181 Preistoria Alpina, 44 (2009): 1-6 © Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Trento 2009 Osseous artefacts from the Mesolithic levels of Pradestel rockshelter, (north-eastern Italy): A morphological and techno-functional analysis Emanuela CRISTIANI * Laboratorio “B. Bagolini”, Dipartimento di Filosofia, Storia Beni Culturali, Università di Trento Corresponding author e-mail: emanuela.cristiani@lett.unitn.it SUMMARY - Osseous artefacts from the Mesolithic levels of Pradestel rockshelter, (north-eastern Italy): A morphological and techno- functional analysis - The results of a morphological and techno-functional analyses carried out on 21 osseous artefacts from the Meso- lithic levels of Pradestel rockshelter (Trento, north-eastern Italy) are presented here. Curated points, awls, bevel-end artefacts, harpoons, tool-related manufacturing waste and shell ornaments compose the archaeological sample. The results of the study allow characterising modalities of exploitation for different osseous materials from the early to late Mesolithic. Comparisons to Epigravettian contexts from the same region suggest that these techniques of manufacturing were already defined during the Late Glacial. Harpoons appear at the end of the Sauveterrian period similar to other sites of the north-eastern Alpine region. According to the faunal remains, their presence might indicate a shift in hunting techniques that continued throughout the Castelnovian. Manufacturing and use traces on the osseous artefacts were examined under a stereoscope at low magnifications (8x-100x) and then under a metallographic microscope with incident light at 200x magnifications. They were interpreted by comparison to experimental samples. RIASSUNTO - I manufatti ossei dei livelli mesolitici del Riparo Pradestel (Italia nord-orientale): Analisi morfologica e tecno-funzionale - Vengono presentati i risultati di un’analisi morfologica e tecno-funzionale condotta su 21 manufatti in materia dura animale provenienti dai livelli mesolitici (Sauveterriano e Castelnoviano) del Riparo Pradestel (Trento, Italia nord-oriental). Gli oggetti analizzati comprendo- no punte cosiddette “curate”, punteruoli, strumenti bevel-end, arpioni, ornamenti in conchiglia, oggetti in fase di lavorazione e scarti di manifattura. I risultati dello studio hanno permesso di caratterizzare le modalità di sfruttamento delle differenti materie dure animali tra Mesolitico antico e recente. Confronti con contesti dell’Epigravettiano finale della regione prealpina e alpina nord-orientale sottolineano che tali tecniche di lavorazione sono, in parte, già delineate nel Tardiglaciale. Come in altri siti alpini nord-orientali, alla fine del Sauve- terriano compaioni i primi arpioni. La presenza di tali strumenti potrebbe indicare, in accordo con i dati faunistici, un cambiamento nelle tecniche di caccia che perdura anche nel Castelnoviano. Le tracce di manifattura ed utilizzo sui manufatti ossei sono state analizzate con uno stereomicroscopio a basso ingrandimento (da 8x a 100x) e con un microscopio metallografico a luce riflessa con ingrandimenti fino a 200x. L’interpretazione delle usure archeologiche è avvenuta mediante confronto con manufatti sperimentali. Key words: Osseous industry, ornaments, technology, tools function, hunting strategies Parole chiave: Strumenti ossei, ornamenti , tecnologia, analisi funzionale, strategie di caccia 1. INTRODUCTION The exploitation of bone, antler, ivory and shell is well documented since the Late Glacial in the north-east- ern Alps as well as in the pre-Alpine region of Italy. Tools, manufacturing waste, ornaments and so-called portable art were found in rockshelters as well as in burials (Bagolini 1980). Nevertheless, up to now, technological analyses have only been undertaken on some Epigravettian industries (for Dalmeri rockshelter see Cristiani 2008; Gurioli 2008; for Tagliente rockshelter see Cilli 2002; Cilli et al. 2006) while, as far as the Mesolithic evidence is concerned, we are left with the techno-typological analysis of the Mondeval de Sora burial goods only (Cilli et al. 2001 a, b). The analysis of the Mesolithic osseous artefacts of Pradestel rockshelter represents one of the first attempts to define the strategies of hard animal tissues exploitation dur- ing the Late Glacial and at the beginning of the Holocene in the north-eastern Alpine region of Italy. Pradestel rockshelter constitutes an important testi - mony of the Mesolithic occupation of the Adige valley. Its stratigraphical frame and sequence depth have interesting similarities with other famous sites of the region: Romagna - no III rockshelter - located downstream at about 10 km from Pradestel - as well as with Gaban rockshelter. A typological study of the lithic assemblage from the site has confirmed the importance of Pradestel for furthering of our knowledge of the Mesolithic sequence of the region (Dalmeri et al. 2008). 2. THE SITE Pradestel rockshelter is located at 20 m from the ac- tual flood level of the Adige River, in the locality of Ischia Podetti (TN), at c. 225m asl (Fig. 1). Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali (fieldwork sea - ISSN 0393-0157