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Animal emblématique des Pyrénées, le bouquetin peuple ses deux versants depuis les temps les plus anciens. En s’adaptant à cet environnement, une forme typiquement pyrénéenne Capra pyrenaica apparaît, il y a plusieurs millénaires. Consommé pendant la Préhistoire, le bouquetin est devenu, au cours du Paléolithique récent, une figure incontournable du bestiaire préhistorique. Nombre de ses représentations sont mondialement connues : bouquetins peints du Salon noir (grotte de Niaux, Ariège) ou sculptés sur dent de cachalot (grotte du Mas d’Azil, Ariège). L’aventure du bouquetin dans les Pyrénées se poursuit jusqu’à nos jours. Victime de chasses intensives, le « bouc » avait disparu de son versant nord au début du XXe siècle. De récents programmes de repeuplement, lancés par la région Occitanie y remédient avec succès. Rassemblant une cinquantaine de spécialistes de diverses nationalités, cet ouvrage, accessible au grand public, offre dans ce premier tome un panorama général allant de l’histoire fossile du bouquetin aux programmes actuels de réintroduction, en passant par son éthologie et son rôle dans l’iconographie préhistorique et médiévale. Le tome II, consacré aux seules représentations préhistoriques, en propose un inventaire détaillé totalement inédit et richement illustré. Cet ouvrage est dédié à Jean Clottes, préhistorien, Ariégeois, conservateur général du Patrimoine honoraire au ministère de la Culture et spécialiste international des grottes ornées. Emblematic animal of the Pyrenees, the Ibex has inhabited its two slopes since the most ancient times. By adapting to this environment, a typical Pyrenean form Capra Pyrenaica appeared several millennia ago. Consumed during Prehistory, the Ibex became, during the Upper Paleolithic, an unavoidable figure of the prehistoric bestiary. Many of its representations are world-famous: painted Ibex from Salon Noir (Niaux cave, Ariège) or sculpted on sperm whale teeth (Mas d’Azil cave, ariège). The adventure of Ibex in the Pyrenees continues to this day. Victim of intensive hunting, the “goat” had disappeared from its northern slope at the beginning of the 20th century. Recent repopulation programs, launched by the Occitan region, have successfully remedied this situation. Bringing together some fifty specialists of various nationalities, this work, accessible to the general public, offers in this first volume a general panorama ranging from the fossil history of the Ibex to current reintroduction programs, including its ethology and its role in prehistoric and medieval iconography. Volume II, devoted solely to prehistoric representations, offers a detailed inventory of them that is largely unpublished and richly illustrated. This work is dedicated to Jean Clottes, prehistorian, Ariegeois, honorary general curator of heritage at the Ministry of Culture and international specialist of decorated caves.

Le site La grotte est localisée dans la partie orientale de la région cantabrique dans la localité de Aia (Province de Guipuscoa, Pays basque), non loin de San Sebastián. Le système karstique comprend trois niveaux sur plus de 1 000 mètres de développement. Fermée pendant des millénaires, elle n’a été découverte qu’en 1956, à l’occasion de l’ouverture d’une carrière temporaire. En 1962, des spéléologues ont découvert des peintures dans la galerie intermédiaire (Altxerri A) qui ont été étudiée...

