An intra-site perspective on the Sauveterrian lowland occupation of the Emilian Po plain (Northern Italy)

The Sauveterrian occupation of the southern Po plain is known thanks to the discovery of five sites. Three are located near Bologna (INFS, Casalecchio and Cava Due Portoni), one in the Parma district (Collecchio) and one near Piacenza (Le Mose). Although they were excavated between the 1980s and 1990s, the spatial position of the archaeological finds has been recorded for all except Le Mose. This has allowed an intra-site spatial analysis to be carried out. This paper will compare and contrast the spatial organization of the sites in search of common features and differences. The study has been aimed at a critical re-examination of the available evidence in order to better understand the role of these sites within the settlement system of the southern Po plain area during the Early Mesolithic. The Emilian evidence is made up of both ephemeral settlements occupied by small parties for short time spans that can be interpreted as hunting stands (INFS and Casalecchio), and sites specialising in the processing of specific raw materials (Collecchio). Proper residential sites, if there were any, are still missing (perhaps with the exception of Cava Due Portoni, whose functional role remains uncertain due to post-depositional disturbance). The interpretation of Le Mose appears more debatable due to a lack of spatial data.