truncated bladclets dis­play a large typological variety derived from the truncation number, arrangement and orientation. We point out the occasional evidence of the mi­croburin method, as well as the presence of geo­metric pieces ( triangles and three trapezoids).

Bus de La Lum

Excavated fro m 1997 to 2000 on a 80 m2

large area, Bus de La Lum lies at 995 m on the Cansiglio karst plateau in an extremely uneven zone with sinkholes, ponor and limestone pave­ments, where the preservation of extensive level ground, like that which hosted the camp, is excep­tional (Peresani et a/., I 999- 2000). The archaeo­logical record was strong ly reduced by karstic and pcdogenetic processes, both of which were re­sponsible for the dissolution of bones and non­flint artifacts and of a characteristic dispersion of lithics in the underlying Upper Pleistocene loess deposit (Angelucci and Pcresani. in press). Pres­ently, research is in progress and concerns study of natural depositional and postdepositional pro­cesses as well as spatial, technological, and func­tional analyses designed to reconstruct the mo­dalities of human occupation(s) dated back to the Younger Dryas.

Apart from a few sandstone pebbles used as hammers or retouchers and two refitted hematite scales, more than 6,000 flint tools constitute the Epigravettian lithic assemblage. No evidence of

Mesolithic or more recent occupations was de­tected. Blades and bladelets were chipped from blocks, pebbles and thick flake-cores: from the core technological features, it is not surprising that reduction involved more than one single se­quence and that it was influenced by the proper­ties and shapes of exotic and local raw material. Backed knives are absent. The other tools depict a large typological variety dominated by trunca­tions and retouched blades, with a lesser presence of retouched flakes, short frontal endscrapers (with sub-parallel sides, thumbnail , or fan shapes), burins and scrapers. These were shaped on various flaking end- and by-products like corti­cal blades and flakes, trimming-core blades, strik­ing platform rejuvenation flakes, and broken pieces. Even if highly fragmentary, the microliths include truncation-points, backed points, backed and truncated backed bladelets, retouched blade­lets, rare scalene triangles, several (26) trapezoids and multiple truncations. Backed points make up the single largest component with different forms: Microgravenes, very finely retouched, with a thin or abrupt thick base, with additional truncation. with double back.

THE ANALYSIS OF EPIGRA VETTIAN TRAPEZOIDS AND COMPARISONS WITH LATE MESOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS Materials and methods

Overall, 82 implements have been recovered from the selected sites, (Table I, Fig. 4); 27 of which are partially fragmentary or incomplete. Since the lithic sets from Bus de La Lum and La Cogola shelters make up the most consistent bulk of the collection (76.8%), they are likely to influ­ence the main features of the overall techno­typological aspect of the sample. Since the field­work at La Cogola is sti ll in progress, trapezoids from the Younger Dryas sites wil l be the subject of a specific investigation in the future.

For the purposes of the present study, and tak­ing into account the particular variability ex­pressed by the Epigravettian specimens, we usc the term trapezoid in a broad sense, that is to in­clude all blanks that bear double truncation or. at least, one truncation opposite to one unretouched fracture which represents the characteristic geo-

96 S. Ferrari & M. Peresani

metric shape to the artifact. Concepts and criteria of the analytical procedure are inferred by Boh­mers and Wouters ( 1956) and, in keeping with the Mesolithic contexts of northeastern Italy, by Bro­glie and Kozlowski ( 1983). This latter analytical procedure was usefu l in making comparisons be­tween the Epigravettian and Castelnovian imple­ments in order to point out their main technologi­cal and typological differences.

Each structural element of the geometric mi­crolith was recorded and analyzed: truncations (retouched or unretouched fractures), blank fea­tures (sides, sagittal profile, transverse section), retouched edges (truncation and accessory re­touches), and size (length, breadth, thickness). Each specimen was oriented by placing its base on the right. In order to recognize the original blank manufactured for toolmaking, and to distin­guish between flakes , blades, and bladelets, the general outline and the arrangement of scars on the dorsal face were documented. Other features like the sagittal profile, transverse section, thick­ness and breadth were retained as useful for deter­mining which cri teria blanks were selected. Trun­cations were evaluated on their degree of incline (in degrees, clockwise) and their outline. Finally, data about orientation, inclination and retouch in­vasivity, both on truncations and the sides, were documented. The lengthening index (l.i.) is calcu­lated as the rate between the longest side (or the main base of the trapezoid) and its breadth. In ad­dit ion to the truncation pattern, the lengthen ing index contributes to the identification and the definition ofthe specimen, in accordance with the typological protocol.

