Il Riparo Lorenzi (Balzi Rossi, Ventimiglia): un contesto inedito nel panorama epigravettiano liguro-provenzale

The Epigravettian technocomplex characterizes the final Upper Paleolithic in the Mediterranean region. Presumably developed from the previous Gravettian, the Epigravettian, by showing both common typo-technological patterns and several regional aspects, represents a very complex, “mosaic-like” scenario which is still far to be fully understood. This work aims to offer an overview of the Epigravettian lithic assemblage from Riparo Lorenzi (Balzi Rossi, Ventimiglia, Imperia, Italy) that was excavated about 20 years ago, whose results remained unpublished. In particular, this paper discusses the relation with the nearby sites of Riparo Mochi (Unit A) and Grotta dei Fanciulli (C1 level), both ascribed to the late Epigravettian. The analysis of lithic raw materials suggests that the procurement area exploited by the Epigravettian groups who inhabited the Balzi Rossi are almost the same in all the cited sites, although a different proportion of lithic components is observed. In addition, the lithic features of Riparo Lorenzi assemblage do not match with those described for the Riparo Mochi, mainly because of the absence of triangles (this type is also absent at Grotta dei Fanciulli).