The Shouldered Pieces from the Santa Maria di Agnano Cave (SMA-Extern). Their Chrono-cultural Positioning During the Upper Paleolithic in Southern Italy

The Santa Maria di Agnano cave (Puglia, Italy) shows a long human occupation that began in the Gravettian and went on in the Epigravettian periods. Among the lithic pieces discovered, many are so-called shouldered objects. This article intends to present and study them, but also to discuss the relevance of the diagnosis about shouldered points and shouldered bladelets. More broadly, the issue of the association of the shouldered point with ancient Epigravettian is discussed and questioned. On the basis of observations made in the Santa Maria di Agnano cave, the duration of existence of shouldered points and bladelets is discussed, which leads s to questioning the status of thes pieces as a key fossil.

Automated summary

This article discusses the shouldered objects found in the Santa Maria di Agnano cave in Puglia, Italy, exploring their relevance to the ancient Epigravettian period and their duration of existence. The status of these pieces as key fossils is also questioned.