Most of the Middle Palaeolithic evidence of Central Italy still lacks a reliable chrono-cultural ... more Most of the Middle Palaeolithic evidence of Central Italy still lacks a reliable chrono-cultural framework mainly due to research history. In this context Grotta dei Santi, a wide cave located on Monte Argentario, on the southern coast of Tuscany, is particularly relevant as it contains a very well preserved sequence including several Mousterian layers. Research carried out at this site in the last years (2007e2017) allowed for a preliminary estimation of its chronology based on a set of radiometric determinations which place the investigated sequence in the time interval between 50 and 40 ka BP. Alongside the chronological issue, this paper mainly focuses on the geoarchaeological and zooarchaeological (micro and macro fauna) studies carried out on the materials retrieved during the 2007e2014 excavation fieldworks. The results of these studies are consistent with those from the radiometric chronology. A state of art concerning the MIS3 Italian sites is also provided in order to highlight the key role Grotta dei Santi may play in the assessment of late Neandertals' behaviour within the framework of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition of Central Italy.
Limondin-Lozouet N., Villa V., Pereira A., Nomade S., Bahain J.J., Stoetzel E., Aureli D. &am... more Limondin-Lozouet N., Villa V., Pereira A., Nomade S., Bahain J.J., Stoetzel E., Aureli D. & Nicoud E. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions through the Middle Pleistocene sequence in the Valle Giumentina, located in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy, are discussed. The sampled sequence is 16 m thick and includes nine levels with Lower Palaeolithic industries. The lithostratigraphy shows fluvio-glacial sediments with interbedded colluvial deposits and volcanic tephras. Fine sediments are composed of calcareous sands and silts, most of them yielding well-preserved mollusc shells. Forty-five samples, at 10 cm resolution, yielded 45 taxa, which could be assigned to four biozones. The oldest (biozone VGM1) indicate an open environment, which becomes a closed forest landscape developing under temperate conditions (VGM2). After a decline of thermophilous species (VGM3), mollusc assemblages indicate a dry open environment typical of a glacial period (VGM4). All prehistoric occupation horizons occur during stable environmental episodes but under both temperate and cold climatic conditions. The molluscan succession is allocated to the Middle Pleistocene on the basis of the occurrence of Jaminia malatestae, a well-known Italian species, now extinct, as well as the similarity of the molluscan record to that of Case Picconetto, a well-dated site nearby. This attribution is supported by three tephra layers dated by 40Ar/39Ar at 556 ± 6, 531 ± 5 and 456 ± 2 ka. The sequence is correlated with marine isotopic stages 14, 13 and 12. Four species of land snail (Azeca goodalli, Ruthenica filograna, Pagodulina pagodula, Nesovitrea hammonis) occur beyond their modern range and are therefore of biogeographical interest. These snails are western and central European in origin and their presence within the Valle Giumentina deposits highlight a north-south gradient of colonization during Pleistocene interglacial periods.
Sezione Di Museologia Scientifica E Naturalistica, 2008
Approccio "tecno-analitico". Un esempio d'integrazione metodologica tra l'analisi tecnologica e l... more Approccio "tecno-analitico". Un esempio d'integrazione metodologica tra l'analisi tecnologica e la logica dialettico-analitica: il caso studio dell'insieme litico dello strato Fa del sito di Payre (Areche, Francia)
The question of European Acheulean diversity is currently widely debated. The obvious differences... more The question of European Acheulean diversity is currently widely debated. The obvious differences between northern and southern industries have led to several hypotheses regarding settlement dynamics. We propose to deal with this question from an off-centre perspective, by focusing on the data from Central Europe. Indeed, assemblages from this region can provide us with a different view of technical behavioural diversity during the Lower Palaeolithic in Europe. It is generally accepted that the Central European data are difficult to incorporate into the existing theoretical framework. Despite its location on the Out of Africa route towards Europe, this region is characterized by later settlement and the absence of handaxes before the Early Middle Palaeolithic. However, assemblage composition in Central Europe shares some features with sites from other regions, mainly in Southern Europe, such as the absence of handaxes and the presence of " small tools ". This study proposes to reconsider the diversity of tool blanks concealed within the term Acheulean through the analysis of five lithic assemblages. Three of them come from Central Europe (Korolevo VI in Ukraine, V ertessz} ol} os in Hungary and Bilzingsleben in Germany) and will be compared with two collections from Southern Europe (Cimitero di Atella and Ficoncella in Italy).
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site char... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site characterized by a significant stratigraphy made up by several anthropic levels. The stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment, is a short palimpsest situated on a layer of tephra, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka BP). From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system. Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective. We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-...
Stratigraphic Unit 13 of Oscurusciuto Rockshelter (Ginosa, Taranto, Southern Italy) is a short Mo... more Stratigraphic Unit 13 of Oscurusciuto Rockshelter (Ginosa, Taranto, Southern Italy) is a short Mousterian palimpsest representing the first stable occupation of the site soon after the deposition of a thick layer of tephra (Mt. Epomeo Green Tuff-Ischia datable around 55 kya BP). Different activities were identified by integrating the study of lithic finds, faunal remains, and the microarchaeology of combustion features. Additionally, geo-statistical analysis of these data has been carried out using a specifically designed geodatabase within a GIS platform. Our results produced an articulated picture of this Neanderthal site as a tripartite location made of spatially segregated and integrated activity areas. A hearths' alignment (parallel to the rockshelter wall) divides the settled area into an inner and outer part. The inner part, between the hearths and the shelter wall, displays an abrupt rarefaction of the anthropic finds and was interpreted as a possible sleeping/ resting area. In the outer part, several multipurpose activity areas have been identified, mostly associated with the combustion features. The Northern sector of the settlement appears devoted particularly to lithic production (to a lesser degree, activities related with lithic tools use and faunal processing took place). In the Southern sector the main activities carried out represent more intensive production and use of lithic tools and the butchering and consumption of animal resources. Additionally, in this sector evidence of space maintenance behaviour (cleaning up of working areas and refuse dumping) has been attested.
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site char... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site characterized by a significant stratigraphy made up by several anthropic levels. The stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment, is a short palimpsest situated on a layer of tephra, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka BP).
From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system.
Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective.
We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-functional unity (prehensile and transformative portions), whereas the second revealed the way in which these tools had been used, proceeding to identify the activity involved (e.g., piercing, cutting and/or scraping), and the type of material (vegetable/animal, soft/hard) on which these activities had been carried out.
The combined use of these two approaches allows us to ascertain the intention of the prehistoric craftsmen, the gestures and procedures involved in making the tools, and the way they had been used. From one single object we are thus able to reconstruct a series of complex behaviours, encompassing the creation, the life-cycle and finally the ‘death’ or repurposing of the tool in question.
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in southern Italy (Puglia), has yielded a long Middle Pala... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in southern Italy (Puglia), has yielded a long Middle Palaeolithic stratigraphy rich in lithic assemblages, fireplaces and faunal remains, attesting Neanderthal occupation during the MIS 3. This paper is focused on the stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment above a thick level of tephra-US 14, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka). Level 13 represents the first stable human occupation after the deposition of tephra. Our goal was to examine the lithic assemblage of this stratigraphic unit by means of an interdisciplinary approach (technology, RMU, refitting program) in order to identify the economic behaviour and technical strategies of Neanderthals occupying the stratigraphic unit 13 of Oscurusciuto. The technical strategies applied indicate fragmentation of the reduction processes, as well as probable events of importation and exportation of objects. The lithic material were introduced at different stages of manufacturing. Pieces were introduced in the form of rough objects (pebbles), as well as semi-finished items, and as finished tools. This fragmentation of the chaîne opératoire also demonstrate the palimpsest nature of the level which is made up of different events happening one after another. The main concept of debitage was Levallois, generally realized on local jasper and siliceous limestone pebbles or cortical flakes. Jasper and siliceous limestone flakes, backed flakes and convergent flakes were the technological objectives of the debitage. A marginal volumetric debitage aimed at producing bladelets was also attested.
