Abstract

ABSTRACT The archaeological site of Calicantone (Sicily, Italy) is known since the 1970s for its necropolis. In 2012, after a survey, archaeologists found close to the necropolis a bi-apsidal hut. The use-wear and technological analysis of the knapped lithic assemblage revealed the presence of artefacts crafted by specialists with advanced technical skills alongside expedient flake tool production. Some technological solutions, such as an obliquely-hafted long pressure-lever blade used as a sickle, are unprecedented for Sicily but find earlier comparisons in the east and north-west Mediterranean. This fact raises questions about the neolithisation in Sicily. Other solutions are novel and shed new light on the function of a particular tool typology, such as the bifacial cleaver used to scrape hides. Furthermore, the lithic assemblage exhibited peculiarities, such as the single functionality of the tools and their brief use, which could be correlated with communal funerary functions performed within the hut.

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