1,721,177 research outputs found
Modalità di sfruttamento delle risorse litiche durante il Paleolitico medio dei Monti Lessini (Verona)
No full textWe propose an interpretative model for the exploitation strategies carried out by the prehistoric people who have intensively populated the area of the Monti Lessini (Verona) during the Middle Palaeolithic. Our model is based on observations of lithic assemblages coming from open air sites as well as caves and and collected during systematic surveys or archaeological excavation. In particular we have focused on the raw material with which the majority of the of these industries had been realized: the fl int or, more exactly, fl ints coming from various formations and characterized by different texture and physical parameters. We suggest that the great variability of the fl int, both from the quantitative and qualitative point of view, has probably affected or at least played a signifi cant role in the applications of the volumetric exploitation methods and of the chaînes opératoires. The abundance of raw materials and the easy of its procurement throughout the Middle Palaeolithic (but also in the present days) have induced us to refl ect not so much on the necessary strategies for raw material “economy” - the availability and proximity of the sources have never represented a limit to its wide use - but on the empirical knowledge acquired even during our experimental reconstruction of the knapping sequence. The texture and the morphology of the nodule or cobble to be used as a core determine, to a signifi cant extent, the technical objectives of artefact morphology and size. Our work, which began in 2003, has allowed us to develop a model for variable flint management strategies during the Middle Palaeolithic, based on fl int texture, availability and cultural traditions. There seem to be no differences concerning the exploitation methods applied to different fl ints. We observe a decrease in the frequency of microcrystalline flint within the complexes of the EMP (Early Middle Palaeolithic) and a concomitant increase in the frequency of cryptocrystalline fl int. The exploitation of fl int with a coarser texture determines a tendency to obtaining artefacts of larger size. It seems possible to suggest a model for differential exploitation and management of raw materials based on their physical and rheologic characteristics
Prime considerazioni sulla variabilità del sistema tecnico Levallois dello strato III di Riparo Mezzena (Verona, Italia settentrionale)
No full textThe paper deals with the preliminary results of the techno-economic study of the layer III lithic assemblage, dug in 1957 by F. Zorzi of the Museo civico di Storia Naturale di Verona. The presented research is focused on the raw material management, within the local provisioning strategy model, on the strategies for introduction of lithic materials, on the predetermination of technical objectives and on their economical destination. Crypto-crystalline fl int is introduced into the site, after experienced on the sources a first pre-shaping process, and then exploited by applying the Levallois predetermination method. 3 methods had been observed (unidirectional recurrent, centripetal and preferential Levallois) all independent in their initial phase but with afterwards turn-over during the reduction process development. The next operative phase, the retouching one, is well documented the high rate of the retouched blanks, most of which obtained by retouching the Levallois blanks. Along with this technological organization we can observe a circulation phenomenon of the fi nished products committed both to the site as well as towards external uses. The micro-crystalline fl int exploitation shows the same technological organization above described, from which differs for a higher rate of fractioning of the different production phases and for a larger circulation of the fi nished products. The results of the techno-economic analysis reveal a mixed production-utilization economic strategies. The strong presence of fl int assemblages, the 5 hearths and the occurrence of faunal remains force to a certain caution in proposing the settlement dynamic of the Neanderthal groups frequenting the Mezzena rockshelter. The archaeological record would be the result of more than one consecutive episodes of human presences, relatively short in time length and related to human groups which behave following a mobility system where the residential movements should be moderately frequent
The Production System of the Mousterian Lithic Industry of Layer III from the Mezzena rockshelter (Verona, northern Italy)
No full textThis paper reports preliminary results of a techno-economic study on the layer III lithic assemblage from the Mezzena Rockshelter, excavated in 1957 by F. Zorzi of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona. The research presented here focuses on the following issues: raw material exploitation (within a local provisioning strategy model), strategies for transfer of lithic materials, predetermination of products, technical objectives and economic aims. Crypto-crystalline silicate rock was introduced into the site after a pre-shaping process carried out nearer the sources, and then exploited by applying several variants of the Levallois method. Three methods had been observed (unidirectional recurrent, centripetal recurrent and preferential Levallois) all independent in their initial phase. The next operative phase, retouching, is documented by the relatively high rate of retouched pieces, most of them made on Levallois blanks. Along with this technological organization we can observe evidence that the finished products were transported both to the site (highly curated retouched pieces) and from the site to other sites (Levallois flakes). The exploitation of micro-crystalline silicate rock shows the same technological system described above, but with greater disassociation the different production phases. The results of the techno-economic analysis reveal mixed production-utilization economic strategies. The incidence of flint finds, the 5 hearths and the occurrence of faunal remains impose certain caution in proposing the settlement dynamic of the Neanderthal groups frequenting the Mezzena Rockshelter. The archaeological record would be the result of more than one consecutive episode of human occupation, probably relatively short in duration
Settlement dynamics and raw material exploitation during Middle Palaeolithic in the Lessini Mountains (Verona, Veneto, Italy)
No full textCognitive and social cognitive functioning in spinocerebellar ataxia: a preliminary characterization
