A woman buried in Italy in the Hunter-Gatherer era

The Paglicci 108 horizon (c. 28,000–24,000 BCE) is part of the late Upper Paleolithic record for southern Italy. It represents hunter-gatherer activity during cold-climate conditions, when people relied on mobile foraging and specialized stone-tool technologies.

Region & Environment

Southern Italy includes varied settings that can support foraging, including coastal environments and upland areas. During this interval, ecological productivity and species distributions would have been influenced by climatic variability, affecting the timing and location of occupations.

Historical Context

Paglicci 108 belongs to a late Upper Paleolithic cultural landscape broadly linked to Gravettian frameworks. In this period, archaeologists reconstruct cultural and chronological relationships through recurring patterns in tool manufacture and deposition rather than through written records.

Populations & Lifeways

Hunter-gatherer groups likely moved between different areas to exploit seasonal opportunities. Stone tools were central to tasks such as cutting and processing, and the composition of toolkits can provide indirect evidence for what materials and foods were most important locally.

Archaeology & Material Culture

The assemblage is primarily evidenced through lithic artifacts associated with Gravettian-related production traditions. Such assemblages can show standardized approaches to making and using stone tools, while also reflecting local choices in raw material procurement and tool types.

Culture & Society

Recurring technological patterns imply shared knowledge and cultural conventions among people using the landscape. Site-specific evidence of occupation indicates familiarity with place, including where resources could be accessed and where activities were repeated.

Legacy & Transition

Paglicci 108 forms part of the long sequence of hunter-gatherer occupations in southern Italy. The horizons in this timeframe provide a foundation for tracking later Upper Paleolithic and terminal Pleistocene changes as climate and habitats shifted.