L’Épigravettien a été défini dans les années 1960 pour rendre compte de l’originalité des industries lithiques postérieures au Gravettien en Italie. L’extension progressive de cette entité à une grande partie de l’Europe méditerranéenne et orientale s’est également appuyée essentiellement sur les industries lithiques. Au cours des dernières d´ecennies, le développement de l’approche technologique dans l’étude des industries lithiques, associé à une meilleure prise en compte des contextes archéologiques et des séquences stratigraphiques, a fortement renouvelé la perception de l’Épigravettien, de sa sériation et de son emprise chrono-géographique. Dans plusieurs régions, des travaux portant sur les transferts lithiques documentent des r´eseaux de d´eplacement et de contact s’établissant à différentes échelles. En parallèle, les recherches portant sur d’autres domaines techniques et culturels ont considérablement progress´e au cours des dernières décennies et ont concerné des matériaux variés (parures, faunes, art pari´etal et mobilier, sépultures...). Pourtant, ces recherches ont été généralement menées à l’intérieur du cadre fixé par les industries lithiques et n’ont que rarement conduit à une rediscussion de ce dernier. Dans cette communication, nous proposons une première tentative de synthèse des données acquises et nous tentons de poser les bases d’un dialogue non hiérarchisé entre ces différents domaines de la culture matérielle. Cette position nous conduit à éprouver d’abord la consistance de l’entité épigravettienne en dehors des seules pratiques techniques lithiques et à évaluer les recouvrements et les écarts existant entre les séquences de changements identifiés au sein des différentes composantes des systèmes techniques. Cette discussion est menée en s’appuyant d’abord sur un noyau de connaissances établies autour de deux grands domaines géographiques: le nord-est de l’Italie et l’arc liguro-proven¸cal. Nous élargissons ensuite la réflexion vers le sud et vers l’est. Chronologiquement, notre propos embrasse la durée de l’´Epigravettien (entre ca. 20 ka cal. BP et 11,5 ka cal. BP), mais se concentrera sur certains épisodes critiques ou des changements forts sont perceptibles dans les pratiques culturelles de populations épigravettiennes.

International audience

In our presentation we will give an overview of various aspects of material culture left by Epigravettian hunter-gatherers in north-western Balkans together with chronology and settlement dynamics. We critically review old and present new data contributing to better understanding of regional Epigravettian. Epigravettian techno- complex encompasses time frame from approximately 25, 000 until 11, 500 cal BP. Its archaeological evidence, both old and new, is biased and almost exclusively known from cave and rockshelter sites, although certain progress should be expected with recently discovered Epigravettian stratified open- air site Konjevrate in central Eastern Adriatic. Epigravettian is the best documented period of human presence in the north-western Balkans during Palaeolithic. At the same time, it is highly fragmented because the region experienced significant palaeogeographic changes across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition when Pleistocene Adriatic Plain was flooded and disappeared. For this reason, the current overview represents only a partial picture that does not cover the whole space that Epigravettian groups used to exploit or all the aspects of their everyday life during Last Glacial Maximum and Late Glacial. Despite all biases and constraints that surround the research on Epigravettian, this review shows that caves and rock shelters provided significant amount of data about different aspects of Epigravettian hunter- gatherers’ lifeways, i.e. lithic production, raw material provisioning areas, food procurement, body adornment, settlement dynamics, rock and portable art.

