Lo sfruttamento degli ungulati a Grotta Paglicci durante l’Epigravettiano Antico: il caso del livello 16a3-3

During last years a zooarchaeological analysis was carried out on the Epigravettian faunal remains from Grotta Paglicci (FG, southern Italy) by the University of Siena. In this paper study of layer 16a3-3 (Early Epigravettian) is presented. Layer 16 dates back to a time span from about 16970±150 to 16690±150 BP. The large size of the sample from cut a3-3 (ungulate NISP = 876) allowed us to carry out a complete zooarchaeological and taphonomic study supported by a solid statistical background. Faunal composition is characterised by a predominance of ungulate remains. The most frequent species are wild horse (41,7 % of remains), auroch (31,3 %) and ibex (10,4 %), thus testifying the presence of steppe or forest steppe environments. Limb bones bear impact demages and fresh-bone fractures. The low value of FFI (Fracture Freshness Index) observed on diaphyseal fragments indicates their breaking for extracting marrow. Axial elements of large-sized species (wild horse and auroch) are very scanty when compared with the higher frequency of the same parts from small-sized ungulates (caprines, wild boar and roe deer). This pattern proofs that larger carcasses were butchered directly at the killing sites and that only selected parts were transported into the cave. Mortality profiles testify that more vulnerable individuals or groups of individuals were mainly preied upon.