Grotta della Cala (Camerota, Campania) is a key site in southern Italy from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Metal Age. Regarding the Upper Palaeolithic, a thick sequence has been preserved in the cave, including Epigravettian layers traditionally attributed to the evolved and the final phases. In this paper, we present the zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal assemblage from layer M (dated between 20,203 and 15,784 cal BP), to shed light on the subsistence strategies of the human groups inhabiting the area during the Greenland Stadial 2. The faunal assemblage included in this study consists of the materials retrieved during the 1967-68 and the 1974 excavation campaigns. The ungulate remains from the 1967-68 assemblage are here reassessed, while new data on carnivores and small mammals are presented. The 1974 assemblage, the larger of the two, is published here for the first time. The taphonomic analysis revealed an intensive exploitation of the carcasses. A correlation was observed between the representation of body parts in red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), the most abundant taxon, and their alimentary utility. Available data on mortality and biometry indicate that hunters primarily targeted young red deer individuals and prime adult males. Hunting was a seasonal activity, as evidenced by the predominance of red deer and wild boar individuals killed during the winter months. This study forms part of a wider project involving the revision of the lithic and faunal assemblages from key sites of southern Italy and contributes to the systematic re-evaluation of Epigravettian evidence in this area.
Dominici et al. (Wed,) studied this question.