IngentaConnect Late Upper Palaeolithic fishing in the Fucino Basin, central Ital...

Authors: Russ, Hannah¹; Jones, Andrew K.G.¹

Source: Environmental Archaeology, Volume 14, Number 2, October 2009 , pp. 155-162(8)

Abstract:

Fish remains have been recovered from seven Upper Palaeolithic sites in the Fucino Basin, central Italy. Analyses of fish remains from one of these sites, Grotta di Pozzo, are presented here and discussed in relation to previous research on fish remains from other Fucino Basin sites. It is recognised that in previous studies little consideration has been given to identifying, or confirming accumulation agent(s) for fish remains. Three potential non-human accumulation agents are identified and considered in detail, but these do not explain the element representation patterns for fish remains recovered at Grotta di Pozzo. As such, it is likely that the fish bones from this site do represent the remains of human activity. Given this interpretation, the assemblage characteristics suggest that Grotta di Pozzo represents a site used for exploitation and processing of fish for transportation for later consumption, most likely on a seasonal basis. Further work on the fish from other Fucino Basin sites is needed to reliably rule out non-human deposition and increase understanding of fishing strategies in the Fucino Basin during the late Glacial period.

Keywords: FISH; UPPER PALAEOLITHIC; ITALY; TAPHONOMY; ACCUMULATION AGENTS

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1179/146141009X12481709928364

Affiliations: 1: Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK

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Late Upper Palaeolithic fishing in the Fucino Basin, central Italy, a detailed analysis of the remains from Grotta di Pozzo