No full textIntroduction The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), are rare neurodegenerative disorders caused by distinct genetic mutations. Clinically, the SCAs are characterised by progressive ataxia and a variety of other features, including cognitive dysfunction. The latter is consistent with a growing body of evidence supporting a cognitive as well as motor role for the cerebellum. Recent suggestions of cerebellar involvement in social cognition have not been extensively explored in these conditions. The availability of definitive molecular diagnosis allows genetically defined subgroups of SCA patients, with distinct patterns of cerebellar and extracerebellar involvement, to be tested comparatively using a common battery of tests of general, social and emotional cognition. Methods: Nine patients with SCA6, and 6 with SCA3 were assessed using a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological instruments, encompassing domains of memory, language, visuo-spatial skills, calculation, attention and executive function, emotional processing and theory of mind (ToM). Results There were no deficits in visuo-spatial processing or calculation in either group, while individuals with naming and attentional difficulties were seen in both. Deficits in memory and executive function were present in both conditions, albeit more pronounced in SCA3. By contrast, both groups demonstrated consistently poor performance on ToM tests, and normal attribution of social and emotional responses. Conclusion The data support the hypothesis that the cerebellum is important for cognitive as well as motor activity. The pattern of overlap of domain impairments provides tentative preliminary evidence that there is a cerebellar contribution to aspects of memory and executive function and ToM, and that other domains depend more on neural system outside the cerebellum. The findings relating to ToM are relevant to the possibility of cerebellar involvement in autism
Considerazioni preliminari sull'industria musteriana della Grotta di S. Cristina, Parona (Verona)
No full text
Il sito Musteriano di Riparo Mezzena presso Avesa (Verona, Italia). Aggiornamenti metodologici e nuovi dati paleoantropologici e paleocomportamentali
No full textScavi sistematici furono condotti a Riparo Mezzena nel 1957 da F. Zorzi e A. Pasa, durante i quali fu esplorata una sequenza stratigrafica di circa 1,5 - 1,7 m. Furono identifi cati almeno tre livelli antropici (dal basso verso l’alto strato III, II, I) ricchi in manufatti litici, resti di fauna e reperti umani. Nel 1977 Bartolomei (1980) eseguì una verifi ca stratigrafi ca sul testimone con l’obiettivo di riscontrare le considerazioni paleoambientali e le attribuzioni crono-culturali effettuate da Pasa e Zorzi. Sulla base della cronologia alpina, allora in uso, gli autori attribuirono lo strato II al Würm II, mentre lo strato III ad un periodo di poco precedente. L’attuale cronologia isotopica inserisce questo deposito all’interno del MIS 3. Nell’ambito del progetto di revisione dei “Fossili umani del veronese” è stato ripreso lo studio dei fossili del Riparo Mezzena rinvenuti nei livelli musteriani. Sono qui presentati i nuovi dati relativi all’analisi anatomica dei frammenti di parietale (dx e sn) di frontale e di occipitale e una mandibola. Sono riassunti anche i nuovi dati relativi all’esame paleogenetico del DNA mitocondriale ed in particolare sul genoma nucleare; è stato analizzato il gene mc1R che regola la pigmentazione nell’uomo e nei vertebrati in genere. Le analisi funzionali su queste varianti hanno mostrato che le funzionalità dell’espressione in questo gene erano ridotte e per tanto, chi le possedeva, aveva i capelli rossi e la pelle chiara. Finora inediti, vengono presentati i dati relativi alle analisi tecno-economiche dell’insieme litico dello strato III. Il contesto culturale da cui i reperti antropici provengono è rappresentato da industria litica riferibile ad un musteriano di tipo Ferrassie orientale, il quale caratterizza anche il complesso litico contenuto nel sopragiacente strato II dove si osserva però una forte riduzione della produzione Levallois. È qui presentata l’analisi tecnologica dell’insieme litico dello strato III.The excavation carried out at Riparo Mezzena during 1957 by F. Zorzi and A. Pasa (Museo di Storia Naturale di Verona) revealed a stratigraphic sequence of about 1,5-1,7 m – corresponding at least to 3 different anthropogenic layers – had been identifi ed (bottom-up: III, II, I) very rich in both artefacts, fauna and human remains. In 1977 Bartolomei (1980) verifi ed the stratigraphy by sampling the witness left in 1957 aiming at comparing the paleoenvironmental indications and the chrono-cultural assignements proposed by Pasa and Zorzi. According to alpine chronology of the time, the authors attributed layer II to the Würm II while layer III was thought to correspond to a slightly older period. Recent revision referred the whole deposit to MIS 3 according to isotopic chronology. The present work deals with the fi rst results of the “Human fossils from the Verona area” revision project devoted to Riparo Mezzena Mousterian layers. Herein will be presented the new data related to anatomical analyses - of the parietal (R and L), frontal and occipital bones fragments as well as the jaw, compared to the contemporaneous European Neandertals and the techno-economical study of the lithic assemblage from layer III. The lithic assemblage is referred to the cultural context of La Ferrassie Charentian Mousterian, which characterized even the upper layer II assemblage. The latter, though, is characterized by a strong reduction in the Levallois production. A devoted discussion to the technology of the layer III will be given. The data relating to palaeogenetic analyses is presented too: the Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been retrieved for the fi rst time from a Neandertal specimen of Italian origin (NRM). The results show that the genetic diversity of the Neandertals has been largely underestimated. They suggest that Neandertal population was extensively subdivided geographically, and that its genetic diversity changed markedly over time. The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) which regulates pigmentation in humans and other vertebrates had been amplifi ed and sequenced a fragment of the MC1R gene (mc1r). The impaired activity of this variant could have caused neandertals to have red hair and/or pale skin. The data from Mezzena suggest that inactive MC1R variants evolved independently in both modern humans and Neandertals
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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