Sandro Caracausi
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, History (area of Prehistory), Department Member
- Paleontology, Vertebrate Paleontology, Vertebrate Evolution, Micropaleontology, Micropalaeontology, Pleistocene Vertebrate, and 26 moreVertebrate Fossil Preparation, Marine Micropaleontology; Marine Paleoenvironments, Geology, Micropaleontology, Coccolithophores, Geology, Science Communication, Evolution, Development, Mediterranean, Pleistocene, Gephyrocapsa, Nannofossil Calcareous, Climate Change, Evolutionary Biology, Mediterranean Studies, Palaeontology, Mammals, Vertebrate taphonomy, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Mesolithic/Neolithic, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Lower Paleolithic, Archaeological GIS, Lithic Technology, Lithics, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)edit
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The Trino hill is an isolated relief located in north-western Italy, close to Trino municipality. The hill was subject of multidisciplinary studies during the 70s, when, because of quarry activities and agricultural arrangements, five... more
The Trino hill is an isolated relief located in north-western Italy, close to Trino municipality. The hill was subject of multidisciplinary studies during the 70s, when, because of quarry activities and agricultural arrangements, five concentrations of lithic artefacts were recognized and referred to a Palaeolithic frequentation of the area. During the 80s and the 90s, surface collections continued, but the lithic finds have never been subject of specific studies. Even if most of the lithic assemblages count a few lithic implements, four collection areas (3, 13 E, 13 W and 14) have significative lithic assemblages, representing the most important evidence of a Palaeolithic frequentation of the Po plain in north-western Italy. The present work, in the limits imposed by a surface and not systematic collection, propose a technological study of the lithic artefacts from the Trino hill, with the aim to define the main features of the technological behaviour of the human groups that inhab...
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Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
caratterizzazione delle aree con potenziale presenza di contesti archeologici preistorici nelle Baragge della Provincia di Biella (Piemonte), tra la Serra d’Ivrea e il fiume Sesia .
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GIS e siti preistorici d'alta quota: l'applicazione di un Modello Predittivo GIS in Alta Valsessera (Piemonte, Italia). GIS and high altitude prehistoric sites: use of a GIS predictive model in the Sessera valley (Piedmont, Italy)... more
GIS e siti preistorici d'alta quota: l'applicazione di un Modello Predittivo GIS in Alta Valsessera (Piemonte, Italia). GIS and high altitude prehistoric sites: use of a GIS predictive model in the Sessera valley (Piedmont, Italy) In questo lavoro si presentano i risultati ottenuti dall'utilizzo di un GIS predictive model per l'individuazione di aree con probabili frequentazioni umane preistoriche in alta quota nel territorio dell'Alta Valsessera (Biella, Piemonte). Il software GIS è oggi diffusamente utilizzato nell'ambito archeologico. Punti di forza di questo strumento sono la raccolta, la gestione e l'analisi di un'ampia quantità di dati che grazie alla vasta dotazione di algoritmi e modelli di analisi spaziale dei software GIS, possono essere confrontati, visualizzati ed elaborati incrociando le diverse informazioni contenute nel dato archeologico e relative al suo contesto di ritrovamento. Il GIS rappresenta quindi uno strumento ideale per la ge...
L'utilizzo della tecnologia GIS in archeologia e diffuso, in particolare, l'utilizzo di modelli predittivi. In questo lavoro mostriamo i risultati della applicazione di un modello predittivo per la ricerca di siti in Alta... more
L'utilizzo della tecnologia GIS in archeologia e diffuso, in particolare, l'utilizzo di modelli predittivi. In questo lavoro mostriamo i risultati della applicazione di un modello predittivo per la ricerca di siti in Alta ValSessera.