The technological and typological features of the Epigravettian geometries

All of the specimens exhibit similar condi­tions of preservation: patina is very light, edges are unabraded; only a few of them are affected by breakage and chromatic modification due to ther­moclastism. In perfect accordance with the litho­logical composition of the corresponding indus­tries, the trapezoids were manufactured on the same flint types.

Size and blank outline

Various types of blanks were shaped: blades, bladelets, and flakes. The geometric layout is one

Table 2 Main morphometric features (in mm) of the

trapezoids (total=82)

.---max 111111 111 ode average

len >th main base 35 8 15 15.7

7 8.7

10 11.6

2 2.6

~ngth shoner base 3 1 2

~adth 20 6 t css 5 2

of the parameters that has been retained for distin­guishing different types of blanks is breadth, even if width is affected by accessory rctouch(es) that left the original size unmodified. By synthesizing the body of data that we accumulated from studies devoted to recognizing methods and variabili ty in the Epigravettian laminar production of northeast­ern Italy (Montoya et at. , in press; Montoya and Peresani, in press), we fixed tbe boundary be­tween blades and bladelets around a breadth of 12 mm. Trapezoids have breadth values ranging from 6 to 20 mm and the majority of cases (52) are in the 6 to 12 mm interval (Table 2). Thick­ness varies from 2 up to 5 mm, the highest fre­quency being recorded in the lowest class. As concerns the original blank outl ine, pieces with straight sides are the most frequent (3 1 %), but for the remaining 69%, we note a high variability due to almost all the combinations possible between straight, convex, concave, sinuous, being the straight/convex, straight/sinuous and straight/ concave the most freq uent. The sagittal outline is straight in the majority of cases too (80%), but different combinations (concave, straight, con­vex, sinuous) equally occur. Transverse section is variable: trapezoidal and triangular, the both sym­metric and asymmetric, with regular or irregularly crossed dorsal ridges. In some cases no arris is present on the dorsal face.

The above data put into evidence several fea­tures: in addition to the blades (29.2%) and blade­lets (58.8%) showing regular outlines, a few flakes with mainly convex sides and convex or sinuous sagittal outlines were used (6%). Finally, 2.2% of the sample still bears cortical portions.

Truncations

Both the upper and lower truncations define two value ranges: 10°-70° (14.8%) and 310°-

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravettian 97

~ m-o

[] 14

22

·~ 30

37

8

0

t1] 15

23

31

2

9

16

24

32

0

38

3

10

0

(f] 17

33

39 40

~ 0

G(} 4 5 6

11 12 13

18 19 20 21

0

I ~ ) . ... ,_

26 28 29

0

34 35 36

0 3 em -.~==: ....

Fig. 4. Trapezoids recovered at the Recent Epigravcttian sites of northeastern Italy: La Cogola shelter (n. 1~, 6, 8, 12, 15, 24, 29), Soman shelter (n. 5, 13), Bus de La Lum (n. 7, 9- 11, 16, 19- 23, 25- 28, 30-34, 36), Dalmcri shel­ter (n. 14, 35), Yillabruna A shelter (n. 17), Val Lastari (n. 18, 39, 40), Tagliente shelter (n. 37, 38) (drawings by G. Almerigogna, $. Ferrari, A. Paoli llo)

98 S. Ferrari & M. Pcresani

Table 3 Frequency distribution of the inclination values (in degrees, clockwise) for proximal (left) and distal

(above) truncations

r--Incl. (0

) 1---

Inclination e> distal truncation

rune. ~ro' 10 20 30 50 70 310

10

_10 l

30

___iO I

_ 50 I

60 I

_1.!0 I

320 I -_140 I

350 I 2 -___1§0 I - -

total 3 3 2 2 I '-- -'-----

360° (85 .2%) for the upper; I 0°-60° (77%) and 310°-360° (23%) the lower (Table 3). Thus, it fol­lows that the upper truncations are usually turned to the left and that the lower ones usually to the right. Additionally, data shows the occurrence of trapezoids with normal truncations to be 8.2%. As concerns the zenital outline, the frequency of pieces with both straight truncations is significant (33.3%) with respect to those with concave, con­vex or irregular edges. A few pieces have both concave truncations.