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto), is one of the key sites... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto), is one of the key sites for the study of Neanderthal groups in Southern Italy. The rich stratigraphic sequence of the site, which is as-cribable entirely to the Middle Palaeolithic, is rich in anthropic remains and combustion structures, attesting occupation by Neanderthals during MIS 3. This paper is focused on the study of Stratigraphic Unit (SU) 13, made up of a compact sandy sediment mixed with pyroclastic sediment derived from the underlying tephra level (SU 14). The latter has been identified as Monte Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar 55 ± 2 ka). The first stable human occupation of the shelter after tephra deposition is represented by unit 13. Our aim here is that of separating the Stratigraphic Unit into its main components so as to obtain a high temporal resolution on the activities which took place in this SU, and to reconstruct the individual events which formed the palimpsest. In order to fulfil these objectives, a multidisciplinary approach was needed through which data could be integrated from the microstratigraphy of the hearths; from the technological study of the lithic industries; from the individuation of the Raw Material Units (RMUs); from refitting and co-joining and from spatial analysis (GIS science/tool). The integration of these analytical methods reveals that SU 13 of the Oscurusciuto rock shelter was the product of a series of events ascribable to a short time span. This layer was formed by sediment aggradation and cementation (e.g., brecciation) processes. Human activities contributed to the sediment build up with the introduction of wood ash, lithic raw materials and bones. The results show the importance of using integrated research methods in order to identify short anthropic events within a palimpsest.
We carried out a multidisciplinary study on the sedimentary succession of Valle Giumentina, a sma... more We carried out a multidisciplinary study on the sedimentary succession of Valle Giumentina, a small intermountain basin located in the Central Apennine. Studied in the 1950s, this 70 m-thick succession, including nine Palaeolithic occupation layers, was considered to be of Rissian and Würmian age. However, recent 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronological and tephrochronological investigations constrained the sedimentary history of the whole succession to the MIS 15-MIS 12 interval (Villa et al. 2016). Geophysical investigations (Electrical Resistivity Tomography) allow detecting the contact between bedrock and Quaternary infilling of the basin. No master fault was identified along the flank of the basin, suggesting that tectonics played a marginal role in the formation and evolution of the basin. Indeed, the basin sedimentary processes appear to be mainly climate-driven, with the deposition of glacio-fluvial sediments during colder glacial periods of MIS 14 and MIS 12 and alluvial sedimentation and/or pedogenesis processes active during warmer interglacial (MIS 15 and MIS 13) and interstadial phases (during MIS 12). Based on the available chronological data, the capture of the basin by a tributary stream of the San Bartolomeo canyon and its definitive extinction, occurred in MIS 12 glacial; i.e., when the uplift of the Apennine chain induced the reorgani-sation of the regional drainage system and the capture of almost all the lakes hosted in the intermountain basins.
Valle Giumentina is a Pleistocene open-air site in Central Italy (Abruzzo). Nine archaeological l... more Valle Giumentina is a Pleistocene open-air site in Central Italy (Abruzzo). Nine archaeological layers occur in the last 25 m of a 70 m thick sedimentary sequence. In the 1950s, the various archaeological layers were attributed to the Clactonian, Acheulian and Levalloisian traditions. Recent multidisciplinary fieldwork and studies (2012e2016) acquired new archaeological, chronostratigraphical and paleoenvironmental data. This contribution presents the preliminary results of the ongoing excavation of layer 42-ALB. This is a paleosol located at 4 m depth, at the top of a lacustrine deposit directly below the coarse deposits associated with the last major erosive event. Faunal remains consisted essentially by Cervus elaphus. The lithic series is characterized by a specific flake production system: only a part of the block is reduced, and platforms and surfaces are not prepared. Several methods are used, including the SSDA (syst eme par surfaces de d ebitage altern ees). Backed flakes are frequent. Numerous blanks are transformed by intensive or marginal retouch. Functional objectives are multiple, as shown by different tool structures and use-wear traces. Valle Giumentina 42-ALB is a butchery site used briefly but frequently during warmer substages occurring during an overall cold period. The "Clactonian" industry of Valle Giumentina is often considered as simple or expedient: we demonstrate its real technical complexity and its functional significance. Comparisons are made with other European sites.
In this research, still at a preliminary stage, we have studied the lithic assemblage of Cimitero... more In this research, still at a preliminary stage, we have studied the lithic assemblage of Cimitero di Atella site (Basilicata, Southern Italy) with a technological and techno-functional approach, never applied to this material before. Previously, lithic implements were principally classified with a typological methodological approach. This site was ascribed to the Lower Acheulean, even if large tools found in situ are very few and not properly bifacially worked. This new analysis allowed us to note the presence of technical recurrences both in production and tool formation. The results have been consequently compared with those concerning other similar and almost coeval sites, finding many analogies in production strategies, but also some differences mainly due to shape and quality of the raw material. We underline the great scientific potential of this site and the whole area of the Atella basin, which can surely be included in the large debate on the first peopling of Europe and the diffusion of the bifacial technology.
Most of the Middle Palaeolithic evidence of Central Italy still lacks a reliable chrono-cultural ... more Most of the Middle Palaeolithic evidence of Central Italy still lacks a reliable chrono-cultural framework mainly due to research history. In this context Grotta dei Santi, a wide cave located on Monte Argentario, on the southern coast of Tuscany, is particularly relevant as it contains a very well preserved sequence including several Mousterian layers. Research carried out at this site in the last years (2007e2017) allowed for a preliminary estimation of its chronology based on a set of radiometric determinations which place the investigated sequence in the time interval between 50 and 40 ka BP. Alongside the chronological issue, this paper mainly focuses on the geoarchaeological and zooarchaeological (micro and macro fauna) studies carried out on the materials retrieved during the 2007e2014 excavation fieldworks. The results of these studies are consistent with those from the radiometric chronology. A state of art concerning the MIS3 Italian sites is also provided in order to highlight the key role Grotta dei Santi may play in the assessment of late Neandertals' behaviour within the framework of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition of Central Italy.
Limondin-Lozouet N., Villa V., Pereira A., Nomade S., Bahain J.J., Stoetzel E., Aureli D. &am... more Limondin-Lozouet N., Villa V., Pereira A., Nomade S., Bahain J.J., Stoetzel E., Aureli D. & Nicoud E. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions through the Middle Pleistocene sequence in the Valle Giumentina, located in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy, are discussed. The sampled sequence is 16 m thick and includes nine levels with Lower Palaeolithic industries. The lithostratigraphy shows fluvio-glacial sediments with interbedded colluvial deposits and volcanic tephras. Fine sediments are composed of calcareous sands and silts, most of them yielding well-preserved mollusc shells. Forty-five samples, at 10 cm resolution, yielded 45 taxa, which could be assigned to four biozones. The oldest (biozone VGM1) indicate an open environment, which becomes a closed forest landscape developing under temperate conditions (VGM2). After a decline of thermophilous species (VGM3), mollusc assemblages indicate a dry open environment typical of a glacial period (VGM4). All prehistoric occupation horizons occur during stable environmental episodes but under both temperate and cold climatic conditions. The molluscan succession is allocated to the Middle Pleistocene on the basis of the occurrence of Jaminia malatestae, a well-known Italian species, now extinct, as well as the similarity of the molluscan record to that of Case Picconetto, a well-dated site nearby. This attribution is supported by three tephra layers dated by 40Ar/39Ar at 556 ± 6, 531 ± 5 and 456 ± 2 ka. The sequence is correlated with marine isotopic stages 14, 13 and 12. Four species of land snail (Azeca goodalli, Ruthenica filograna, Pagodulina pagodula, Nesovitrea hammonis) occur beyond their modern range and are therefore of biogeographical interest. These snails are western and central European in origin and their presence within the Valle Giumentina deposits highlight a north-south gradient of colonization during Pleistocene interglacial periods.