The site of Badanj (Bosnia and Herzegovina) exhibits the first rock art dated to the Upper Palaeolithic (UP) in the Balkan Peninsula. The locality consists in a large and deep rock- shelter, with a small cave on its eastern edge. The dimensions of the rock-shelter are 21x8x11m. Đ. Basler (1976 ; 1979) was the first to excavate the site in the 1970s. He was able to identify prehistoric occupations from the Late Upper Palaeolithic (Lateglacial). A large engraved boulder was unearthed: the entire surface of the boulder was covered by archaeological deposits until Basler’s excavations. In 1986-87, excavations were resumed at Badanj under the direction of Z. Kujundžić and R. Whallon. They confirmed the presence of Late Epigravettian and potentially Mesolithic. Whallon (1989) distinguished two different phases of occupation corresponding to the Late Pleistocene and, probably, the Early Holocene. Badanj is a major site for Balkans UP due to several reasons. Firstly, it is the first site where Palaeolithic parietal art was discovered in the region. Secondly, it is one of the richest sites in lithic elements for the Epigravettian in this territory (more than 8000 retouched pieces just from Whallon’s excavations and over 350, 000 lithic remains issued from both excavation projects). Thirdly, Badanj has yielded the largest collection of UP personal ornaments in south-eastern Europe (more than 1000 items), consisting on various pierced bone, tooth and shell beads. Finally, this site yielded the largest collection of Palaeolithic mobiliary art in the Balkans, a rare element in this territory. Despite still remaining unanalysed, at least 20 engraved bone fragments and tools were found at the site ; an exceptional number considering that only other 18 have been identified for the UP in the entire Balkan Peninsula so far (Ruiz-Redondo et al., 2020). A few years ago, we resume the excavations in this exceptional site. The aim was to precise the stratigraphy and to assess the chronology of the different human occupations, providing a precise view of the evolution of one of the leading sequences for the Epigravettian in Europe. The geoarchaeological study and the first dating series have revealed that the archaeological sequence is deeper and longer than previous works recognised. In this paper, we present the preliminary results of both the excavation and the dating project in progress at the site and the further implications for the knowledge of the Late Upper Palaeolithic in the Balkan Peninsula. References : Basler 1976, Paleolitsko prebivalište Badanj kod Stoca. GZM (A) n.s. sv. 29: 5-18 / Basler 1979, le Paléolithique final en Herzegovine. in Sonneville-Bordes (ed.), La fin des temps glaciaires en Europe, CNRS, Paris: 345- 355 / Ruiz-Redondo et al. 2020, Beyond the bounds of Western Europe: Paleolithic art in the Balkan Peninsula. Journal of World Prehistory 33 (4): 425-55 / Whallon 1989, The Paleolithic site of Badanj: Recent excavations and results of analysis. GZM (A) n.s. sv 44: 7-20 / Whallon 1999, The lithic tool assemblages at Badanj within their regional context in Bailey, G. et al. (ed.): The Paleolithic Archaeology of Greece and Adjacent Areas, British S. of Athens 3: 330-42.

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Područje Limskoga kanala odavno je privlačilo istraživače. Od kraja 19. stoljeća do danas istraženi su brojni lokaliteti, među kojima i Romualdova pećina. Romualdova pećina se nalazi u Istri, u općini Kanfanar, na južnim obroncima Limskoga kanala. Dugačka je stotinjak metara i poznata je po tome što je u njoj po tradiciji obitavao Sv. Romuald oko 1000. godine, te po tome što su u njoj otkriveni materijalni ostaci neandertalaca, iz razdoblja srednjega paleolitika. U Romualdovoj pećini u Istri otkrivene su paleolitičke pećinske slikarije, stare preko 30.000 godina, prve takve u Hrvatskoj. Pećinske slikarije u Romualdovoj pećini zabilježene su još 2010. kada je Darko Komšo (Arheološki muzej Istre) u sklopu projekta CRORA (CROatian Rock Art – Hrvatsko stijensko slikarstvo) otkrio crteže izrađene crvenom bojom na zidovima pećine te pretpostavio njihovu pripadnost paleolitičkome razdoblju. Tu je pretpostavku 2017. potvrdio međunarodni tim u sklopu projekta BALKART. U pećini su zabilježene 44 slikarije, od kojih se ističe nekoliko crteža, koji predstavljaju bizona, divokozu, shematizirane prikaze ljudi i trokute, koji mogu simbolizirati ženski spol. Daljnje iskopavanje u podnožju stijene sa slikarijama dovelo je do otkrića materijalnih ostataka iz gornjega paleolitika: kremena alatka, ulomak okera i nekoliko ulomaka ugljena. Analizom radioaktivnoga ugljika (C14) utvrđeno je da su ulomci ugljena stari otprilike 17.000 godina. Drugi neizravni podaci sugeriraju stariju dataciju za slikarije, otprilike 34.000 -31.000 godina. Daljim istraživanjima nastojat će se odrediti točna starost stijenske umjetnosti. Paleolitičko slikarstvo rijetko je potvrđeno u jugoistočnoj Europi. Pećinsko slikarstvo predstavlja jedne od najstarijih sačuvanih tragova ljudske umjetnosti. Znanstvenici su dugo vjerovali da je najstarije pećinsko slikarstvo iz razdoblja paleolitika bilo ograničeno samo na jugozapadnu Europu, točnije na sjevernu Španjolsku i južnu Francusku, gdje se nalaze i poznati lokaliteti Altamira i Lascaux. Nova otkrića u Istri i u Rumunjskoj, međutim, pokazuju da se prapovijesne slikarije mogu naći i drugdje u Europi. Važnost ovakvoga nalaza je izuzetna i baca novu svjetlost na razumijevanje paleolitičke umjetnosti na području Hrvatske i Balkanskoga poluotoka, te njezin odnos s istovremenim fenomenima na području cijele Europe.

