Grotta del Rio Secco (Clauzetto, PN)

Rio Secco cave is situated on the Pradis Plateau in the eastern part of the Carnic Pre-Alps. The site is a flat and wide south-facing shelter, limited in the outer area byo a heap of large boulders produced during the collapse of a large original roof. Discovered in 2002 and systematically investigated since 2010, the cavity contains a sedimentary succession made of stones and loams that records human occupations during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. The Mousterian assemblages are characterized by the use of Levallois and Discoid technologies. The Upper Palaeolithic consists of a handful of pieces attributed to the Gravettian culture. Evidence for the hunting of cave bears, the use of fire and the use of eagle claws like ornaments has been found in the Mousterian layers.