A techno-functional interpretation of the Noailles burins from the Riparo Mochi (Balzi Rossi, Italy)

Abstract Noailles burins are one of the main lithic types of the European Upper Palaeolithic which characterizes the “Noaillian” Gravettian. Their typological definition is well accepted today by the scientific community despite a long debate lasted several decades between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On the contrary, the functional role of Noailles burins remains a matter of debate. In order to provide new evidence about the interpretation of the Noailles burins, this paper combines techno-typological and functional data. At this regard, the entire collection of Noailles burins found in the east sector of the well-known site of Riparo Mochi (Balzi Rossi, Italy) has been studied. Our data, also compared with the European scenario, allow to reconsider the significance of the Noailles burins within the economy of the Noaillian hunter-gatherers.