Late Epigravettian and Mesolithic foragers of the eastern Alpine region: Animal exploitation and ornamental strategies at Riparo Biarzo (Northern Italy)

The eastern Alpine region of Italy represents a well-known area with regards to the study of Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene forager adaptations in the whole peninsula. Caves, shelters and open-air sites, which are numerous in this region, have yielded traces of human re-peopling from mountaineous environments since the Late Glacial and until the Early Holocene. However, the archaeological record of the region lacks evidence about long lasting forager occupations. Exceptionally for the eastern Alpine sector, Riparo Biarzo (Natisone Valley, Julian Prealps) has yielded important evidence of continuous forager frequentation from Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene.