A woman buried in Italy in the Hunter-Gatherer era

The Ostuni 2 horizon in southern Italy (c. 28,000–24,000 BCE) represents hunter-gatherer lifeways during the late Upper Paleolithic. The record is defined primarily by stone-tool technology and by patterns of land use that indicate repeated occupation of favorable areas.

Region & Environment

Southern Italy’s varied landscapes—coastal stretches, valleys, and uplands—could support different resource strategies. Climatic conditions in the late Upper Paleolithic affected vegetation cover and animal availability, likely shaping seasonal mobility and the selection of sites.

Historical Context

This interval predates the major post-glacial warming that characterized later Upper Paleolithic and early Holocene times. Cultural expression at this stage is typically archaeological rather than textual, and it is often recognized through lithic typology and technological approaches.

Populations & Lifeways

Hunter-gatherer populations likely followed seasonal or opportunistic rounds, hunting and processing wild resources as they became available. Stone tools would have been central to daily tasks, including cutting, scraping, and preparing materials for transport and further use.

Archaeology & Material Culture

Material remains for Ostuni 2 are expected to include lithic assemblages consistent with a Gravettian-related context, using region-specific manufacturing habits. Since preservation of organics is limited, the stone-tool record provides most of the evidence for activity areas and for technological style.

Culture & Society

The persistence of comparable tool-making strategies implies cultural learning and communication among groups. Site selection and repeated occupation point to shared knowledge about where valuable resources could be found.

Legacy & Transition

Ostuni 2 contributes to the wider sequence of late Upper Paleolithic occupations in southern Italy. As the climate continued to fluctuate, later phases would further reorganize settlement choices and tool traditions, eventually leading toward terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene changes.