Sezione Di Museologia Scientifica E Naturalistica, 2008
Approccio "tecno-analitico". Un esempio d'integrazione metodologica tra l'analisi tecnologica e l... more Approccio "tecno-analitico". Un esempio d'integrazione metodologica tra l'analisi tecnologica e la logica dialettico-analitica: il caso studio dell'insieme litico dello strato Fa del sito di Payre (Areche, Francia)
The question of European Acheulean diversity is currently widely debated. The obvious differences... more The question of European Acheulean diversity is currently widely debated. The obvious differences between northern and southern industries have led to several hypotheses regarding settlement dynamics. We propose to deal with this question from an off-centre perspective, by focusing on the data from Central Europe. Indeed, assemblages from this region can provide us with a different view of technical behavioural diversity during the Lower Palaeolithic in Europe. It is generally accepted that the Central European data are difficult to incorporate into the existing theoretical framework. Despite its location on the Out of Africa route towards Europe, this region is characterized by later settlement and the absence of handaxes before the Early Middle Palaeolithic. However, assemblage composition in Central Europe shares some features with sites from other regions, mainly in Southern Europe, such as the absence of handaxes and the presence of " small tools ". This study proposes to reconsider the diversity of tool blanks concealed within the term Acheulean through the analysis of five lithic assemblages. Three of them come from Central Europe (Korolevo VI in Ukraine, V ertessz} ol} os in Hungary and Bilzingsleben in Germany) and will be compared with two collections from Southern Europe (Cimitero di Atella and Ficoncella in Italy).
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site char... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site characterized by a significant stratigraphy made up by several anthropic levels. The stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment, is a short palimpsest situated on a layer of tephra, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka BP). From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system. Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective. We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-...
Stratigraphic Unit 13 of Oscurusciuto Rockshelter (Ginosa, Taranto, Southern Italy) is a short Mo... more Stratigraphic Unit 13 of Oscurusciuto Rockshelter (Ginosa, Taranto, Southern Italy) is a short Mousterian palimpsest representing the first stable occupation of the site soon after the deposition of a thick layer of tephra (Mt. Epomeo Green Tuff-Ischia datable around 55 kya BP). Different activities were identified by integrating the study of lithic finds, faunal remains, and the microarchaeology of combustion features. Additionally, geo-statistical analysis of these data has been carried out using a specifically designed geodatabase within a GIS platform. Our results produced an articulated picture of this Neanderthal site as a tripartite location made of spatially segregated and integrated activity areas. A hearths' alignment (parallel to the rockshelter wall) divides the settled area into an inner and outer part. The inner part, between the hearths and the shelter wall, displays an abrupt rarefaction of the anthropic finds and was interpreted as a possible sleeping/ resting area. In the outer part, several multipurpose activity areas have been identified, mostly associated with the combustion features. The Northern sector of the settlement appears devoted particularly to lithic production (to a lesser degree, activities related with lithic tools use and faunal processing took place). In the Southern sector the main activities carried out represent more intensive production and use of lithic tools and the butchering and consumption of animal resources. Additionally, in this sector evidence of space maintenance behaviour (cleaning up of working areas and refuse dumping) has been attested.
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site char... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter (Ginosa, Puglia, southern Italy) is a Middle Palaeolithic site characterized by a significant stratigraphy made up by several anthropic levels. The stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment, is a short palimpsest situated on a layer of tephra, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka BP).
From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system.
Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective.
We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-functional unity (prehensile and transformative portions), whereas the second revealed the way in which these tools had been used, proceeding to identify the activity involved (e.g., piercing, cutting and/or scraping), and the type of material (vegetable/animal, soft/hard) on which these activities had been carried out.
The combined use of these two approaches allows us to ascertain the intention of the prehistoric craftsmen, the gestures and procedures involved in making the tools, and the way they had been used. From one single object we are thus able to reconstruct a series of complex behaviours, encompassing the creation, the life-cycle and finally the ‘death’ or repurposing of the tool in question.
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in southern Italy (Puglia), has yielded a long Middle Pala... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in southern Italy (Puglia), has yielded a long Middle Palaeolithic stratigraphy rich in lithic assemblages, fireplaces and faunal remains, attesting Neanderthal occupation during the MIS 3. This paper is focused on the stratigraphic unit 13, consisting of a sandy compact deposit mixed with pyroclastic sediment above a thick level of tephra-US 14, identified as Mt. Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar ~ 55 ka). Level 13 represents the first stable human occupation after the deposition of tephra. Our goal was to examine the lithic assemblage of this stratigraphic unit by means of an interdisciplinary approach (technology, RMU, refitting program) in order to identify the economic behaviour and technical strategies of Neanderthals occupying the stratigraphic unit 13 of Oscurusciuto. The technical strategies applied indicate fragmentation of the reduction processes, as well as probable events of importation and exportation of objects. The lithic material were introduced at different stages of manufacturing. Pieces were introduced in the form of rough objects (pebbles), as well as semi-finished items, and as finished tools. This fragmentation of the chaîne opératoire also demonstrate the palimpsest nature of the level which is made up of different events happening one after another. The main concept of debitage was Levallois, generally realized on local jasper and siliceous limestone pebbles or cortical flakes. Jasper and siliceous limestone flakes, backed flakes and convergent flakes were the technological objectives of the debitage. A marginal volumetric debitage aimed at producing bladelets was also attested.
The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto), is one of the key sites... more The Oscurusciuto rock shelter, located in the ravine of Ginosa (Taranto), is one of the key sites for the study of Neanderthal groups in Southern Italy. The rich stratigraphic sequence of the site, which is as-cribable entirely to the Middle Palaeolithic, is rich in anthropic remains and combustion structures, attesting occupation by Neanderthals during MIS 3. This paper is focused on the study of Stratigraphic Unit (SU) 13, made up of a compact sandy sediment mixed with pyroclastic sediment derived from the underlying tephra level (SU 14). The latter has been identified as Monte Epomeo green tuff (dated Ar/Ar 55 ± 2 ka). The first stable human occupation of the shelter after tephra deposition is represented by unit 13. Our aim here is that of separating the Stratigraphic Unit into its main components so as to obtain a high temporal resolution on the activities which took place in this SU, and to reconstruct the individual events which formed the palimpsest. In order to fulfil these objectives, a multidisciplinary approach was needed through which data could be integrated from the microstratigraphy of the hearths; from the technological study of the lithic industries; from the individuation of the Raw Material Units (RMUs); from refitting and co-joining and from spatial analysis (GIS science/tool). The integration of these analytical methods reveals that SU 13 of the Oscurusciuto rock shelter was the product of a series of events ascribable to a short time span. This layer was formed by sediment aggradation and cementation (e.g., brecciation) processes. Human activities contributed to the sediment build up with the introduction of wood ash, lithic raw materials and bones. The results show the importance of using integrated research methods in order to identify short anthropic events within a palimpsest.