Retouch Most of the trapezoids were manufactured by

means of retouched truncations (80%), while in the remaining pieces, a simple transverse fracture is visible. Five pieces from La Cogola show one unretouched fracture. Any fracture produced through the microburin method has been ob­served. The majority (65.0%) of the cases bear to­tally retouched truncations, wh ile partial retou­ches usually affect more than half of the length. Retouching was direct (88.8%), alternate (9.7%) and inverse (1.5%). lnvasivity has been observed on upper (87.9%) and lower (84.3%) truncations.

I

I

I

2

I

l

7

-.- --

320 330 340 350 360 total

3 4 8

2 5 2 l 12 -3 I 4 3 7 18

3 2 3 I 12 I -1-

3 I 6 I I

I

I

l 3

3 I I 6 r------1--

9 10 15 15 I 7 74

Sides The breadth and length scatter (Fig. 5) puts

into evidence the high dispersion of values and shows a contraction in the length range at 12 mm, that is not related to a particular type of object or with a clear concentration of pieces from one site. Finds from new excavations probably will clarify the reasons for this. The length of the sides may be an useful parameter for the typological distinc­tion of the trapezoids. Concerning the shorter side, the higher frequency falls in the 5- 8 mm in­terval ; the longer in the 11 - 17 mm interval (Table 2). An equal length was measured on 6 (7.2%) im­plements showing parallel, oblique or nonnal truncations. On 6 pieces, the length of one side was double that of the other side.

Trapezoids from La Cogola and Bus de La Lum show interesting accessory retouches: 15 finds bear retouch only on one of the two sides (9 on the shorter side); this retouch does not seem to be homogeneous in distribution, incl ination or in­vasivity. Distribution may be total (7 pieces) or more limited in extension (the last fourth of the edge length).

I

Trapezoids and double truncations in the Epigravettian 99

Lengthening index and morphological differentiation

The lengthening index defines a continuous range of values, from 0.5 up to 3.5; the highest frequencies have been recorded in 0.5-1.0 and 1.5- 2.0 intervals (76%), while 36.1 % falls in the 1.0- 1.5 class. This distribution gives rise to the following typological differentiation: 54.2% arc very short trapezoids, 2 I. 7 %arc short, and 24. 1% arc long (Fig. 6). Among the types, we record a predominance of symmetric forms (68.0%), 45.1% of which have straight both truncations), by comparison to the asymmetric (32.0%), the I 0.0% of which are very short with decalee base. Among the long forms, asymmetric prevail (60.0%) on remaining symmetric, while on the contrary, among the short forms asymmetric are lightly predominant (52.9%) on symmetric. Very short pieces have asymmetric outlines.

Most differences between the Epigravettian and Castelnovian trapezoids by a sample comparison

From layers AB I and AB2 of the Mesolithic series of Romagnano III Rockshelter in the Adige Valley (Alessio et a/., 1978; Broglio and Ko­zlowski, 1983), we examined 94 artifacts with the intent to cover the widest typological variety. The sample illustrates the almost exclusive utilization of bladelets, and a very high degree of standardi­zation (straight sagittal outline, parallel sides, and dorsal ribs, triangular or trapezoidal symmetric transverse section) that may be due to careful se­lection of the blank or well managed flaking pro­cedures, as it was previously observed throughout the overall cultural sequence (Bisi et a/., 1987). Concerning the procedure of blade fractu re and segmentation, Castelnovian trapezes clearly bear the evidence of the microburin method, that is the presence of the piquant-triedre on one or both the truncations associated with a partial notch; moreover, there is a very high frequency of mi­croburins in the assemblages. Furthermore, these implements shed light on the variability in the ar­rangement of both the truncations, i.e., the upper one systematically turned to the left, and the lower one variably inclined. As a result, Castclno­vian trapezes are mainly asymmetric short (l.i.<2) and very short (l.i.<\ .5).

