The LiMPH project aimed to understand how the last European hunter-gatherers exploited mountain environments during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition (14,000-8500 cal BP), a period marked by significant climatic and environmental factors changes. Through the adoption of different techno-functional methods applied to stone tool assemblages, the project investigated the lifeways of these hunter-gatherer groups starting from the evidence of the south-eastern Alps – the richest in Europe – and tried to reconstruct the importance of mountain areas in the framework of the socio-economic structure of these human groups. Some key assemblages were analysed with an innovative techno-functional approach combining technological and use-wear analyses to reconstruct the main activities carried out at the sites. By cross-referencing these data with those on raw material circulation, faunal exploitation and site distribution, it was possible to investigate the mobility, settlement system and social structure of the prehistoric groups that colonised such a changing environment after the Last Glacial Maximum. At a general level, the proposed research provided a broader comparative perspective on the exploitation of mountain environments in Europe and allowed to understand which were the most attractive features of the Alpine palaeo-environments that led the last hunter-gatherer groups to intensively settle most of the European mountain ranges during this time span. The project results have been made available to researchers and the general public through several actions, including open-access publications and different outreach activities. Results of LiMPH have also contributed to enhancing public awareness of the historical value of the Alpine range and implementing the touristic offer of the region.