We carried out a multidisciplinary study on the sedimentary succession of Valle Giumentina, a sma... more We carried out a multidisciplinary study on the sedimentary succession of Valle Giumentina, a small intermountain basin located in the Central Apennine. Studied in the 1950s, this 70 m-thick succession, including nine Palaeolithic occupation layers, was considered to be of Rissian and Würmian age. However, recent 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronological and tephrochronological investigations constrained the sedimentary history of the whole succession to the MIS 15-MIS 12 interval (Villa et al. 2016). Geophysical investigations (Electrical Resistivity Tomography) allow detecting the contact between bedrock and Quaternary infilling of the basin. No master fault was identified along the flank of the basin, suggesting that tectonics played a marginal role in the formation and evolution of the basin. Indeed, the basin sedimentary processes appear to be mainly climate-driven, with the deposition of glacio-fluvial sediments during colder glacial periods of MIS 14 and MIS 12 and alluvial sedimentation and/or pedogenesis processes active during warmer interglacial (MIS 15 and MIS 13) and interstadial phases (during MIS 12). Based on the available chronological data, the capture of the basin by a tributary stream of the San Bartolomeo canyon and its definitive extinction, occurred in MIS 12 glacial; i.e., when the uplift of the Apennine chain induced the reorgani-sation of the regional drainage system and the capture of almost all the lakes hosted in the intermountain basins.
Valle Giumentina is a Pleistocene open-air site in Central Italy (Abruzzo). Nine archaeological l... more Valle Giumentina is a Pleistocene open-air site in Central Italy (Abruzzo). Nine archaeological layers occur in the last 25 m of a 70 m thick sedimentary sequence. In the 1950s, the various archaeological layers were attributed to the Clactonian, Acheulian and Levalloisian traditions. Recent multidisciplinary fieldwork and studies (2012e2016) acquired new archaeological, chronostratigraphical and paleoenvironmental data. This contribution presents the preliminary results of the ongoing excavation of layer 42-ALB. This is a paleosol located at 4 m depth, at the top of a lacustrine deposit directly below the coarse deposits associated with the last major erosive event. Faunal remains consisted essentially by Cervus elaphus. The lithic series is characterized by a specific flake production system: only a part of the block is reduced, and platforms and surfaces are not prepared. Several methods are used, including the SSDA (syst eme par surfaces de d ebitage altern ees). Backed flakes are frequent. Numerous blanks are transformed by intensive or marginal retouch. Functional objectives are multiple, as shown by different tool structures and use-wear traces. Valle Giumentina 42-ALB is a butchery site used briefly but frequently during warmer substages occurring during an overall cold period. The "Clactonian" industry of Valle Giumentina is often considered as simple or expedient: we demonstrate its real technical complexity and its functional significance. Comparisons are made with other European sites.
In this research, still at a preliminary stage, we have studied the lithic assemblage of Cimitero... more In this research, still at a preliminary stage, we have studied the lithic assemblage of Cimitero di Atella site (Basilicata, Southern Italy) with a technological and techno-functional approach, never applied to this material before. Previously, lithic implements were principally classified with a typological methodological approach. This site was ascribed to the Lower Acheulean, even if large tools found in situ are very few and not properly bifacially worked. This new analysis allowed us to note the presence of technical recurrences both in production and tool formation. The results have been consequently compared with those concerning other similar and almost coeval sites, finding many analogies in production strategies, but also some differences mainly due to shape and quality of the raw material. We underline the great scientific potential of this site and the whole area of the Atella basin, which can surely be included in the large debate on the first peopling of Europe and the diffusion of the bifacial technology.
The Roundtable, organized by Filomena Ranaldo and Daniele Aureli, is held in collaboration with C... more The Roundtable, organized by Filomena Ranaldo and Daniele Aureli, is held in collaboration with CAMNES (Center for Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies).
The main objective is to provide a space that enables the possibility to structure a research method for the future, which will take advantage of a direct comparison of all scholars currently engaged in research project over the Middle Paleolithic of Italy.
This meeting focuses specifically on the issues posed by the observation of lithic material (the role of Levallois, evolution and variability of technical systems, the origin and role of laminarity, the concept of techno-cultural area and the transition to the Upper Paleolithic) and we also express the hope that others will follow to respond to other sectors involved in the research of this phase of the Paleolithic.
La Tavola Rotonda, organizzata da Filomena Ranaldo e Daniele Aureli, si svolge in collaborazione con il CAMNES (Center for Ancient Mediterra-
nean and Near Eastern Studies).
Il principale obiettivo è fornire uno spazio entro il quale strutturare una modalità di progetta- zione delle ricerche future in grado di avvalersi del confronto diretto tra tutti gli studiosi attual- mente impegnati in ricerche sul Paleolitico medio italiano.
Questo incontro si concentra specificatamente sui temi posti dall’osservazione del materiale litico (il ruolo del Levallois, l’evoluzione e la variabilità dei sistemi tecnici, l’origine e il ruolo del laminare, il concetto di area tecno-culturale e il passaggio al Paleolitico superiore) ed espri- miamo l’auspicio che ne possano seguire altri per tutti i settori coinvolti nella ricerca di questa fase del Paleolitico.
Il primo popolamento del continente europeo è spesso interpretato come risultato di più ondate mi... more Il primo popolamento del continente europeo è spesso interpretato come risultato di più ondate migratorie provenienti dall’Africa, attraverso il Vicino-Oriente e l’Europa Centrale. Le prime due sarebbero caratterizzate dalla insorgenza di uno strumento specifico: su scheggia per la prima (1.4 Ma), e bifacciale per la seconda (0.7 Ma). In questo modello interpretativo, noto in letteratura come out of Africa, l’Italia e la Spagna vengono considerate come zone periferiche, o cul-de-sac, ai confini dell’Europa. Tuttavia, è precisamente in queste zone che ritroviamo le più antiche evidenze mentre l’area intermedia, tra Vicino Oriente e Est della Francia, costituisce allo stato attuale delle ricerche un vuoto geografico di informazioni (Rocca, 2013, in press). In effetti, i primi siti in Europa sono quasi tutti localizzati in aree meridionali che affacciano sul Mediteranno (de Lumley et al. 1988, 2009; Peretto et al., 1998; Carbonnel et al., 1999; Aguirre & Carbonell, 2001; Arzarello et al., 2006; Arzarello & Peretto 2010; Toro-Moyano et al. 2011), cosi come le prime evidenze di bifacciali (Piperno et al. 1999; Barsky & de Lumley, 2010; Abruzzese et al., in press; Moncel et al., in press; Mosquera et al., in press). Questo paradosso è particolarmente evidente nella penisola italiana, area considerata per la sua conformazione e per la sua posizione tra le più periferiche, ma dove emergono gran parte delle innovazioni tecniche del Paleolitico inferiore e dove è rappresentata tutta la diversità dei sistemi tecnici di questo periodo. Questi dati spingono ad interrogarsi sul ruolo che ha avuto durante il primo popolamento dell’Europa. Si tratta di una regione d’innovazione, una zona di rifugio o di passaggio, di circolazione dei gruppi umani e/o delle idee? Come possiamo considerare, alla luce del record archeologico presente in Italia, le altre ipotesi di popolamento dell’Europa (Villa, 2001; Nicoud 2013; Gallotti, in press; Rocca et al. in press; Sharon & Barsky, in press)? Nel tentativo di rispondere a queste domande si analizzeranno, attraverso un approccio tecnologico e tecno-genetico (Boëda 2013), le industrie litiche provenienti da tre siti coevi e che restituiscono un’istantanea dell’Italia di 500 mila anni fa: Cimitero di Atella in Basilicata (Borzatti et al. 1997; Abruzzese et al., in press), Ficoncella nel Lazio (Aureli et al. 2012, 2015, in press) e Valle Giumentina in Abruzzo (Nicoud et al. 2015, in press). Tutta la variabilità tecnica presente durante il Paleolitico inferiore europeo è rappresentata in questi insiemi litici: una concezione “bifacciale” dello strumento nei siti del Cimitero di Atella e di Valle Giumentina, piccoli strumenti ritoccati rinvenuti sempre nel sito del Cimitero di Atella e in quello di Ficoncella e produzioni di schegge in tutti e tre i siti. Il confronto tra queste industrie ci permetterà di affrontare la problematica legata alla definizione stessa delle entità tecno-culturali descritte fino ad oggi per il Paleolitico inferiore in Italia (Palma di Cesnola 2001; Grifoni & Tozzi 2006), cercando di proporre nuove ipotesi sul popolamento del Circum Mediterraneo durante questo periodo.
