The prehistory of Biferno Valley (Molise): new contributions and interpretations

The authors present the results of the study on the lithic industry collected during the project of the Biferno Valley Survey, conducted by Graeme Barker in the ’70 years in the Molise region. This contribution is aimed to deepen the study of the lithic tools with a different methodological approach, considering the techno-tipological characteristics of the finds, compared with the geomorphological context. The analyzed lithic assemblage embraces a period of time ranging from the Lower Paleolithic to the Neolithic. The data set underline a high methodological variability, which affected the lithic tools especially from the Middle Paleolithic period. This preliminary investigation widens to new perspectives of research, which, through a series of interdisciplinary contributions, will propose a new model of population and mobility at micro and macro-regional levels.