- Lower Paleolithic, Lower and Middle Paleolithic, First Human Settlements, Lithics, Lithic Technology (Archaeology), Lithic Technology, and 12 morePrehistoric Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric Settlement, Middle Palaeolithic, Middle Stone Age (Archaeology), Mousterian, Lithic Refitting, Anthropology, Archaeology, Lithic Resource Identification, and Modern Human Originsedit
Research Interests:
The aim of this study is to understand Neanderthals' techno-functional behavior at Riparo Tagliente (VR). To this purpose, the use-wear analysis on the lithic artefacts from the upper levels of the Mousterian sequences was carried... more
The aim of this study is to understand Neanderthals' techno-functional behavior at Riparo Tagliente (VR). To this purpose, the use-wear analysis on the lithic artefacts from the upper levels of the Mousterian sequences was carried out. In particular, two main features of the Mousterian lithic assemblage of Riparo Tagliente are considered: how the laminar component and the pointed tools were differently used. The use of blades in the Mousterian period represents a debated issue: many scholars interpret the Mousterian blades as specific tools used as butchering knives, while others underline their use as undifferentiated tools. The use of pointed tools is also an interesting topic: if different scholars stress their undifferentiated use, others propose their use as spear points. The use-wear analysis completed on the Riparo Tagliente's Mousterian lithic assemblage highlights a general opportunistic behavior in the use of knapping products. Concerning the relation between the a...
Research Interests:
During the XVIII UISPP congress at Paris in 2018, we organized sessions devoted to the first peopling of Europe (chronology, behaviour and environment) and the question of bifacial shaping over time and space. We aimed to discuss recent... more
During the XVIII UISPP congress at Paris in 2018, we organized sessions devoted to the first peopling of Europe (chronology, behaviour and environment) and the question of bifacial shaping over time and space. We aimed to discuss recent data regarding the earliest occupations in Europe and to investigate the onset of the bifacial phenomenon, not only in Europe, but also in Asia and Africa.
Research Interests:
The Mousterian site of Grotta Reali (Rocchetta a Volturno, Molise, southern Italy), dated from between 50,940 and 40,370 cal BP, provides detailed information on the depositional dynamic and human occupation in southern Italy, and... more
The Mousterian site of Grotta Reali (Rocchetta a Volturno, Molise, southern Italy), dated from between 50,940 and 40,370 cal BP, provides detailed information on the depositional dynamic and human occupation in southern Italy, and contributes to the international debate on technical behaviour at the end of the Mousterian. The site was discovered in 2001 and it was located in a small cave/shelter now partially quarried, on the backside of a tufa waterfall, at the edge of a large alluvial terrace, in correspondence of the major spring of the Volturno River. Pollen and faunal assemblages record the persistence of wooded environments with large open areas as indicated by the presence of horse, aurochs and spotted hyena. Humans settled occasionally for hunting, processing game and performing related activities. Anthropic occupation was followed by carnivores, particularly in the upper part of the stratigraphy where the evidences of their activities prevail decisively rather than those left by humans. The chronological attribution of Grotta Reali to the MIS 3 allows placing the settlement in the last phase of Neanderthals presence in Europe. The technology of knapping stone does not deviate from the range of methods used during the Mousterian. However, the large presence of a laminar volumetric method may attest a new necessity related to activities differentiation. This paper offers for the first time a comprehensive and detailed illustration of this site with a unique set of environmental data and human occupation layers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract In the last decades, debates on the origin, timing and spread of the Levallois method and its relation with the end of the Acheulean and transition to the Middle Palaeolithic have intensified, gaining increased importance on the... more
Abstract In the last decades, debates on the origin, timing and spread of the Levallois method and its relation with the end of the Acheulean and transition to the Middle Palaeolithic have intensified, gaining increased importance on the issue of reading into archaeological evidence throughout Europe. There is another significant issue in current debates about the spread of typical Acheulean tools and technologies, which is the subject of numerous scientific interpretations. In the Italian peninsula the spatial and chronological fragmentation of archaeological evidence and the lack of sites featuring good chronostratigraphic context constitute a serious limitation to both establishing a reliable chronological framework and outlining the “evolution” of Middle Pleistocene lithic industries. In this article, we examine the contributions on the discussion of two Lower Palaeolithic sites located in Central-Southern Italy (Isernia La Pineta and Guado San Nicola), which hint both the “tardive” arrival of handaxe shaping, and the early appearance of the Levallois method.
