Bone refits and spatial analyses of units A5-A6 of Fumane Cave contribute to reconstructing the dynamics of Neanderthal use of space

This paper presents an initial spatial examination based on the refitting of animal bones scattered in late Middle Palaeolithic units A5-A6 of Fumane Cave. The main goal is to contribute to understanding past activities and space organisation developed by Neanderthals. The analysed sample includes 4,234 bone fragments, of which 50 sets of refits were horizontally assembled, and four refits documented a vertical connection between units A5+A6 and 6. The study highlights a preponderance of short connections, suggesting that they mainly remain in their original position, although there are some refits at medium and long distances. The absence of important post-depositional agents, which could have caused bone movements, indicates that the distribution is mainly due to human actions resulting from repeated short-term occupations. Applying bone refits, multivariate statistical techniques, and GIS tools allowed us to identify two main bone accumulations on the east wall of the cave, far from the hearth positions. This study shows the importance of bone refitting in determining variability in Middle Palaeolithic occupational patterns.