The discovery of the Mesolithic in the Adige Valley and the Dolomites (North-eastern Italy): A history of research

The discovery and archaeological exploration of three Mesolithic sites in the Adige Valley between 1968 and 1975 has allowed the identification of the Sauveterrian and Castelnovian complexes south of the Alpine watershed and enabled the definition of a chrono-stratigraphic sequence of reference for North-eastern Italy spanning from the Preboreal to the first part of the Atlantic. Together with several other findings in the Dolomites, these discoveries led to the development of a model of seasonal migration of the Mesolithic groups settled in the Adige River Basin from the valley-bottom to the Alpine medium-to-high mountain territories.