Ricerc@Sapienza

e Salento, in the southeast of Italy, is rich in Mousterian sites and Neanderthal fos- sils, within the chronological time frame of the Upper Pleistocene. is region is well known for the absence of good quality raw materials. is paper presents results from the technological study of ve Mousterian sites (Grotta Romanelli, Grotta Uluzzo C, Grotta Mario Bernardini, Grotta Torre dell’Alto, Grotta dei Giganti), showing techno- logical organization, curation and expediency behaviours, probably related to a logis- tical mobility. is variability is becoming part of our understanding of Neanderthal behaviour, marked by a fragmentation of stone working in space, time and social di- mensions and a planned and complex organisation, until recently considered as dis- tinctive to modern Homo sapiens.