New ochre painted stones from the late Proto-Aurignacian of Fumane Cave

Fumane Cave, northern Italy, with its early Upper Palaeolithic deposit, dating between 41.2-35 ky cal BP, is one of the most significant sites for the understanding of the first Anatomically Modern Human groups in Europe. The archaeological excavations led to discover a consistent archaeological record which includes numerous items connected to the symbolic production too: shells, engraved bones and six ochred stones which are considered among the most ancient evidence of painting activity in Europe. Aside the six painted stones, a high number of ochred rock flakes collected during the excavations have been recently re-examined with the aim to trace further lines of research, i.e. what their origin is, so if they are fragments of parietal art or not and how these stones or part of them fit in the wider context of the most ancient forms of art in Europe. Specifically, within this paper, authors present four newly recognised painted stones which were analysed according to their graphic themes and techniques, their chronology and spatial distribution. This leads to deepen the issues of symbolic production in the Fumane Cave, the use of the site, identifying any productive area. Moreover, the newly presented findings, together with the already known ones are contextualized into the contemporaneous Italian and European context providing data towards the understanding of any morphological and stylistic variability and semiotic transformations to interpret any cultural dynamic process occurred in the Alpine area and beyond.