The southern Po plain area (Italy) in the mid-late Pleistocene: human occupation and technical behaviours

The Middle Pleistocene lithic assemblages of the Southern Po Plain are one of the most investigated Palaeolithic case-studies of the Italian peninsula. This paper focuses on the industries identified between the modern towns of Bologna and Imola which have yielded particularly abundant assemblages. The chronological attribution of these industries is based on the reconstruction of a lithostratigraphic sequence for the region. The aim here is to present a general framework of the different characteristics of the assemblages between Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 9 and 6. The results of previous studies are re-interpreted by application of a techno-economical approach aimed at recognising the technical objectives of the knappers and the reduction schemes employed.