Research Interests:
In questo poster vengono presentati e discussi alcuni risultati dello studio geoarcheologico della Ciota Ciara (Monte Fenera, Piemonte – v. Angelucci et alii 2015, Arzarello et alii 2012, Berto et alii 2016), con particolare riferimento... more
In questo poster vengono presentati e discussi alcuni risultati dello studio geoarcheologico della Ciota Ciara (Monte Fenera, Piemonte – v. Angelucci et alii 2015, Arzarello et alii 2012, Berto et alii 2016), con particolare riferimento ai dati derivanti dall’osservazione micromorfologica dei sedimenti della zona atriale della grotta, che permettono di approfondire alcuni aspetti già messi in luce in un precedente contributo (Zambaldi et alii 2016). Il Monte Fenera, posto al margine meridionale delle Alpi Occidentali, è un rilievo costituito prevalentemente da rocce carbonatiche; ospita numerosi siti di interesse archeologico o paleontologico, tra cui alcune grotte di origine carsica con evidenze di frequentazione umana risalente al Paleolitico Medio. Alla Ciota Ciara, una grotta attiva, aperta in dolomie triassiche e studiata fin dal XIX secolo per il suo contenuto archeologico, le campagne di scavo sono riprese nel 2009 e hanno finora indagato la successione pleistocenica che riem...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The recent years of research has better defined the conditions of the first peopling of Europe thanks to the discovery of numerous new sites dated between about 1 and 1.5 Ma. In this context, Italy supplied one of the most ancient... more
The recent years of research has better defined the conditions of the first peopling of Europe thanks to the discovery of numerous new sites dated between about 1 and 1.5 Ma. In this context, Italy supplied one of the most ancient indirect indications of human presence thanks to the lithic industries founded in 2006 in the Pirro Nord site, dated between 1.3 and 1.6 Ma on the bichronological base. The evidence of an ancient occupation of Italy is also supported by the Monte Poggiolo site, dated to 1Ma by ESR and paleomagnetism. All ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The opportunistic debitage, originally adapted from Forestier’s S.S.D.A. definition, is characterized by a strong adaptability to local raw material morphology and its physical characteristics and it is oriented towards flake production.... more
The opportunistic debitage, originally adapted from Forestier’s S.S.D.A. definition, is characterized by a strong adaptability to local raw material morphology and its physical characteristics and it is oriented towards flake production. Its most ancient evidences are related to the first European peopling by Homo sp. during Lower Pleistocene starting from 1.6 Ma and gradually increasing around 1 Ma. In these sites a great heterogeneity of the reduction sequences and raw materials employed is highlighted, bringing to the identification of multiple technical behaviours. However, the scientific community does not always agree on associating the concepts of opportunism and method to describe these lithic complexes. The same methodological issues remain for the Middle Pleistocene where, simultaneously to an increase of the archaeological evidences and the persistence of the opportunistic debitage, the first bifacial complexes are attested. Further implications concerning the increasing ...
Research Interests:
The Ciota Ciara cave a Middle Palaeolithic site locate in Piedmont (north-western Italy) and it is the only one systematically investigate in the region. It opens at 670 m a.s.l. on the west side of Monte Fenera and its archaeological... more
The Ciota Ciara cave a Middle Palaeolithic site locate in Piedmont (north-western Italy) and it is the only one systematically investigate in the region. It opens at 670 m a.s.l. on the west side of Monte Fenera and its archaeological deposit has a stratigraphic sequence documenting several and repeated frequentations. Four archaeological layers have been identified and are characterized by lithic assemblages where vein quartz is the main exploited raw materials. The upper level (13), has already been subject of technological and functional studies but the enlargement of the excavated area made necessary a completion of the technological data. The aim of this work is to deal with a complete technological and functional study of the lithic assemblage of the Ciota Ciara cave to face the issues of predetermination and adaptation of the reduction sequences to the raw materials features. In order to deeply investigate the characteristics of the technological behaviour of the hunter-gathe...
Research Interests:
We present the preliminary results of the ongoing investigation of the obsidian from the Bronze Age village of San Vincenzo, Stromboli, Aeolian Islands, for the purpose of providing technological and typological characterization, and also... more
We present the preliminary results of the ongoing investigation of the obsidian from the Bronze Age village of San Vincenzo, Stromboli, Aeolian Islands, for the purpose of providing technological and typological characterization, and also provenance of the raw material, the latter with non-destructive p-XRF. Regarding provenance, the source of the raw material is likely to be neighbouring Lipari. It was transported to Stromboli and used mostly in a highly opportunistic manner and for the production of blade(let), non-bladelike tools (mainly scrapers) and micro bladelets. The obsidian distribution around the site shows concentration in both domestic and production areas.