[EN] This article discloses the new panel with cave paintings of O Lomar, located in the municipality of Fanlo (Huesca). The style of the paintings is naturalistic and is included in the so-called Levantine style rock art. Its location, altitude, geolocation and support make this finding unique., [ES] En este artículo se da a conocer el nuevo panel con pinturas rupestres de O Lomar, que se encuentra en el municipio oscense de Fanlo. El estilo de las pinturas es naturalista y se incluyen en el denominado arte rupestre de estilo levantino. Su ubicación, altitud, geolocalización y soporte hacen que este hallazgo tenga un carácter excepcional.

[EN] In this communication, the discovery of the parietal ensemble of O Lomar (Fanlo, Huesca) is presented. It is a small outdoor assemblage of red paintings that belongs to the so-called ‘Levantine art’. A local resident discovered the site in 2014 and notifi ed the authors, who conducted the evaluation of the ensemble. The ensemble is composed of a single panel painted on a large block (about 4m high and 5m long) found on a grassy hill. The area surrounding the site is doted by similar boulders, which have been detached from the crest of the cliffs above the hill. The panel depicts several motifs painted in red; at least two zoomorphic and anthropomorphic fi gures were identifi ed. Despite its atypical location (outdoors, rather than in a rock shelter), the fi gures show evident characteristics hinting at an association of these depictions to the widely recognized “Levantine” art, further reference may be made to the specifi c ‘naturalistic animals’ phase from the Northern area of this artistic style (Baldellou 1985; Alonso Tejada & Grimal, 1994). During two short archaeological seasons, the team carried out a series of investigations, including the documentation of the parietal remains and the excavation of an archaeological test pit at the foot of the panel. In this communication the results of these works are described and the rock art evaluated. The discovery of this site opens new perspectives for the study of Levantine art. In addition to the peculiarity of being an ‘outdoor ensemble’, its location in the High Pyrenees, just a few kilometers from the watershed of the mountain range, at more than 1600m above sea level, makes it the highest and most northerly site attributed to the Levantine Art (VVAA, 2007), which indicates an extension of the known spread of this cultural phenomenon., [ES] En este trabajo se presenta el descubrimiento del conjunto parietal de O Lomar (Fanlo, Huesca). Se trata de un pequeño conjunto al aire libre de pinturas rojas, del denominado ‘arte levantino’. Fue descubierto por un habitante local en 2014 quien dio aviso al equipo de investigadores fi rmantes para que se encargaran de su evaluación. Tras una primera visita, se constató la existencia de un único panel ubicado en un enorme bloque al aire libre de unos 4m de altura y 5m de longitud asentado en la actualidad sobre una loma herbosa, que en esa parte del paraje se convierte en una repisa llana de notables dimensiones. En la zona existen más bloques de similares características, todos ellos procedentes de desprendimientos de los farallones situados bajo la cresta de la parte superior de la ladera. En el panel se hallaron varios motivos pintados en color rojo, entre los cuales se han identifi cado, al menos, dos fi guras zoomorfas y una antropomorfa. A pesar de lo atípico de su ubicación (al aire libre, en lugar de en un abrigo), las fi guras muestran signos de antigüedad y el estilo es reconociblemente “levantino”, asimilable a su fase de animales naturalistas del área septentrional (Alonso Tejada & Grimal, 1994). Durante dos breves campañas, el equipo desarrolló una serie de trabajos, entre los que se encuentran la documentación de los motivos parietales y la realización de una cata arqueológica al pie del panel. En la presente comunicación se describen los resultados de estos trabajos y se evalúa el arte parietal del conjunto. El descubrimiento de este conjunto abre nuevas perspectivas en el estudio del Arte Levantino. Además de la peculiaridad de hallarse al aire libre, su localización, en el Alto Pirineo, a escasos kilómetros de la divisoria de aguas de la cordillera y a más de 1600m s.n.m., lo convierte en la evidencia más septentrional y a mayor altitud de las conocidas hasta la fecha para el Arte Levantino (Baldellou, 2007; VVAA, 2007), lo que supone una ampliación en el área de expansión conocida de este fenómeno cultural.

