Riparo del Broion (Longare, VI)

Riparo Broion is located on the eastern slope of the Berici Hills, in the north of Italy. Late Pleistocene stratified deposits include evidence of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic transition. Excavations spanning from 1998 to 2018 led archaeologists to identify human frequentations occurred during the Early Epigravettian, the Gravettian, the Uluzzian and the Mousterian periods. These layers have yielded faunal and lithic remains, shell beads, engraved portable art and the use of red mineral pigments, which make this archive a unique case for evaluating the implications of the cultural dynamics in Northern Italy 44.0-42.4 ky BP. The diversity of the faunal assemblage recovered in the Uluzzian layers 1f and 1g and in the Mousterian ones is representative of the different environments surrounding the site, ranging from open-spaced to dense and closed forests, with ungulates being targeted for hunting and consumption.