Mondeval de Sora: animal resources exploitation in an high altitude Mesolithic camp-site in the Dolomites (South-Western Alps, Italy).

Mondeval de Sora is situated in the heart of the Dolomites (South Western Alps, Italy) at an altitude of about 2 150 m asl; this site represents a key deposits for the study of occupation and exploitation patterns of mountain areas on the Southern slope of the Alps during the early Holocene. This paper contains the preliminary results of the study of the faunal assemblages coming from the Sauveterrian levels of sector I and III, located under opposite side of the same erratic boulder. The faunal assemblages of the two sectors are characterised by a great variety of faunal resources that differs in their composition: in sector I, the most represented species are red deer and ibex followed by moderate quantity of chamois and roe deer; while in sector III, the presence of wild caprines increases. Wild boar is scarce and carnivores (bear, wolf and fox) and rodents (marmot and hare) are rare. The taphonomic analysis of faunal macro-remains have demonstrated that the processing of animal carcasses, belonging mainly to red deer and ibex, the hunting of which was favoured by the optimal location of the site, were mostly carried out in the site