Research Interests:
Monte Fenera is a mostly carbonate hill at the southern border of the Western Alps. It hosts several archaeological sites, among them karstic caves bearing evidence of Palaeolithic occupation. These sites have a long history within Alpine... more
Monte Fenera is a mostly carbonate hill at the southern border of the Western Alps. It hosts several archaeological sites, among them karstic caves bearing evidence of Palaeolithic occupation. These sites have a long history within Alpine archaeology-having been explored since the 19th century-but information on their stratigraphy, chronology, and formation remains incomplete. They are among the few cave-sites occupied before the Alpine Last Glacial Maximum in the area, and their study is crucial for understanding human occupation and regional environmental evolution during the Pleistocene. Here we focus on Ciota Ciara, a cave formed in Triassic dolostone, and in particular on the Middle-to-Upper Pleistocene succession unearthed at its southwestern entrance since 2009. This succession was analyzed by means of several geoarchaeological methods including stratigraphy, routine sediment analyses, and archaeological micromorphology. Our study shows that sediment accumulation was due to the repeated occurrence of concentrated flow and runoff events from the karstic system alternating with episodes of wall disintegration and short phases of surface stabilization. Post-depositional processes include frost action, hydromorphism, and diagenesis that have selectively affected the archaeological remains. The results of the study shed light on site formation and have relevance for Pleistocene cave archaeology more widely in the southern Western Alps.
Research Interests:
The population history of anatomically modern humans (AMH) in Southeast Asia (SEA) is a highly debated topic. The impact of sea level variations related to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Neolithic diffusion on past population... more
The population history of anatomically modern humans (AMH) in Southeast Asia (SEA) is a highly debated topic. The impact of sea level variations related to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Neolithic diffusion on past population dispersals are two key issues. We have investigated competing AMH dispersal hypotheses in SEA through the analysis of dental phenotype shape variation on the basis of very large archaeological samples employing two complementary approaches. We first explored the structure of between- and within-group shape variation of permanent human molar crowns. Second, we undertook a direct test of competing hypotheses through a modeling approach. Our results identify a significant LGM-mediated AMH expansion and a strong biological impact of the spread of Neolithic farmers into SEA during the Holocene. The present work thus favors a "multiple AMH dispersal" hypothesis for the population history of SEA, reconciling phenotypic and recent genomic data.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Middle Pleistocene archaeological site of Guado San Nicola was discovered in 2005 in a fossil fluvial terrace of the Volturno River, close to the village of Monteroduni, Molise, Italy. Palaeontological remains and lithic artefacts,... more
The Middle Pleistocene archaeological site of Guado San Nicola was discovered in 2005 in a fossil fluvial terrace of the Volturno River, close to the village of Monteroduni, Molise, Italy. Palaeontological remains and lithic artefacts, including both handaxes and Levallois, discoid and opportunistic debitage, were recovered in fluvial and slope sediments rich in volcanoclastic materials. This site includes four distinct human occupation levels. In two of them both " shaping-façonnage " and " knapping-d ebitage " technologies are highlighted, placing this site at the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition. In the present study, geochronological analyses by 40 Ar/ 39 Ar on single-crystal and ESR/U-series on teeth were performed to precise the chronological framework of the occupations. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar data obtained securely bracket the human occupation levels at the transition between the interglacial and glacial marine isotopic stages MIS 11 (i.e. 400 ± 9 ka) and MIS 10 (i.e. 345 ± 9ka). The weighted mean age obtained from ESR/U-series dating of six teeth (i.e. 364 ± 36 ka) is in very good agreement with the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar results. The radio-isotopic constraints we presented place the Guado San Nicola site as one of the earliest testimonies of Levallois debitage in Western Europe and confirm the potential and accuracy of paleo-dosimetric methods to date Middle Pleistocene sites.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Early Levallois core technology is usually dated in Europe to the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9 and particularly from the beginning of MIS 8 to MIS 6. This technology is considered as one of the markers of the transition from lower... more
