Hidden data. The spatial analysis process, from data definition to functional areas identification. Examples from some Italian Middle Palaeolithic sites

The spatial organization of a Palaeolithic site is a key to access fundamental information levels for the reconstruction of the Settlement Strategies of the Pleistocene-Early Holocene Hunter-Gatherers. The identification process of this spatiality in the sites is a complex and highly specialized task, that involves contributions from a wide range of disciplines. This implies both a strong multidisciplinary and the necessity of Spatial Archaeology specialists. GIS is a powerful tool but its use must to be aware, to correctly identify the actual structuration of the site. Contextual Archeology and behavioural approach find in Spatial Archeology and in GIS technology the natural terrain to express the multidisciplinary convergence of the research results in the field of Prehistory. The introduction of an integrated and multidisciplinary approach for the tudy of some Middle Palaeolithic sites in Central-Southern Italy, returned promising results. The original protocol adopted in this research project is here presented. Schematically, the workflow includes 4 main steps: 1) the definition data and geodatabase design, 2) the taphonomical analysis of the context, 3) the spatio-functional analysis of the data filtered by “background noise” and, finally, 4) the reconstruction of the activity areas and functional dynamics of the site. As shown in this research, a pivotal role is played by the first steps: the goodness of the results, indeed, is directly related with the “quality” of employed data.