Insights into highland colonization patterns in the south-eastern Alps: the Early Mesolithic camp-site of Prà Comun, Passo Giau - PC1 (Belluno Dolomites, Italy)

The colonization of mountain areas is one of the major aspects of Mesolithic adaptations and it is a well‐attested phenomenon in the Alps, especially in its southeastern side. Despite this and the numerous multidisciplinary studies carried out in the last decades, several questions remain open related to the variability of Mesolithic groups' settlement choices and their land use patterns. In recent years, the Belluno Dolomites have become a key area for discussing such issues. Among the several mapped sites, the rock‐shelter of Prà Comun‐ Passo Giau (PC1 – 2,018m a.s.l.) is currently under excavation. Although partially disturbed by the following Early Middle Ages occupations, the Early Mesolithic layer of PC is unusually well preserved. Besides a rich lithic assemblage, it has yielded faunal remains, abundant wooden charcoals and some osseous tools and ornamental beads, a condition rarely found in highland sites and shared with the Mesolithic site of Mondeval de Sora, located a few kilometres southeastward as the crow flies. Despite their proximity, these two sites are situated in fairly different locations. Through multidisciplinary studies involving geoarchaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, technological and use‐wear analysis of bone and lithic artifacts, as well as spatial analysis, we aim to explore various aspects of settlement and subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic groups who occupied the site. These include the duration and intensity of occupation, exploitation of local faunal and vegetal resources, technological systems, and mobility, with the goal of highlighting the various factors related to occupation of the Alpine highlands.