Riferimenti Bibliografici Abruzzese, C., Aureli, D., Rocca, R., in press. Assessment of the Acheulean in Southern Italy: New study on the Atella site (Basilicata, Italy). Quaternary International. Aguirre, E., Carbonell, E., 2001. Early human expansions into Eurasia: The Atapuerca evidence. Quaternary International 75, 11-18. Arzarello, M., Marcolini, F., Pavia, G., Pavia, M., Petronio, C., Petrucci, M., Rook, L., Sardella, R., 2006. Evidence of earliest human occurrence in Europe: the site of Pirro Nord (Southern Italy). Naturwissenschaften 94, 107-112. Arzarello, M., Peretto, C., 2010. Out of Africa: The first evidence of Italian peninsula occupation. Quaternary International 223–224, 65-70. Aureli, D., Contardi, A., Giaccio, B., Modesti, V., Palombo, M.R., Rozzi, R., Sposato, A., Trucco, F., 2012. Straight-tusked elephants in the Middle Pleistocene of northern Latium: Preliminary report on the Ficoncella site (Tarquinia, central Italy). Quaternary International 255, 29-35. Aureli, D., Contardi, C., Giaccio, B., Jicha, B., Lemorini, C., Madonna, S., Magri, D., Marano, F., Milli, S., Modesti, V., Palombo, M.R., Rocca, R., 2015. Palaeoloxodon and Human Interaction: Depositional Setting, Chronology and Archaeology at the Middle Pleistocene Ficoncella Site (Tarquinia, Italy). PLoS ONE 10, e0124498. Aureli, D., Rocca, R., Lemorini, C., Modesti, V., Scaramucci, S., Milli, S., Giaccio, B., Marano, F., Palombo, M.R., Contardi, A., in press. Mode 1 or mode 2? “Small tools” in the technical variability of the European Lower Palaeolithic: The site of Ficoncella (Tarquinia, Lazio, central Italy). Quaternary International. Barsky, D., de Lumley, H., 2010. Early European Mode 2 and the stone industry from the Caune de l’Arago’s archeostratigraphical levels “P.” Quaternary International 223-224, 71-86. Boëda, E., 2013. Techno-logique & technologie: une paléo-histoire des objets lithiques tranchants. @rchéo-éditions. Borzatti von Löwenstern, E., Palchetti, A., Sozzi, M., 1997. Témoignages de l’Acheuléen inférieur en Italie méridionale: Le gisement du Cimitero di Atella (Basilicata). L’Anthropologie 101, 617-638. Carbonell, E., Mosquera, M., Rodrı́guez, X.P., Sala, R., van der Made, J., 1999. Out of Africa: The Dispersal of the Earliest Technical Systems Reconsidered. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 18, 119-136. Gallotti, R., in press. The East African origin of the Western European Acheulean technology: Fact or paradigm? Quaternary International. Grifoni, R., Tozzi, C., 2006. L’émergence des identités culturelles au Paléolithique inférieur : le cas de l’Italie. Comptes Rendus Palevol 5, 137-148. Lumley, H. de, Fournier, A., Krzekowska, J., Echassoux, A., 1988. L’industrie du Pléistocène inférieur de la grotte du Vallonnet, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes. L’Anthropologie 92, 501-613. de Lumley, H., Barsky, D., Cauche, D., 2009. Les premières étapes de la colonisation de l’Europe et l’arrivée de l’Homme sur les rives de la Méditerranée. L’Anthropologie 113, 1-46. Moncel, M.-H., Despriée, J., Voinchet, P., Courcimault, G., Hardy, B., Bahain, J.-J., Puaud, S., Gallet, X., Falguères, C., in press. The Acheulean workshop of la Noira (France, 700 ka) in the European technological context. Quaternary International. Mosquera, M., Ollé, A., Saladié, P., Cáceres, I., Huguet, R., Rosas, A., Villalaín, J.J., Carrancho, A., Bourlès, D., Braucher, R., Pineda, A., Vallverdú, J., in press. The Early Acheulean technology of Barranc de la Boella (Catalonia, Spain). Quaternary International. Nicoud, E., 2013. Le paradoxe acheuléen. Documents Préhistoriques. CTHS Editions Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d’Athènes et de Rome. Nicoud, E., Aureli, D., Pagli, M., 2015. Comportements techniques au Pléistocène moyen en Italie. Nouvelles recherches sur l’industrie lithique et le site de Valle Giumentina (Abruzzes). Mélanges de l’École française de Rome-Antiquité, 127-1. Nicoud, E., Aureli, D., Pagli, M., Villa, V., Chaussé, C., Agostini, S., Bahain, J.-J., Boschian, G., Degeai, J.-P., Fusco, F., Giaccio, B., Hernandez, M., Kuzucuoglu, C., Lahaye, C., Lemorini, C., Limondin-Lozouet, N., Mazza, P., Mercier, N., Nomade, S., Pereira, A., Robert, V., Rossi, M.A., Virmoux, C., Zupancich, A., in press. Preliminary data from Valle Giumentina Pleistocene site (Abruzzo, Central Italy): A new approach to a Clactonian and Acheulian sequence. Quaternary International. Palma di Cesnola, A., 2001. Il Paleolitico inferiore e medio in Italia. Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria "Paolo Graziosi, Firenze. Peretto, C., Amore, F.O., Antoniazzi, A., Antoniazzi, A., Bahain, J.-J., Cattani, L., Cavallini, E., Esposito, P., Falgueres, C., Gagnepain, J., Hedley, I., Laurent, M., Lebreton, V., Longo, L., Milliken, S., Monegatti, P., Olle, A., Pugliese, N., Renault-Miskovsky, J., Sozzi, M., Ungaro, S., Vannucci, S., Verges, J.M., Wagner, J.-J., Yokoyama, Y., 1998. L’industrie lithique de Ca’Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo : Stratigraphie, matière première, typologie, remontages et traces d’utilisation. L’Anthropologie 102, 343-465. Piperno, M., 1999. Notarchirico Un sito del Pleistocene medio iniziale nel bacino di Venosa. Osanna Edizione, Venosa. Rocca, R., 2013. Peut-on définir des aires culturelles au Paléolithique inférieur? Originalité des premières industries lithiques en Europe centrale dans le cadre du peuplement de l’Europe. PhD Thesis, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense. Rocca, R., in press. First settlements in Central Europe: Between originality and banality. Quaternary International. Rocca, R., Abruzzese, C., Aureli, D., in press. European Acheuleans: Critical perspectives from the East. Quaternary International. Sharon, G., Barsky, D., in press. The emergence of the Acheulian in Europe - A look from the East. Quaternary International. Toro-Moyano, I., Barsky, D., Cauche, D., Celiberti, V., Grégoire, S., Lebegue, F., Moncel, M.H., de Lumley, H., 2011. The archaic stone tool industry from Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3, (Orce, Spain): Evidence of the earliest hominin presence in southern Europe. Quaternary International 243, 80-91. Villa, P., 2001. Early Italy and the colonization of Western Europe. Quaternary International 75, 113-130.
