Raw material economy in Salento (Apulia, Italy): new perspectives on Neanderthal mobility patterns

► The aim of the paper is to test raw material provisioning during the Mousterian in the light of Neanderthal behavior. ► The case study is the Salento Region, Apulia, Italy. ► We studied archaeological materials from selected sites and systematic surveys. ► We found local provisioning of “bad quality” raw materials. ► We found long distance provisioning of good quality raw materials. ► We concluded that the provisioning could be considered “modern”.