40

35

30

25

.s::. g. 20 Q)

_.J

15

10

5

0 0 5 10 15 20 25

Breadth

Fig. S. Distribution of length and breadth values (in mm) for 79 trapezoids

40

35 30 25

</!. 20 15 10

5 0

r--- 1--

- f--·

- !-·

05.-1 1-1.5

r--

R Ft n I I

1.5-2 2-2.5 2.5-3 3-3.5 Range

Fig. 6. Distribution of the lengthening index values (tota1=82)

CONCLUSION T rapezoids are an important category of tools

among the innovations in geometric implements in the lithic assemblages of the European late gla­cial complexes commencing with the temperate interstadials. Their presence in many late Epi­gravenian industries from Mediterranean region to the Crimea and Southern Ukrainian plain and

100 S. Ferrari & M. Pcresani

including Italy, is likely to be interpreted as there­sult of large-scale cultural renewals, as a conse­quence of the c limatic and environmenta l amelio­ration that followed the Last Glacial Maximum. The widening of colonizable territories, favored by the ample reforestation of the eastern Italian Alps, was accompanied by the opening of the mountain passes making the crossing of this re­gion easier. In accordance with the Broglio's statement ( 1997), the occurrence of trapezoids fits in with the appearance of different retouched tools and various hunting implements as well as of some technological procedures used in toolmak­ing in relation to the settlement dynamics ob­served in Friuli, Trento, and Veneto.

In assessing the significance of such a mas­sive renewal both in toolmaking and in lithic as­semblage compositions during the late glacial in­terstadials, improvements arc required from the techno-functional studies that, at present do not support tracing the main activities connected with the manufacture and use of the trapezoids. Paral­lels with similar Late Mesolithic implements seem to be inadequate due to the cultural, tempo­ral and environmental distance between the two periods. As explained above, Castelnovian tra­pezes in northern Italy reveal a high degree of standardization both in blank procedures and tool manufacture, mak ing the difference with the Epi­gravettian items evident. On the other hand, these latter implements show a large variability in all the morphological and dimensional features con­sidered. The blanks shaped are usually bladelets, but we cannot neglect the use of blades, flakes and cortical blanks, whose sides are not parallel and straight in their sagittal outline. Truncations are also variable in their inclination and plane outline, which are mostly straight and convergent. Con­cerning their manufacture, it fits well what is known about the shrewd methods used for the for­mal tools of some Epigravettian sites (Peresani et a/., in press): no application of microburin method; abrupt retouch, mostly invasive and com­plete, usually direct, and sometimes inverse.

The use of various types of blanks to manu­facture microliths might have occurred in the am­bit of economical behavior that involved a higher investment in manufacture by retouch. Especially after examining the Castelnovian specimens, it is evident that most techno-economical efforts were

devoted to maintaining the same caliber and mor­phology of bladelets during the flaking proce­dures, to the disavantage of retouching and shap­ing both the truncations. Tt is questionable whe­ther the low frequency of standardized features observed in the Epigravettian bladelets represent the style of flaking or are the result of the use of flaking end- and by-products. For the Epigravet­tian bladelets, new information is available from the technologial studies of the Epigravettian in­dustries (Montoya et a/., in press) which share with other late glacial cultural systems (Azilian, Federrnesser) in northern and southern France (Bracco et a/., 1997) the exclusive adoption of soft hammer stones in order to obtain bladelets. The consequence of this dramatic technological shift - the abandonment of the organic hammer and use of soft hammer stones - was a complex innovation in the design of hunting implements and, obviously, in the system of hunting modali­ties (Pelegrin, 2000), that might have concerned also the trapezoids.

Acknowledgments We are grateful for the research funds provided by

M.U.R.S.T. (40%) for our research project entitled, "Origini ed evoluzione del Popolamcnto umano in lta­lia: paleobiologia, comportamcnto e strategic di sussis­tcnza". The authors are very grateful to Mr. Giampaolo Dalmeri (Trcnto Natural Science Museum), and to Prof. Alberto Broglio and Prof. Antonio Guerreschi (University of Ferrara) for pennission to study the im­plements from La Cogola, Dalmeri, Soman and Tagli­ente shelters.

Notes I. The typological reference adopted for the ana­

lysis of Kebaran industries with geometries, defines trapezoid implements as hi-truncated pieces or trapezes without a back, or as a trapezoidal outline lacking a back. The frequency of this latter type is part of the criteria for distinguishing the development phases of this culture (Bar-Yosef, 1970).

2. The chronology of the Taglientc succession, as well as the criteria adopted for the recognition of the above mentioned phases at this site, have been debated recently by Montoya et al. (in press) who points out the organization of lithic technology.

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