67 research outputs found
Archeologia e impronte fossili nel sito acheuleano di Gombore II (0,85 Ma), Melka Kunture, Etiopia
No full textMelka Kunture is a cluster of prehistoric sites located on the shoulder of the Main Ethiopian Rift, at 2000
m asl. Tens of sites have been unearthed since the Sixties of last century, revealing a rich and persistent record,
anchored to a solid absolute dating system, starting at ca. 1.8 Ma. Here we report the discovery and
preliminary description of fossil footprints and trampled surfaces in the area of Gombore II, a well-known
Middle Acheulean site dated at ca. 0.85 Ma. Various species of mammals produced the footprints, that went
unnoticed at the time of previous research. They notably include a possible single Homo track. Footprints
are considered a snapshot in time of in situ frequentation, hence they help understanding the behaviour,
dynamics and association of animals and hominins. The ichnological data also allow comparisons with the
information produced by the archaeological and palaeontological record
Colorimetric characterization of ochres in a Palaeolithic flint pebble from Maschio dell’Artemisio, Latium, Italy
No full textThe flint pebble from Maschio dell’Artemisio, a peak of the Artemisio mountain range (South-East of Rome), represents one of the first complex artefacts from the Upper Palaeolithic of the Alban Hills possibly displaying a symbolic/artistic value (Altamura & Mussi, 2014). It has been used as a hammer stone and retoucher, to create or modify lithic implements. It shows a diffuse and intense ochraceous colour on almost half of its surface. In the present work we discuss the results of an innovative colorimetric approach to define the use of pigments in the Palaeolithic community of the area and eventually compare the raw materials with local supplies. Second-derivative diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a data treatment on colorimetric data used from the ‘80s in the characterization of soil (Scheinost et al., 1998). More recently, it has been applied on iron oxide and hydroxide minerals, to investigate their colour and crystal properties (Torrent & Barrón, 2003). Here it was used directly on an archaeological artefact, to determine the presence of yellow and red ochres, but also to quantify the amount of each pigment present in mixture on the surface. Data were acquired using either a colorimeter and fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) and then compared to test the efficiency of both techniques.
Altamura F., Mussi M., Arte mobiliare paleolitica dalla Catena del Tuscolano-Artemisio, Lazio e Sabina 10 (2014), Atti del Convegno Decimo Incontro di Studi sul Lazio e la Sabina, Roma, 4-6 Giugno 2013, pp. 119-125
Scheinost A. C., Chavernas A., Barrón V., Torrent J., Use and limitations of second-derivative diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the visible to near-infrared range to identify and quantify Fe oxide minerals in soils, Clays and Clay Minerals, 46(1998), 528-536
Torrent J., Barrón V., The visible diffuse reflectance spectrum in relation to the color and crystal properties of hematite,Clays and Clay Minerals, 51(2003), 309-31
Il Paleolitico superiore nei Colli Albani: stato della ricerca
No full textThe Upper Paleolithic in the Alban Hills: state of research. The evidence for the Upper Paleolithic in the Alban Hills is scarce and provided by surface collections and chance finds. Recent discoveries of complex artifacts wich probably had symbolic value have added novel perspectives and food for thought about Paleolithic occupation of the massif. This paper contextualizes and provides an overview of known and hitherto unpublished prehistoric finds in order to better define the dynamics of how the earliest anatomically modern humans frequented the area
L'uomo fossile del Monte Circeo (1939). Il Cineguf di Pisa e il documentario sulla Grotta Guattari
No full textA Middle Pleistocene hippo tracksite at Gombore II-2 (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia)
No full textIn this paper we describe exceptionally well-preserved evidence of hippo activity at Gombore II-2, a 700,000 year-old site at Melka Kunture, at 2000 m asl in the Ethiopian highlands, in the Upper Awash Valley. We excavated and made casts of footprints that had been left after a volcanic eruption. The 3D casts provide a detailed record of the outer anatomy and soft tissues of Pleistocene hippos. They reveal for the first time the shape of the legs and feet of the animals. Gombore II-2 also provides information on the behavior of past hippos. This prominent species of the African wildlife affects the vegetation and the landscape, and acts as a geomorphological agent. The animals wallow beside bodies of water and erode deep trails linking them to pastures. At Gombore II-2 the trampling marks converge toward an erosional feature that we interpret as a fossil trail, documenting an early Middle Pleistocene behavior similar to that of today. Signs of trampling and erosional features interpreted as hippo trails have also been described in Pliocene and early Pleistocene levels at Olduvai and Koobi Fora. We further underline that the hippo population of this tract of the valley was resilient and re-established itself not long time after the volcanic eruptio
The use of Raman spectroscopy for the characterization of archaeological ochre in the Upper Paleolithic of Colli Albani (Rome, Italy)
No full textUna lucerna paleolitica scoperta nell’Arma degli Zerbi (Finale Ligure, SV)
No full textA palaeolithic lamp found at Arma degli Zerbi (Fi- nale Ligure, SV) – We describe a possible Palaeolithic lamp from the collections of Museo Archeologico del Finale, which was originally dis- covered in a disturbed deposit of Arma degli Zerbi. It is a small limestone piece with a concave surface, showing macroscopic traces of reddening and burning residues. We surmise that it was used as a closed-circuit lamp during the Final Pleistocene (Epigravettian?). Palaeolithic lamps are extremely rare in the Italian record, but they have been found more frequently in central and western Europe. They are relatively widespread in France. Accordingly, the specimen from Arma degli Zerbi possibly suggests contacts with the nearby French territory during the Lateglacial
Reassessing Hominin Skills at an Early Middle Pleistocene Hippo Butchery Site: Gombore II-2 (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash valley, Ethiopia)
No full textSingle-carcass sites of Lower and Middle Pleistocene age have attracted much attention since they were first recorded. They have been the focus both of science and of museum displays, with reconstructions of “hominins-feasting-on-a-carcass” purposefully illustrating a major step in human evolution. Here we report the Acheulean site Gombore II-2 in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia, dating to 0.7 Myr. In the 1970s, due to the presence of hippo remains, the site was published as a single-carcass butchering site. New excavations revealed an ichnosurface displaying animal and human footprints associated with bones and lithics. Subsequent studies of lithic and faunal remains of recent and past excavations as well as archive studies show that Gombore II-2 represents one of the earliest sites with hominin-hippo interaction. The hippo remains belong to a minimum of three carcasses, at least one of them butchered by hominins and subsequently ravaged by hyenas. However, instead of single carcasses exploited on the spot, evidence suggests the existence of a living floor where butchering episodes were performed through time, possibly transporting portions from scavenging sites at a distance. Gombore II-2 thus provides unique insight into planning capacities and control over the environment probably by early representatives of Homo heidelbergensis
Caracterización superficial de pigmentos sobre artefactos paleolíticos de la zona de Colli Albani (Roma, Italia) por microscopía óptica y espectroscopía Raman
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