The raw material variability in the Mesolithic site of Ullafelsen (Sellrain, Tyrol, Austria)

In this paper the different raw materials exploited at the Mesolithic site of Ullafelsen (Stubai Alps, Tyrol) will be described. The site is situated in a high mountain (1869m) metamorphic context almost completely free of suitable rocks for knapping. The only exception is represented by the local bad quality metamorphic quartz, which was only seldom used because of its irregular fracture. Most of the artefacts have been made with raw materials cropping far or very far from the site. The lithic materials have been grouped in four main groups on the basis of their regional provenance. A group of artefacts have been realized with Franconian Alb cherts (Bavaria), more than 200 km far to the north. Another group of artefacts is compatible with the Southern Alps cherts cropping in the Val di Non (Trento, Italy), around 120 km straight line to the south. The third group comprehends less suitable and nearer (30-50 km far, to the east) Northern Calcareous Alps radiolarian cherts. The fourth group encloses the quartz artefacts ; these are represented by the bad quality and local metamorphic quartz and by the high quality rock crystal that was collected 40-50 km to the south east (Tauern). There is a general concordance between the raw materials provenance and their cultural attribution, even if this is visible only in few typical artefacts. Among the the Franconian cherts some elements suggest a Beuronian tradition whilst among the Southern Alps cherts and the rock crystal there are typical Sauveterrian tools. The attribution of the closest Northern Calcareous cherts is more doubtful. Different raw materials and different cultural traditions are represented in the same site in the lower Mesolithic of the Stubai Alps.