Caching and retooling in Potočka zijalka (Slovenia). Implications for Late Aurignacian land use strategies

Abstract

The high alpine cave of Potočka zijalka in Slovenia is renowned for a large collection of Late Aurignacian bone points with a massive base. The function and cultural association of the site have been discussed since the first official excavations in 1928. This paper deals with the breakage patterns of the bone points. The study indicates that the front of the cave was mainly used for retooling activities whereas the rear part of the cave was used for implement caching. The comparison with other cave sites with bone points in Central and Eastern Europe shows a clear-cut pattern of assemblage variability with caches, retooling loci and small field processing sites in the Early as well as Late Aurignacian. The organization of the projectile technology suggests that the exploitation of mountainous regions in the Eastern Alps during the Early Upper Palaeolithic was more common than previously acknowledged.