Il sito del Cimitero di Atella, localizzato ai margini dell’attuale abitato, è ubicato circa 10 k... more Il sito del Cimitero di Atella, localizzato ai margini dell’attuale abitato, è ubicato circa 10 km a sud del Monte Vulture (Basilicata, Italia meridionale). Lo scavo, condotto per più di vent’anni dal Prof. E. Borzatti von Löwenstern, ha riportato alla luce un’importante sequenza stratigrafica contenente due principali livelli archeologici attributi all’Acheuleano antico (Borzatti et al. 1990, 1997). Il materiale litico e faunistico, allo stato attuale delle ricerche, è datato a circa 0.63 Ma, sulla base di correlazioni stratigrafiche, vulcanologiche e biocronologiche (Borzatti et al. 1990; Ciolli 1997; Di Muro 1999; Zucchelli 2002). Un nuovo progetto multidisciplinare, avviato nel 2015, si propone di riattivare le ricerche su quest’importante sito, cercando di apportare un contributo alla problematica scientifica relativa al primo Acheuleano in Europa. L’obiettivo di questo programma è di rivalutare il contesto crono-stratigrafico, i processi di formazione del sito e le caratteristiche dell’associazione faunistica e dell’industria litica. La presenza di depositi lacustri, probabilmente in relazione con il bacino endoreico di Atella-Vitalba, e di diversi livelli vulcanici, attribuibili verosimilmente ad episodi eruttivi del centro vulcanico del Vulture, permetteranno sicuramente di collocare la sequenza nel suo preciso contesto crono-stratigrafico. Un nuovo riesame dell’industria litica (Abruzzese 2014, Abruzzese et al. 2016) ha individuato nell’insieme una grande variabilità di catene operative (grandi strumenti, piccoli strumenti, produzione di schegge). Questa diversità, al centro delle problematiche attuali sul Paleolitico inferiore, fa del Cimitero di Atella un sito rilevante che permetterà di fornire nuovi e inediti dati al dibattito scientifico sull’evoluzione dei sistemi tecnici durante il Pleistocene medio in Italia.
The site of Cimitero di Atella is located in the village of Atella (Basilicata, Southern Italy), at about 10 km of the Vulture Mt. The 20 years excavation of Prof. E. Borzatti von Löwenstern, brought to light an important sequence containing two archaeological levels attributed to the Lower Acheulean (Borzatti et al. 1990, 1997). The lithic implements and faunal remains are at the moment dated to 0.63 Ma on the base of stratigraphical, volcanological and biochronological correlations (Borzatti et al. 1990; Ciolli 1997; Di Muro 1999; Zucchelli 2002). A new multidisciplinary project, started in 2015, proposes to reactivate the research on this important site. The aim of this program is to re-assess the chrono-stratigraphical context, as well as the site formation and the features of fauna and lithic industry. The presence of lacustrine deposits at the bottom of the stratigraphic succession, related to the Atella paleo-lake, and of several volcanic layers in the uppermost part of the sequence, probably belonging to the Vulture Mt. eruptive events, will certainly allow us to re-collocate the sequence in a more precise chronological context. The new study of lithic industry (Abruzzese 2014, Abruzzese et al. 2016) shows that the assemblage contains in fact a great variability of reduction sequences (large cutting-tools, small tools, flakes production). This diversity, at the centre of the current research on Lower Palaeolithic, make of Cimitero di Atella an important site, which will add new and unpublished data to the debate on the evolution of technical systems in Italy during the Middle Pleistocene.
References Abruzzese, C., 2014. Il sito paleolitico di Atella (Pz) nel quadro del primo popolamento europeo: studio tecnologico dell’industria litica. Tesi di Laurea. Uni-versità degli Studi Di Napoli « L’Orientale ». Abruzzese, C., Aureli, D., Rocca, R., 2016. Assessment of the Acheulean in Southern Italy: new study on the Cimitero di Atella site (Basilicata, Italy). Quaternary International 393, 158-168. Borzatti von Löwenstern, E., Sozzi, M., Vannucci, S., Vianello, F., 1990. L’acheuleano antico del cimitero di Atella. Prime indagini sulla stratigrafia del sedimento e sulle industrie litiche. Studi per l’ecologia del quaternario 12. Borzatti von Löwenstern, E., Palchetti, A., Sozzi, M. 1997. Témoignages de l’Acheuléen inferieur en Italie Méridionale: Le gisement du Cimitero di Atella (Basilicata). L’Anthropologie, 101(4): 617-638. Ciolli N. 1997. Elephas antiquus Falconer & Cautley del Cimitero di Atella (PZ). Studi per l’Ecologia del Quaternario, 19: 25-33. Di Muro, A. 1999. Inquadramento tefrostratigrafico del sito acheuleano del Cimitero di Atella (Basilicata, Italia). Studi per l’Ecologia del Quaternario, 21: 7-14. Zucchelli, M. 2002. I cervidi dell’Acheuleano antico nel Cimitero di Atella (Potenza). Studi per l’Ecologia del Quaternario, 24: 13-17.
Bibliographische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek ve... more Bibliographische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie, detaillierte bibliographische Angaben sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. Für den Inhalt der Seiten sind die Autoren selbst verantwortlich.
The Italian Peninsula seems to be playing an important
role in the debate on the cultural occurre... more The Italian Peninsula seems to be playing an important role in the debate on the cultural occurrences connected to Neanderthals. Its particular geographical position, as a peripheral appendix of the European continent, gives origin to a territory constrained in a long and narrow strip of land which, differently from the vast plains of Northern Europe, acts as a cul de sac in the population dynamics of humans and animals. At the same time, the highly variable and fragmented landscapes, sprouting from a great geomorphological variety (Apennine Chain - coastal areas), create the conditions for a wide range of resources and for a mosaic-like peopling of the Peninsula. From a chronological standpoint too, a narrowing of the time range of Neanderthal record is observable, particularly in Southern Italy. This is defined, in comparison to the wider European context, by a late appearance of Levallois in lithic industries (OIS 5) and by an early arrival of the first cultures connected to Homo sapiens (Uluzzian, about 45-44 kyrs BP). For this reason, the study of Neanderthal communities who occupied Southern Italy during that time span provides a very interesting viewpoint for the understanding of their actual variability and complexity. Over the last decade, Middle Palaeolithic research in Italy has experienced an important methodological renewal thanks not only to the diffusion of technological approach in lithic studies, but also to the broader attention paid to behavioural expressions of these human groups: exploitation strategies of the territory and of the mineral and food resources, spatial organization, mobility within territories, stone tool production, fire technology, symbolic expressions, etc. Investigations carried out by Research Unit in “Prehistory and Anthropology” of the University of Siena fit within this framework of methodological renewal and focus the on key sites located in different regions of Central- Southern Italy. This work wants to present and compare the results obtained over the last few years from the sites of Cala dei Santi (Southern Tuscany), Castelcivita, Molare and Grotta Grande (Campania), Oscurusciuto and Santa Croce (Apulia), with the aim of shedding light on Neanderthals’ behavioural variability.
