Faunal exploitation at Riparo Mezzena (Verona, Italy).

The analysis of the faunal remains coming from Riparo Mezzena (Verona, North-eastern Italy) is part of the research project devoted to the “Human Fossils of the Verona area”, project coordinated by L. Longo which aims to investigate the role played by the ecological settings and the economical sources management during the crucial OIS 3 stage in the Lessini Mountains in order to seek for similarities or differences in Neanderthals and modern humans behavioural choices. In the ambit of this project palaeontological and archaezoological analysis have been carried out revealing a great uniformity of composition in the faunal assemblage from the whole stratigraphic sequence of Riparo Mezzena: cold environment taxa are rare opposite to red deer and roe deer which are dominant. An analysis of the bone surface has been carried out in order to identify the different taphonomical agents that have altered the assemblage. The specimens were affected by different post-depositional factors but several modifications of anthropic origin have been recognized too. Particularly the taphonomical analysis shows an intensive anthropic activity, mostly in layer III, which is especially testified by the increased number of cutmarks, notches, bone retouchers and burned remains. Carnivore specimens are few and gnawing marks are absent in all the layers as a possible consequence of the intense anthropic occupation of the site. Furthermore, no cutmarks on carnivore bones have been identified.