Chert sources, procurement strategies and mobility in central Italy during prehistory: the case-study of Grotta Battifratta (Rieti)

The research examined chert sourcing and provisioning at Grotta Battifratta (Sabina region, Latium) during the Middle Palaeolithic and the Neolithic (late 6th-early 5th millennia BCE). The site is a rare example of a stratigraphically investigated context in the region, underlining the need for solid and reliable data to improve archaeological interpretation on the basis of multiple criteria. The study made a significant contribution to our understanding of human dynamics in central Italy. The results obtained on chert provenance for the Middle Palaeolithic supported the interpretation of the cave as a logistical butchering site, where Neanderthals took advantage of its strategic position. Its location on a slope connected to springs and fluvial corridors likely facilitated repeated visits and sustained resource exploitation across the Tiber River basin. During the Neolithic, the site appeared to have been fully embedded in the broader sociocultural dynamics of the Italian Peninsula, serving as collective space and melting pot. Chert provenance analysis revealed contacts along both East–West and North–South axes of central Italy, a pattern further supported by the analysis of other types of artifacts (e.g., pottery). The site was plausibly integrated into prehistoric routes crossing the Peninsula, revealing a dynamic picture of Neolithic lifestyle, previously underestimated. The data also support the role of geographic bridge of the region. Finally, the present research filled a gap in our knowledge of knappable raw materials exploited by prehistoric groups in central Italy, by creating the first geological reference collection for the region. The lithotheque SiliROck will contribute to the ongoing scientific debate concerning chert provenance, by providing new comparative data easily accessible to the international community with the purpose of encouraging the scientific research.