The Early Mesolithic of the Piave River basin: Mountain tops, riverbanks, and seashores?

The Piave drainage system is one of the widest in north-eastern Italy. Starting from its source in the northeastern Dolomites, it reaches the Venetian Plain and flows into the Adriatic Sea to the north of the Venice Lagoon. It represents one of the most important natural routes connecting the northern Adriatic coast with the inner Alps. Over the last couple of decades, a large number of Mesolithic sites have been discovered along its course, and a few sites have also been excavated, such as Mondeval de Sora in the Belluno Dolomites and the settlements of the Cansiglio Plateau in the pre-Alpine fringe. Recent research focused on this rich dataset, which includes sites extending across a wide variety of natural morphologies and landscapes, has allowed for some preliminary considerations to be made about the territorial organization and settlement strategies adopted by Early Mesolithic (Sauveterrian) hunter-gatherer-fisher groups. Further investigations across this area are in progress.