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Papers by Daniele Aureli
From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system.
Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective.
We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-functional unity (prehensile and transformative portions), whereas the second revealed the way in which these tools had been used, proceeding to identify the activity involved (e.g., piercing, cutting and/or scraping), and the type of material (vegetable/animal, soft/hard) on which these activities had been carried out.
The combined use of these two approaches allows us to ascertain the intention of the prehistoric craftsmen, the gestures and procedures involved in making the tools, and the way they had been used. From one single object we are thus able to reconstruct a series of complex behaviours, encompassing the creation, the life-cycle and finally the ‘death’ or repurposing of the tool in question.
From a technological point of view, the aims of the production were backed flakes, convergent flakes, and other flakes obtained by means of a Levallois debitage, plus (less represented) bladelets produced by an additional volumetric reduction system.
Our aim in this research was to examine a selection of the above-mentioned target objects produced by debitage in order to understand the manufacture and life-cycle of each single tool from a dynamic perspective.
We integrated techno-functional and use-wear analyses: the first was implemented to globally comprehend each tool, identifying each single techno-functional unity (prehensile and transformative portions), whereas the second revealed the way in which these tools had been used, proceeding to identify the activity involved (e.g., piercing, cutting and/or scraping), and the type of material (vegetable/animal, soft/hard) on which these activities had been carried out.
The combined use of these two approaches allows us to ascertain the intention of the prehistoric craftsmen, the gestures and procedures involved in making the tools, and the way they had been used. From one single object we are thus able to reconstruct a series of complex behaviours, encompassing the creation, the life-cycle and finally the ‘death’ or repurposing of the tool in question.
The main objective is to provide a space that enables the possibility to structure a research method for the future, which will take advantage of a direct comparison of all scholars currently engaged in research project over the Middle Paleolithic of Italy.
This meeting focuses specifically on the issues posed by the observation of lithic material (the role of Levallois, evolution and variability of technical systems, the origin and role of laminarity, the concept of techno-cultural area and the transition to the Upper Paleolithic) and we also express the hope that others will follow to respond to other sectors involved in the research of this phase of the Paleolithic.
La Tavola Rotonda, organizzata da Filomena Ranaldo e Daniele Aureli, si svolge in collaborazione con il CAMNES (Center for Ancient Mediterra-
nean and Near Eastern Studies).
Il principale obiettivo è fornire uno spazio entro il quale strutturare una modalità di progetta- zione delle ricerche future in grado di avvalersi del confronto diretto tra tutti gli studiosi attual- mente impegnati in ricerche sul Paleolitico medio italiano.
Questo incontro si concentra specificatamente sui temi posti dall’osservazione del materiale litico (il ruolo del Levallois, l’evoluzione e la variabilità dei sistemi tecnici, l’origine e il ruolo del laminare, il concetto di area tecno-culturale e il passaggio al Paleolitico superiore) ed espri- miamo l’auspicio che ne possano seguire altri per tutti i settori coinvolti nella ricerca di questa fase del Paleolitico.
Questo paradosso è particolarmente evidente nella penisola italiana, area considerata per la sua conformazione e per la sua posizione tra le più periferiche, ma dove emergono gran parte delle innovazioni tecniche del Paleolitico inferiore e dove è rappresentata tutta la diversità dei sistemi tecnici di questo periodo. Questi dati spingono ad interrogarsi sul ruolo che ha avuto durante il primo popolamento dell’Europa. Si tratta di una regione d’innovazione, una zona di rifugio o di passaggio, di circolazione dei gruppi umani e/o delle idee? Come possiamo considerare, alla luce del record archeologico presente in Italia, le altre ipotesi di popolamento dell’Europa (Villa, 2001; Nicoud 2013; Gallotti, in press; Rocca et al. in press; Sharon & Barsky, in press)?
Nel tentativo di rispondere a queste domande si analizzeranno, attraverso un approccio tecnologico e tecno-genetico (Boëda 2013), le industrie litiche provenienti da tre siti coevi e che restituiscono un’istantanea dell’Italia di 500 mila anni fa: Cimitero di Atella in Basilicata (Borzatti et al. 1997; Abruzzese et al., in press), Ficoncella nel Lazio (Aureli et al. 2012, 2015, in press) e Valle Giumentina in Abruzzo (Nicoud et al. 2015, in press). Tutta la variabilità tecnica presente durante il Paleolitico inferiore europeo è rappresentata in questi insiemi litici: una concezione “bifacciale” dello strumento nei siti del Cimitero di Atella e di Valle Giumentina, piccoli strumenti ritoccati rinvenuti sempre nel sito del Cimitero di Atella e in quello di Ficoncella e produzioni di schegge in tutti e tre i siti.
Il confronto tra queste industrie ci permetterà di affrontare la problematica legata alla definizione stessa delle entità tecno-culturali descritte fino ad oggi per il Paleolitico inferiore in Italia (Palma di Cesnola 2001; Grifoni & Tozzi 2006), cercando di proporre nuove ipotesi sul popolamento del Circum Mediterraneo durante questo periodo.
Riferimenti Bibliografici
Abruzzese, C., Aureli, D., Rocca, R., in press. Assessment of the Acheulean in Southern Italy: New study on the Atella site (Basilicata, Italy). Quaternary International.
Aguirre, E., Carbonell, E., 2001. Early human expansions into Eurasia: The Atapuerca evidence. Quaternary International 75, 11-18.
Arzarello, M., Marcolini, F., Pavia, G., Pavia, M., Petronio, C., Petrucci, M., Rook, L., Sardella, R., 2006. Evidence of earliest human occurrence in Europe: the site of Pirro Nord (Southern Italy). Naturwissenschaften 94, 107-112.
Arzarello, M., Peretto, C., 2010. Out of Africa: The first evidence of Italian peninsula occupation. Quaternary International 223–224, 65-70.
Aureli, D., Contardi, A., Giaccio, B., Modesti, V., Palombo, M.R., Rozzi, R., Sposato, A., Trucco, F., 2012. Straight-tusked elephants in the Middle Pleistocene of northern Latium: Preliminary report on the Ficoncella site (Tarquinia, central Italy). Quaternary International 255, 29-35.
Aureli, D., Contardi, C., Giaccio, B., Jicha, B., Lemorini, C., Madonna, S., Magri, D., Marano, F., Milli, S., Modesti, V., Palombo, M.R., Rocca, R., 2015. Palaeoloxodon and Human Interaction: Depositional Setting, Chronology and Archaeology at the Middle Pleistocene Ficoncella Site (Tarquinia, Italy). PLoS ONE 10, e0124498.
Aureli, D., Rocca, R., Lemorini, C., Modesti, V., Scaramucci, S., Milli, S., Giaccio, B., Marano, F., Palombo, M.R., Contardi, A., in press. Mode 1 or mode 2? “Small tools” in the technical variability of the European Lower Palaeolithic: The site of Ficoncella (Tarquinia, Lazio, central Italy). Quaternary International.
Barsky, D., de Lumley, H., 2010. Early European Mode 2 and the stone industry from the Caune de l’Arago’s archeostratigraphical levels “P.” Quaternary International 223-224, 71-86.
Boëda, E., 2013. Techno-logique & technologie: une paléo-histoire des objets lithiques tranchants. @rchéo-éditions.
Borzatti von Löwenstern, E., Palchetti, A., Sozzi, M., 1997. Témoignages de l’Acheuléen inférieur en Italie méridionale: Le gisement du Cimitero di Atella (Basilicata). L’Anthropologie 101, 617-638.