RESUMEN: En la primera parte de esta tesis, se presenta el análisis completo del conjunto parietal de Altxerri (Gipuzkoa, España), uno de los más importantes del Magdaleniense Reciente (14500-11500 BP) en la Península Ibérica. El análisis realizado abarca las características temáticas, técnicas, estilísticas y espaciales de los motivos gráficos. La información obtenida sirve para enunciar algunas características generales del conjunto rupestre. En la segunda parte se analizan algunos aspectos clave para la comprensión de la actividad gráfica del Magdaleniense Reciente. Como corpus, se ha seleccionado una muestra representativa de los conjuntos fechados en este periodo: en total, 9 conjuntos que suman 499 unidades gráficas de estudio. Para el análisis de estos otros conjuntos parietales, se emplea la misma metodología y se analizan las mismas características que en Altxerri. En resumen, a lo largo de esta tesis doctoral se analiza un conjunto rupestre paleolítico de gran relevancia (Altxerri), el cual actúa como punto de partida para realizar una aproximación a las características de la actividad gráfica de su época en la Región Cantábrica. ABSTRACT: In the first part of this dissertation, is introduced the analysis of Altxerri parietal ensemble (Gipuzkoa, Spain), one of the most important from Late Magdalenian (14,500-11,500 BP) in the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis includes thematic, technical, stylistical and spatial characteristics of the graphic remains of the cave. In the second half, some key points in an understanding of graphic activity in the Late Magdalenian in Cantabrian Spain are analysed. As a corpus, a representative sample of the ensembles dated in this period it is selected: in total 9 ensembles and 499 graphic units. In the analysis of these other parietal ensembles, the same methodology employed to analyse Altxerri it is used and the same characteristics are studied. In summary, in the course of this dissertation a large rock art assemblage (Altxerri) is analysed and act as the starting point for an approach to the characteristics of graphic activity in its same period in Cantabrian Region.

Se presentan los resultados del estudio del conjunto rupestre inédito de la cueva de Aitzbitarte IV (Errenteria, Gipuzkoa). En una prospección realizada en 2012 se localizaron dos paneles decorados con pintura roja, uno cerca de la entrada y otro en el fondo de la cavidad. Ambos presentan unas condiciones de conservación y unas características estilísticas y técnicas que permiten atribuirlos al Paleolítico, convirtiéndose así en la quinta cavidad con arte rupestre de Gipuzkoa. La interpretación de los mismos resulta compleja: el del fondo ofrece restos de una figura quizás zoomorfa y el de la entrada presenta una mancha circular. Además de estos paneles se han localizado numerosos restos de tizonazos asociados a depósitos de carbón; la datación de dos de ellos los siglos XI-XIII sugiere que, con posterioridad al tránsito humano por la cueva en la Edad Media, se producen en la misma profundos procesos de reactivación kárstica. This paper presents the results of the study of cave paintings in Aitzbitarte IV Cave (Errenteria, Gipuzkoa). Prospecting carried out in 2012 located two panels decorated with red paint, one near the entrance and the other at the back of the cave. Both were in a good state of conservation with stylistic and technical characteristics that date them in the Paleolithic. This is the fifth cave containing cave paintings discovered to date in the province of Gipuzkoa. The interpretation of the paintings is complex. The one at the back of the cave consists of the remains of a possible zoomorphic figure, while the one near the entrance consists of a round mark. In addition to these panels, numerous char marks have also been found, which are associated with coal deposits dating from the 11-13 centuries. This suggest that, after human passage through the cave during Middle Ages, severe processes of karstic reactivations happened there.