Early Levallois core technology is usually dated in Europe to the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9 and particularly from the beginning of MIS 8 to MIS 6. This technology is considered as one of the markers of the transition from lower to Middle Paleolithic or from Mode 2 to Mode 3. Recent discoveries show that some lithic innovations actually appeared earlier in western Europe, from MIS 12 to MIS 9, contempo-raneous with changes in subsistence strategies and the first appearance of early Neanderthal anatomical features. Among these discoveries, there is the iconic Levallois core technology. A selection of well-dated assemblages in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy dated from MIS 12 to 9, which include both cores and flakes with Levallois features, has been described and compared with the aim of characterizing this technology. The conclusion supports the interpretation that several technical features may be attributed to a Levallois technology similar to those observed in younger Middle Paleolithic sites, distinct from the main associated core technologies in each level. Some features in the sample of sites suggest a gradual transformation of existing core technologies. The small evidence of Levallois could indicate occasional local innovations from different technological backgrounds and would explain the diversity of Levallois methods that is observed from MIS 12. The technological roots of Levallois technology in the Middle Pleistocene would suggest a multiregional origin and diffusion in Europe and early evidence of region-alization of local traditions through Europe from MIS 12 to 9. The relationships of Levallois technology with new needs and behaviors are discussed, such as flake preference, functional reasons related to hunting and hafting, an increase in the use of mental templates in European populations, and changes in the structure of hominin groups adapting to climatic and environmental changes.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
We present the Sr isotopic composition of enamel of the most ancient deciduous tooth ever discovered in Italy to assess human mobility in Middle Pleistocene. Reconstructing ancient mobility is crucial for understanding human strategy at... more
We present the Sr isotopic composition of enamel of the most ancient deciduous tooth ever discovered in Italy to assess human mobility in Middle Pleistocene. Reconstructing ancient mobility is crucial for understanding human strategy at exploiting temporally and spatially patchy resources, with most studies focusing on indirect evidences, ultimately affecting our interpretation on hominin territoriality and energetic costs invested by hominin groups. Here, we use the high spatial resolution and micro-destructivity options offered by the Laser Ablation Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry technique, to determine the (87)Sr/ (86)Sr intra-tooth variability of a human deciduous incisor from the Middle Pleistocene layers of the Isernia La Pineta site (Italy). We compared these data with the Sr isotopic signature of local micro-mammals, the broadest home-range of the macro-mammals and with modern plant samples. Our study reveals that while macro-mammals have possib...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The analytical study of the vertebrate assemblage from the Late Pleistocene, found in a karstic cavity (which lays on a calcarenite near Avetrana, Taranto, southern Italy), allows us to reduce the chronological span during which the... more
The analytical study of the vertebrate assemblage from the Late Pleistocene, found in a karstic cavity (which lays on a calcarenite near
Avetrana, Taranto, southern Italy), allows us to reduce the chronological span during which the fossil remains were deposited. In particular,
some circumstances allowed the authors to collocate the fauna in a temporal span from 100.000 to 80.000 years (Faunal Unit of
Melpignano - PETRONIO et al., 2007). The findings show the occurence of Hystrix vinogradovi (never found in Italy during the central
part of the Late Pleistocene), the even more rare presence of Hippopotamus amphibius in the same period, the discovery of Cervus
elaphus elaphus, the archaic morphology of Dama dama dama, the dimension of Bos primigenius. Finally the finding of an archaic
Mousterian tool is also recorded. The analysis of the avifauna and of the mammal fauna allowed us to retrace the habitat of that
period.
Avetrana, Taranto, southern Italy), allows us to reduce the chronological span during which the fossil remains were deposited. In particular,
some circumstances allowed the authors to collocate the fauna in a temporal span from 100.000 to 80.000 years (Faunal Unit of
Melpignano - PETRONIO et al., 2007). The findings show the occurence of Hystrix vinogradovi (never found in Italy during the central
part of the Late Pleistocene), the even more rare presence of Hippopotamus amphibius in the same period, the discovery of Cervus
elaphus elaphus, the archaic morphology of Dama dama dama, the dimension of Bos primigenius. Finally the finding of an archaic
Mousterian tool is also recorded. The analysis of the avifauna and of the mammal fauna allowed us to retrace the habitat of that
period.
