MESOLITHIC PRESENCE AT TOR DEI PAGÀ: AN EARLY HOLOCENE SETTLEMENT IN EASTERN LOMBARDY (ITALY)

Abstract

The site of Tor dei Pagà (2,250 m a.s.l.), in the upper Valcamonica (Vione, Brescia), is is notable for its rich archaeological stratigraphic sequence, which includes an Iron Age ritual area (late 7th-5th centuries BC) and the remains of fortified structures from the Late Middle Ages (late 13th-early 14th centuries). The recovery of a small number of knapped lithic artifacts of Mesolithic attribution from within the Medieval layers pushes the earlies human presence at Tor dei Pagà back to the early Holocene. However, the lack of absolute dating and the absence of clearly diagnostic artifacts currently prevent a more precise cultural assignement to either the Sauveterrian or Castelnovian. Despite their scarcity, these elements alone allow to place Tor dei Pagà within the broader framework of Mesolithic settlement in the Lombard Alpine arc, reflecting the exploitation of high-altitude areas tied to subsistence strategies and to the strengthening of social networks and inter-valley connections with the Trentino region by the last hunter-gatherer groups.