The question of the perspective shown by Paleolithic animal representations has interested researchers since the early twentieth century. Traditionally it has been used to support a phenomenon of linear evolution towards the attainment of expertise in graphic representation. In recent decades, this evolutionary model has been in crisis, questioning what was previously known about the perspective. To address this issue, we have analyzed quantitatively, practically and individually some zoomorphic characteristics of 11 Cantabrian rock art localities. The results argue for the existence of different groups of Palaeolithic rock art sites in the Cantabrian area. Moreover, we propose that the different graphic behaviors of these groups are directly related to the existence of a different chronology for each of them. La cuestión de la perspectiva mostrada por las representaciones animales paleolíticas ha interesado a los investigadores desde principios del siglo XX. Tradicionalmente ha servido para argumentar un fenómeno de evolución lineal hacia la consecución de la maestría en la representación gráfica. En las últimas décadas, este modelo evolucionista ha entrado en crisis, poniendo en duda lo anteriormente conocido en materia de perspectiva. Para afrontar esta cuestión, hemos analizado de forma cuantitativa, positiva e individualizada algunas características de las figuras zoomorfas de 11 conjuntos gráficos parietales. Los resultados obtenidos abogan por la existencia de distintos grupos de conjuntos rupestres paleolíticos en el ámbito cantábrico. Además, proponemos que las diferencias entre los comportamientos gráficos de estos grupos están directamente relacionados con la existencia de un marco cronológico distinto para cada uno de ellos.

Resumen: El conjunto rupestre de la cueva de El Castillo contiene uno de los registros más completos de la actividad artística del Paleolítico superior. Uno de los lienzos más interesantes por la acumulación de varias fases pictóricas es el Panel de las Manos. En este trabajo proponemos la reinterpretación de la forma y la situación de una figura, lo cual nos sirve para ensayar una nueva definición del panel, que, de este modo, encuentra una mejor integración en el conocimiento del Arte Paleolítico Cantábrico. Abstract: The El Castillo cave rock art assemblage contains one of the most complete records of the artistic activity of the Upper Paleolithic. One of the most interesting panels, because of the accumulation of several pictorial phases, is El Panel de las Manos. In this paper we propose the reinterpretation of the shape and location of one figure, which serves us to essay a new definition of the panel. This new definition have a better integration in the knowledge of the Cantabrian Paleolithic rock art.

El fenómeno de la superposición entre figuras en el arte parietal paleolítico ha interesado a los investigadores desde su descubrimiento. Sin embargo, en la actualidad coexisten dos líneas interpretativas antagónicas. Para los primeros investigadores, representados por H. Breuil, las superposiciones constituían auténticas estratigrafías parietales, en las cuales se podía estudiar la evolución estilística del Arte Paleolítico. Para los estructuralistas –encabezados por A. Laming‐Emperaire y A. Leroi‐Gourhan, por el contrario, las superposiciones se explicaban como un recurso de composición sincrónica. En este trabajo queremos proponer una tendencia de cambio temporal en el uso de las superposiciones observable, al menos, en el registro de la región Cantábrica.-------------------------The phenomenon of the overlapping among figures in Palaeolithic rock art has interested the researchers since its discovery. Nevertheless, at present there are still in force two antagonistic interpretative lines. For the first researchers, represented for H. Breuil, the overlappings constituted genuine parietal stratigraphies, where the stylistic evolution of the Palaeolithic Art could be analysed. Structuralists headed for A. Laming‐Emperaire and A. Leroi‐Gourhan, on the other hand, explained the overlappings as a synchronic composition resource. In this paper we want to propose a trend of temporary change in the use of the overlappings. This change is observable, at least, in the record of Cantabrian region.