__________________________________________________________________________________ Riassunto Storia, potenzialitá e metodi dell'analisi funzionale delle industrie litiche paleolitiche. Esempio dell'applicazione dell'analisi... more
__________________________________________________________________________________ Riassunto Storia, potenzialitá e metodi dell'analisi funzionale delle industrie litiche paleolitiche. Esempio dell'applicazione dell'analisi funzionale all' insieme litico musteriano proveniente dall'U.S. 13 della grotta della Ciota Ciara, Monte Fenera (Borgosesia, Vc). L'analisi dei reperti litici in quarzo ha permesso, dopo un' intensa fase sperimentale, di affinare la metodologia adatta allo studio di questa particolare materia prima. I dati raccolti tramite l'analisi funzionale integrati con lo studio tecnologico dei reperti hanno permesso di definire il sito come frutto di un' occupazione residenziale di breve/media durata, caratterizzata, nell'industria litica, da catene operative lunghe e complete legate principalmente alla trasformazione non all'acquisizione di risorse. Abstract History, potentialities and methods of usewear analysis on the Paleolith...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Ciota Ciara cave is situated in Monte Fenera’s karst (Borgosesia – Vercelli), at 670 metres above sea level. It is the most important evidence of a Middle Palaeolithic settlement in Piedmont: the cave was used by Homo neanderthalensis... more
The Ciota Ciara cave is situated in Monte Fenera’s karst (Borgosesia – Vercelli), at 670 metres above sea level. It is the most important evidence of a Middle Palaeolithic settlement in Piedmont: the cave was used by Homo neanderthalensis during the OIS 5, in a mild-humid period, as proven by faunal remains. The environment was characterized by deciduous woodland and glades. The intersection between different habitats, the presence of lithic raw materials, the karst morphology and water sources were certainly the main factors that encouraged human settlement during the Upper Pleistocene period, between 80.000 and 70.000 BP.
In 2009 systematic excavations began in the cave by the University of Ferrara, in partnership with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Piemonte e del Museo di Antichità Egizie. Research focused on the cave’s atrium where three stratigraphic units were investigated: 13, 103 and 14.
The exploited raw materials’ characterization were made by the stereo-microscope observations and through the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). Several lithologies are represented in different proportion: quartz is the predominant exploited raw material, followed by spongolite, sandstone, mylonite and opal. The archaeological record consists of various typologies of quartz: macro-crystalline pegmatite quartz, micro-crystalline pegmatite quartz and hyaline quartz. All these types of raw materials have been found in the proximity of the archaeological site, within 5 km range.
The lithic assemblage is made of flakes, retouched tools, cores and debris. The raw materials exploitation was achieved through the direct percussion technique with various methods: S.S.D.A., discoid and Levallois. The reduction sequences on quartz are complete, although no refitting was found. The reduction sequence is not complete for most part of the other raw materials. The débitage products are small-medium size (1-4 cm) and have different morphologies.
The use-wear analysis on quartz’s artefacts was carried out using the low power approach. The preservation state of the lithic assemblage is very good and no chemical, mechanical or post-depositional alterations are evident. The use-wear analysis shows a predominance of medium-hard and medium-soft materials processing.
The lithic industries characteristics show the production strategies adaptation typical of the Middle Palaeolithic to the characteristics of the non-sedimentary raw materials.
In 2009 systematic excavations began in the cave by the University of Ferrara, in partnership with the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Piemonte e del Museo di Antichità Egizie. Research focused on the cave’s atrium where three stratigraphic units were investigated: 13, 103 and 14.
The exploited raw materials’ characterization were made by the stereo-microscope observations and through the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). Several lithologies are represented in different proportion: quartz is the predominant exploited raw material, followed by spongolite, sandstone, mylonite and opal. The archaeological record consists of various typologies of quartz: macro-crystalline pegmatite quartz, micro-crystalline pegmatite quartz and hyaline quartz. All these types of raw materials have been found in the proximity of the archaeological site, within 5 km range.
The lithic assemblage is made of flakes, retouched tools, cores and debris. The raw materials exploitation was achieved through the direct percussion technique with various methods: S.S.D.A., discoid and Levallois. The reduction sequences on quartz are complete, although no refitting was found. The reduction sequence is not complete for most part of the other raw materials. The débitage products are small-medium size (1-4 cm) and have different morphologies.
The use-wear analysis on quartz’s artefacts was carried out using the low power approach. The preservation state of the lithic assemblage is very good and no chemical, mechanical or post-depositional alterations are evident. The use-wear analysis shows a predominance of medium-hard and medium-soft materials processing.
The lithic industries characteristics show the production strategies adaptation typical of the Middle Palaeolithic to the characteristics of the non-sedimentary raw materials.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract: Con questo volume, esce il secondo appuntamento editoriale del Master ERASMUS MUNDUS inQuaternary and Prehistory approvato e finanziato dalla Commissione Europea dal 2004. E'quanto mai positivo constatare che il tema della... more
Abstract: Con questo volume, esce il secondo appuntamento editoriale del Master ERASMUS MUNDUS inQuaternary and Prehistory approvato e finanziato dalla Commissione Europea dal 2004. E'quanto mai positivo constatare che il tema della nostra evoluzione biologica e culturale e degliambienti naturali, che l'accompagnano fin dalle sue origini, susciti un grande interesse, tanto da coinvolgerestudenti, docenti e studiosi di tutto il mondo. Questo emerge scorrendo il contenuto degli articoli scientifici ela provenienza ...