The discovery of the Musterian deposit of Grotta Reali, in the territory of Rocchetta a Volturno (Is) occurred in 2001 following a field survey in the locality of Olivella, near the Madonna delle Grotte, an area where karstick phenomena have led to the formation of cavities of various sizes.
As the cave opens at the base of a travertine rock face whose morphology has been altered by quarrying activity, research took the form of survey with the collection of lithic and faunal surface material. This first phase included the study of the stone finds which, in the absence of data regarding the way in which the deposit was formed, provided a date for the complex within a late horizon of the middle Paleolithic (75-35000 years ago) and to the Musterian facies.
The stratigraphic excavation evidence of occupation consists of a large quantity of stone and bone finds, some of which bearing traces of discolouration caused by exposure to heat. This evidence, together with ashes and lumps of charcoal and the heavy presence of organic material in general, suggests that this was a hearth or an extensive area of burning. The highly fragmented nature of the bones can be attributed to human activity, as attested by the butchering marks and percussion cavities present on some bones. The faunal study revealed the presence of various species such as deer, roe deer, ibex, aurochs, bear, hyena, fox and wolf, some of which probably caught in the area near the cave. The presence of waterfowl, such as duck, indicates that the environment surrounding the cave was probably characterised by expanses of water. (MiBAC)