During the last three decades a number of different aspects of prehistoric symbolic behaviour have been studied intensively. Various types of finds that indicates hunter- gatherers symbolic behaviour were found at many Croatian Palaeolithic and/or Mesolithic sites. From four main types of prehistoric art that can be recognized (rock art, small carved zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figurines, decorated tools, and ornaments), three of them are invariably portable, which can be easily connected with the hunter-gatherers way of life marked by high mobility. Small size and weight is the main characteristic of these three categories of portable prehistoric art, and far most abundant are personal ornaments which are also the most widespread category. Findings of personal ornaments are of particular importance for understanding the culture and social behaviour of prehistoric populations. As non- verbal means of social communication they are used in almost every contemporary human society. Available anthropological record demonstrates that many different meanings are embedded in their visual appearance, such as marital or social status, markers of age and gender, signs of power, wealth, personal or group identity, etc. (Stiner 2014, 53). Changes in body adornment or variations in the selection of materials for the production enable us to perceive certain changes in lifestyle, or survival strategies, belief systems and cosmology, as well as the identification of ideas, styles and specific understanding of creation and expression of regional and local identity. Production of decorative items could begin as early as the time of the Neanderthals, with a large increase in their number with the appearance of anatomically modern humans (Zilhão et al. 2009 ; Álvarez-Fernández 2007, 15). Personal ornaments in their formal expressions, such as marine gastropods and bivalves, freshwater gastropods, modified animal bones and teeth, not only point to the universal idea of decoration and aesthetic sensibility, but also reveal mutual contacts and communication paths of the prehistoric populations. Although beaded compositions can carry a great deal more information than the small units of which they are made, the Upper Palaeolithic bead compositions are rarely preserved. Well known exceptions are found in burial contexts such as from the Eastern Gravettian Palaeolithic culture of Sungir or in the Barma Grande cave (Grimaldi caves of north- western Italy). At most Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites, however, personal ornaments are found scattered among other waste. The reason is probably their small size, as well as fact that these artefacts cycled through people’s hands on daily basis via manufacture and maintenance. One of the richest sites on the Eastern Adriatic coast with the finds of personal ornaments is Vlakno cave on the island of Dugi otok, Croatia. Small inner cave space served as an ideal place for stay of small communities of hunter-gatherers during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Excavations in the cave started in 2004 (Brusić 2005), and so far depth of 5 m has been reached with continuous cultural layers which can be traced back to 19, 500 cal. BP. The richness of layers without visible hiatus in stratigraphy, with tephra as clear chronological and stratigraphic marker makes Vlakno an ideal place for the study of transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene and of reactions of the Epigravettian communities on the eastern Adriatic coast to great changes in climate and environment. So far, almost 500 specimens of body ornaments have been found, along with numerous unperforated marine gastropods species. According to the raw material, ornamental assemblage can be divided into three groups: (1) marine gastropods, bivalves and scaphopoda ; (2) freshwater gastropods ; (3) terrestrial mammals (teeth and bones). Results of the analysis have shown the existence of changes in ornamental tradition regarding preferred type of ornaments during the time. Perforated animal teeth, most of them Red deer canines (Cervus elaphus), are gradually replaced by marine gastropods and bivalves, with the domination of marine gastropod Columbella rustica. In addition to personal ornaments, symbolic behaviour of the Vlakno cave population is outlined by the finds of two engraved fragments of chert nodules dated 14.500 cal. BP. These decorated stones are the oldest finds with symbolic expression in Dalmatia. Decorated stones are also found in the Mesolithic layers, but in this period linear motifs are no longer engraved but painted.