  Roccia San Sebastiano is a tectonic-karstic cave located at the foot of the
southern slope of Mt. Massico, in the territory of Mondragone (Caserta) in
Campania (southern Italy). Systematic excavation has been carried out since
2001, leading to the partial exploration of an important Pleistocene deposit,
extraordinarily rich in lithic and faunal remains. The aim of this paper is to
(1) present the stratigraphic sequence of Roccia San Sebastiano, and (2)
technologically describe the lithic materials of squares F14 t18, t19, t20; E16
t16, t17, t18 recently recognised as Uluzzian. The stratigraphic sequence is
more than 3 metres thick and dates from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic.
It contains different techno-complexes: Gravettian, Aurignacian, Uluzzian and
Mousterian. In the Uluzzian lithic assemblage mostly local pebbles of chert
were used in order to produce small-sized objects. The concept of debitage
mainly deals with unidirectional debitage with absent or fairly accurate
management of the convexities and angles; the striking platforms are usually
natural or made by one stroke. It is attested the use of both direct freehand
percussion and bipolar technique on anvil in the same reduction sequence.
Amongst the retouched tools the presence of two lunates is of note. This study
of the Roccia San Sebastiano Uluzzian lithic complexes is significant for
understanding the dynamics of the transition from Middle to Upper Palaeolithic
in the Tyrrhenian margin of southern Italy.