Carbonell, E., Mosquera, M., Rodrı́guez, X.P., Sala, R., van der Made, J., 1999. Out of Africa: The Dispersal of the Earliest Technical Systems Reconsidered. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 18, 119-136.
Gallotti, R., in press. The East African origin of the Western European Acheulean technology: Fact or paradigm? Quaternary International.
Grifoni, R., Tozzi, C., 2006. L’émergence des identités culturelles au Paléolithique inférieur : le cas de l’Italie. Comptes Rendus Palevol 5, 137-148.
Lumley, H. de, Fournier, A., Krzekowska, J., Echassoux, A., 1988. L’industrie du Pléistocène inférieur de la grotte du Vallonnet, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes. L’Anthropologie 92, 501-613.
de Lumley, H., Barsky, D., Cauche, D., 2009. Les premières étapes de la colonisation de l’Europe et l’arrivée de l’Homme sur les rives de la Méditerranée. L’Anthropologie 113, 1-46.
Moncel, M.-H., Despriée, J., Voinchet, P., Courcimault, G., Hardy, B., Bahain, J.-J., Puaud, S., Gallet, X., Falguères, C., in press. The Acheulean workshop of la Noira (France, 700 ka) in the European technological context. Quaternary International.
Mosquera, M., Ollé, A., Saladié, P., Cáceres, I., Huguet, R., Rosas, A., Villalaín, J.J., Carrancho, A., Bourlès, D., Braucher, R., Pineda, A., Vallverdú, J., in press. The Early Acheulean technology of Barranc de la Boella (Catalonia, Spain). Quaternary International.
Nicoud, E., 2013. Le paradoxe acheuléen. Documents Préhistoriques. CTHS Editions Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d’Athènes et de Rome.
Nicoud, E., Aureli, D., Pagli, M., 2015. Comportements techniques au Pléistocène moyen en Italie. Nouvelles recherches sur l’industrie lithique et le site de Valle Giumentina (Abruzzes). Mélanges de l’École française de Rome-Antiquité, 127-1.
Nicoud, E., Aureli, D., Pagli, M., Villa, V., Chaussé, C., Agostini, S., Bahain, J.-J., Boschian, G., Degeai, J.-P., Fusco, F., Giaccio, B., Hernandez, M., Kuzucuoglu, C., Lahaye, C., Lemorini, C., Limondin-Lozouet, N., Mazza, P., Mercier, N., Nomade, S., Pereira, A., Robert, V., Rossi, M.A., Virmoux, C., Zupancich, A., in press. Preliminary data from Valle Giumentina Pleistocene site (Abruzzo, Central Italy): A new approach to a Clactonian and Acheulian sequence. Quaternary International.
Palma di Cesnola, A., 2001. Il Paleolitico inferiore e medio in Italia. Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria "Paolo Graziosi, Firenze.
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The site of Cimitero di Atella is located in the village of Atella (Basilicata, Southern Italy), at about 10 km of the Vulture Mt. The 20 years excavation of Prof. E. Borzatti von Löwenstern, brought to light an important sequence containing two archaeological levels attributed to the Lower Acheulean (Borzatti et al. 1990, 1997). The lithic implements and faunal remains are at the moment dated to 0.63 Ma on the base of stratigraphical, volcanological and biochronological correlations (Borzatti et al. 1990; Ciolli 1997; Di Muro 1999; Zucchelli 2002). A new multidisciplinary project, started in 2015, proposes to reactivate the research on this important site. The aim of this program is to re-assess the chrono-stratigraphical context, as well as the site formation and the features of fauna and lithic industry. The presence of lacustrine deposits at the bottom of the stratigraphic succession, related to the Atella paleo-lake, and of several volcanic layers in the uppermost part of the sequence, probably belonging to the Vulture Mt. eruptive events, will certainly allow us to re-collocate the sequence in a more precise chronological context. The new study of lithic industry (Abruzzese 2014, Abruzzese et al. 2016) shows that the assemblage contains in fact a great variability of reduction sequences (large cutting-tools, small tools, flakes production). This diversity, at the centre of the current research on Lower Palaeolithic, make of Cimitero di Atella an important site, which will add new and unpublished data to the debate on the evolution of technical systems in Italy during the Middle Pleistocene.
References
Abruzzese, C., 2014. Il sito paleolitico di Atella (Pz) nel quadro del primo popolamento europeo: studio tecnologico dell’industria litica. Tesi di Laurea. Uni-versità degli Studi Di Napoli « L’Orientale ».
Abruzzese, C., Aureli, D., Rocca, R., 2016. Assessment of the Acheulean in Southern Italy: new study on the Cimitero di Atella site (Basilicata, Italy). Quaternary International 393, 158-168.
Borzatti von Löwenstern, E., Sozzi, M., Vannucci, S., Vianello, F., 1990. L’acheuleano antico del cimitero di Atella. Prime indagini sulla stratigrafia del sedimento e sulle industrie litiche. Studi per l’ecologia del quaternario 12.
Borzatti von Löwenstern, E., Palchetti, A., Sozzi, M. 1997. Témoignages de l’Acheuléen inferieur en Italie Méridionale: Le gisement du Cimitero di Atella (Basilicata). L’Anthropologie, 101(4): 617-638.
Ciolli N. 1997. Elephas antiquus Falconer & Cautley del Cimitero di Atella (PZ). Studi per l’Ecologia del Quaternario, 19: 25-33.
Di Muro, A. 1999. Inquadramento tefrostratigrafico del sito acheuleano del Cimitero di Atella (Basilicata, Italia). Studi per l’Ecologia del Quaternario, 21: 7-14.
Zucchelli, M. 2002. I cervidi dell’Acheuleano antico nel Cimitero di Atella (Potenza). Studi per l’Ecologia del Quaternario, 24: 13-17.
role in the debate on the cultural occurrences connected
to Neanderthals. Its particular geographical position,
as a peripheral appendix of the European continent,
gives origin to a territory constrained in a long and narrow
strip of land which, differently from the vast plains
of Northern Europe, acts as a cul de sac in the population
dynamics of humans and animals.
At the same time, the highly variable and fragmented
landscapes, sprouting from a great geomorphological
variety (Apennine Chain - coastal areas), create the conditions
for a wide range of resources and for a mosaic-like
peopling of the Peninsula. From a chronological standpoint
too, a narrowing of the time range of Neanderthal
record is observable, particularly in Southern Italy. This is
defined, in comparison to the wider European context,
by a late appearance of Levallois in lithic industries (OIS 5)
and by an early arrival of the first cultures connected to
Homo sapiens (Uluzzian, about 45-44 kyrs BP).
For this reason, the study of Neanderthal communities
who occupied Southern Italy during that time span provides
a very interesting viewpoint for the understanding
of their actual variability and complexity. Over the last
decade, Middle Palaeolithic research in Italy has experienced
an important methodological renewal thanks
not only to the diffusion of technological approach in lithic studies, but also to the broader attention paid to
behavioural expressions of these human groups: exploitation
strategies of the territory and of the mineral and
food resources, spatial organization, mobility within territories,
stone tool production, fire technology, symbolic
expressions, etc.
Investigations carried out by Research Unit in “Prehistory
and Anthropology” of the University of Siena fit within
this framework of methodological renewal and focus
the on key sites located in different regions of Central-
Southern Italy.
This work wants to present and compare the results obtained
over the last few years from the sites of Cala dei
Santi (Southern Tuscany), Castelcivita, Molare and Grotta
Grande (Campania), Oscurusciuto and Santa Croce
(Apulia), with the aim of shedding light on Neanderthals’
behavioural variability.