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Recent functional and zooarchaeological studies conducted on the archeological finds of Pirro Nord (PN13) produced new, reliable data on early European hominid subsistence activities. The age of the site is estimated to be ~ 1.3–1.6 Ma,... more
Recent functional and zooarchaeological studies conducted on the archeological finds of Pirro Nord (PN13) produced new, reliable data on early European hominid subsistence activities. The age of the site is estimated to be ~ 1.3–1.6 Ma, based on bio-chronological data, and the archeological excavation of the Pirro Nord 13 fissure led to the discovery of more than 300 lithic artifacts associated with thousands of vertebrate fossil remains of the final Villafranchian (Pirro Nord Faunal Unit). The analysis of the fossil faunal remains allowed for the identification of anthropogenic traces linked to the exploitation of different animal carcass (cut marks and intentional bone breakages). Use-wear traces were also observed on some flint artifacts and have been interpreted as the result of the exploitation of animal resources by early hominids and carnivores. It has not been possible to identify the type of access that hominins developed on the carcasses, although it has been established that the hominins competed with carnivores for animal resources. The stone tools and faunal remains with anthropogenic traces recovered in the PN13 fissure represent among the earliest evidence of hominin faunal exploitation in Europe.
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The Sessera valley is an under-populated Italian alpine valley located in the north-eastern Piedmont (northwest Italy) between the provinces of Biella and Vercelli. We discuss the data obtained during the first and the second year of the... more
The Sessera valley is an under-populated Italian alpine valley located in the north-eastern Piedmont
(northwest Italy) between the provinces of Biella and Vercelli. We discuss the data obtained during the
first and the second year of the project “Survey Alta Val Sessera” held in 2013 and in 2014 under the
scientific direction of Soprintendenza Archeologia del Piemonte in collaboration with Associazione Culturale
3P e Progetto Preistoria Piemonte and DocBi e Centro Studi Biellesi that had as its main purpose the
identification of new prehistoric human frequentations in the valley. The theoretical scheme employed
starts from the one developed for Trentino and the South Tyrolean region (north-eastern Italy) by Broglio
and Improta. During the campaigns, surveys in the Sessera and in the neighbouring Dolca valley have
been carried out using the patterns of settlement and mobility in the alpine environment developed by
Kompatscher and Kompatscher, in order to identify the most interesting areas to investigate. The most
important results obtained during the first two survey campaigns indicate that the Sessera valley was
occupied by human groups using knapped lithic industries made of local vein quartz. Another important
result is the identification of a Late Ancient site located at high altitude (1642 m a.s.l.) along one of the
ridge paths investigated. Even if the lithic findings have no diagnostic elements for a precise chronological
positioning, the importance of the data obtained consists mainly in having successfully tested a
method of research aimed at identifying human frequentations at high altitude in this part of Piedmont,
where no comparable research has been carried out until now.
(northwest Italy) between the provinces of Biella and Vercelli. We discuss the data obtained during the
first and the second year of the project “Survey Alta Val Sessera” held in 2013 and in 2014 under the
scientific direction of Soprintendenza Archeologia del Piemonte in collaboration with Associazione Culturale
3P e Progetto Preistoria Piemonte and DocBi e Centro Studi Biellesi that had as its main purpose the
identification of new prehistoric human frequentations in the valley. The theoretical scheme employed
starts from the one developed for Trentino and the South Tyrolean region (north-eastern Italy) by Broglio
and Improta. During the campaigns, surveys in the Sessera and in the neighbouring Dolca valley have
been carried out using the patterns of settlement and mobility in the alpine environment developed by
Kompatscher and Kompatscher, in order to identify the most interesting areas to investigate. The most
important results obtained during the first two survey campaigns indicate that the Sessera valley was
occupied by human groups using knapped lithic industries made of local vein quartz. Another important
result is the identification of a Late Ancient site located at high altitude (1642 m a.s.l.) along one of the
ridge paths investigated. Even if the lithic findings have no diagnostic elements for a precise chronological
positioning, the importance of the data obtained consists mainly in having successfully tested a
method of research aimed at identifying human frequentations at high altitude in this part of Piedmont,
where no comparable research has been carried out until now.
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caratterizzazione delle aree con potenziale presenza di contesti archeologici preistorici nelle Baragge della Provincia di Biella (Piemonte), tra la Serra d’Ivrea e il fiume Sesia .