Abstract
In the last decades, several researches focused on the inland areas of Molise Region (Central-Southern Italy) to investigate the occupation and exploitation of this environment during Pleistocene and Holocene.
 The “Molise Survey Project” started in 2015 with the aim to explore, through systematic surveys, an area of 60 square kilometres, chiefly characterized by a mountainous landscape and part of the Central-Southern Italy Apennines. The project seeks to investigate the patterns of human occupation in the mountainous landscape between the provinces of Campobasso and Isernia. The surveys, carried out during the last four years, allowed the identification of 19 prehistoric sites ranging from Palaeolithic to Bronze Age: the archaeological materials belonging to the latter period are being studied by the team of “Paletnologia” of Sapienza University of Rome. This work aims to show the preliminary results of the analysis of the lithic assemblage acquired during the summer of 2016 surveys, focusing on raw material procurement and the related chaîne opératoire, also considering post-depositional agents. The obtained data allowed to reassess the human presence over inland and high-altitude areas of Molise during prehistoric times, stressing a seasonal use of the territory, from Palaeolithic to Late Prehistory, with different patterns of occupation and exploitation.
Highlights
IntroductionThe main purpose of this project is the comparison of raw materials procurement strategies and lithic production in the high mountains of central Italy Apennine during different phases of prehistory
The main purpose of this project is the comparison of raw materials procurement strategies and lithic production in the high mountains of central Italy Apennine during different phases of prehistory.Many other projects focused on the great valleys that connect the coast to the inland areas, e.g. Biferno Valley (Barker 1989, 1995a: 1-40, 1995b: 1-58), Sangro Valley (Lock 2008, Lock & Faustoferri 2008), on great lake basins within the Apennines, Fucino Lake (Ialongo 2007: 19-148) and on other areas potentially attractive for human presence
Was carried out the provenance analysis of raw material: according to the geologic map of Molise (Vezzani et al 2006), the Frosolone mountain is located in an area comprehending different geological conditions alternating layers of limestones, marl limestones and marls with limestone and dolostone deposits
Summary
The main purpose of this project is the comparison of raw materials procurement strategies and lithic production in the high mountains of central Italy Apennine during different phases of prehistory. Many other projects focused on the great valleys that connect the coast to the inland areas, e.g. Biferno Valley (Barker 1989, 1995a: 1-40, 1995b: 1-58), Sangro Valley (Lock 2008, Lock & Faustoferri 2008), on great lake basins within the Apennines, Fucino Lake (Ialongo 2007: 19-148) and on other areas potentially attractive for human presence. The exploitation of the mountainous landscape in the High Mountains of the Italian Apennine during prehistory remain still largely unknown, especially for contexts over 1000 m. Journal of Lithic Studies (2021) vol 8, nr.
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