Flexible Late Mousterian lithic technological organisation at Riparo l’Oscurusciuto (Italy): A typo-technological and 3D-based approach

Abstract

Abstract The portion of the Riparo l’Oscurusciuto (Italy) stratigraphic sequence so far excavated provides an outstanding record of the local population history between ca. 55 − 42 kya BP: a key period for understanding the end of the Middle Palaeolithic and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic on a regional level. Previous studies focusing on the settlement pattern, the spatial organisation, and the lithic technology within the lower part of the exposed l’Oscurusciuto sequence suggest that the site was repeatedly occupied by groups sharing the same Late Mousterian tradition. On the other hand, a series of innovative technological traits appearing toward the top of the sequence seem to reflect the variability of the Late Mousterian, the local development of innovation, or the cultural influence of human groups with a different tradition. The present study aims to examine the potential patterns of continuity and innovation in lithic technology along the sequence (Stratigraphic Units 11, 4, and 2) and their implications for the movement of people and ideas at the end of the Middle Palaeolithic. To enhance the comparability of the results, we combine a traditional techno-typological approach with a new method for extracting technologically relevant quantitative features based on digital three-dimensional models of lithic artifacts. Based on our results, the same set of technological solutions was adopted along the whole investigated sequence, supporting the hypothesis that the groups occupying l’Oscurusciuto shared a single long-lasting manufacturing tradition, attributed to the local Late Mousterian technocomplex.