Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of Grotta la Fabbrica (MIS 3, Tuscany, Italy)

Grotta La Fabbrica is located in the southern end of Tuscany, near the Tyrrhenian Sea, and has been recognized as an important archaeological site since the first excavations in the 1960s. It preserves an archaeological sequence with Mousterian, Uluzzian, Protoaurignacian deposits and a small remnant layer (almost completely destroyed by erosion) containing Gravettian and Epigravettian materials. The cave constitutes a major Italian site where Middle to Upper Paleolithic transitional complexes are preserved. New excavations carried out by the University of Pisa from 2008 to 2012 yielded numerous faunal remains in association with Mousterian, Uluzzian and Protoaurignacian lithic assemblages. This study presents the result of the zooarchaeological and taphonomical analyses of the large mammal remains recovered in those recent excavations. The faunal assemblages are characterized by an important quantity of long bone and teeth fragmented due to the post-depositional process and by unidentified bone splinters. Taxonomy of the preys shows diverse habitats exploitation, with eurytherm species of open steppe-grassland (i.e., Equidae and large bovids) and woodland (red deer). However, the identification of woolly mammoth in the Mousterian indicates a more substantially cold climate. Taphonomic analysis revealed butchery marks and food processing within the sequence, but also the activity of large predators, such as cave hyenas, indicating that the cave was alternately used by carnivores and humans, as proved by the presence of lithic tools, too. Similarities between Mousterian, Uluzzian and Protoaurignacian assemblages, with no particular difference in prey selection and butchering practices are observed. Therefore, Grotta La Fabbrica faunal assemblages provide important data on the subsistence behaviour of Neanderthals and AMH in the wider region of the Tyrrhenian area during MIS 3. New radiocarbon dates of the Protoaurignacian layers that are ongoing will reveal when AMH were in the region.