Functional analysis of the decorated ground stone tool from Terlago (TN)

The ‘fame’ of the pebble is mainly due to the decorative motif of bundles made by linear incisions on both surfaces. Yet, the peculiarity of the artefact is also related to the presence of intense functional modifications located on its opposite ends, which singles it out as one of the few Italian Tardiglacial-Early Holocene examples of ground stone tools. This article presents the results of an use-wear analysis aimed at clarifying the function of the decorated tool. Moreover, the authors try to see a potential morpho-functional connection between the analysed pebble and a group of artefacts found in the Late Epigravettian levels of Riparo Dalmeri, which represent the main reference of ground stone tools for the end of the Upper Palaeolithic in Italy.