1,721,073 research outputs found
Typology, technology and use-wear: the necessary integration. An example from the Aurignacian site of San Cassiano (Arezzo, central Italy)
No full textThe Athors face the typological, technological and functional study of the Aurignacian industry of San Cassiano, in the municipality of Caprese Michelangelo (Arezzo).
The material comes from a surface collection carried out in a rather limited area (approximately 40X50 m), situated to the margins of an ancient lake basin. This lithic complex is characterized for the abundance of elements on flake assimilables to that particular subtype of burin known in literature as Burin des Vachons, to which is currently attributed the function of core for the production of bladelets.
With regard to such production, other elements like the carenated end scrapers and prismatic cores play a decidedly subordinate role in San Cassiano.
Traceological investigation, integrated with techno-typological analysis, has however layed stress on the complexity of the problem, bringing to light that “Burins des Vachons” were still further used as instruments once exploited as cores. The traces, developed above all on the biseau, indicate the prevailing working of a hard material, carried out through a movement perpendicular to the active margin of the tool in an action similar to that one of planning
What roots for the Uluzzian? Modern behaviour in Central-Southern Italy and hypotheses on AMH dispersal routes
No full textIn Central-Southern Italy several cave sites yielded deposits dating back to MIS3 and containing a Mousterian/Uluzzian/Proto-Aurignacian sequence. Changes within these sequences are synthetically examined on the basis of the main stratified sites. Topics like subsistence strategies, raw material procurement, territory exploitation, production and behavioural activities and migratory movements are discussed. The Uluzzians can be considered, in many respects, economically and behaviourally closer to the Proto-Aurignacians than to the Mousterians. This pattern fully agrees with the recent attribution to AMH of two deciduous teeth from the Uluzzian layers of Grotta del Cavallo (Lecce, Southern Italy) (Benazzi et al., 2011). Such a new insight directly involves the problem of the origin of the Uluzzian techno-complex. By integrating archaeological, genetic and demographic data, the hypothesis of a dispersal from an East African source into Europe, through the so-called Southern route, is proposed. As for Southern Italy, the available data allow the authors to assume that relationships between the indigenous Neandertals and the newcomers were most probably sporadic, given the possibly low demographic density of these populations and the limited time span of co-existence
Paléosurfaces du Paléolithique moyen: l'exemple de Scario (Salerno - Italie du Sud)
No full textRésumé: On décrit une nouvelle paléosurface trouvée à la Grotta Grande de Scario (prov. de Salerno), gisement du Paléolithique moyen (Pléistocène supérieur) où l’Université de Sienne conduit depuis vingt ans des fouilles systématiques.
Cette paléosurface a été découverte en 1999 dans une petite galerie (m3x3) remplie de sédiments, dans un niveau (niv. 8) correspondant au début de la fréquentation humaine sur ce site. On remarque une répartition des matériaux, avec la partie centrale relativement plus haute (80 cm) de cette galerie déblayée de tout débris, tandis que pierres, cailloux, concrétions, restes lithiques et osseux étaient amassés le long des deux parois.
L’industrie lithique se limite à quelques galets calcaires taillés, dont l’utilisation est à relier, peut-être, à la présence dans la faune de restes de pachydermes (Hippopotamus) à côté de Cervus, Dama et Ibex. Une structure verticale (niv. 7) sépare cette galerie de l’extérieur, où le dépôt est très limité par l’érosion. On y signale un coprolithe, macro et micromammifères peu abondants, outils plus nombreux. Quelques coquilles de Strombus, découvertes à la base de la série, font attribuer cette partie du dépôt au stade isotopique 5, en accord avec les données de paléontologie qui indiquent un milieu forestier et un climat tempéré
Gli ultimi Neandertaliani in Italia: aspetti culturali
No full textDurante il MIS 3 è attestata in Italia del Sud, una generale successione Musteriano/Uluzziano/Aurignaziano. Sulla base dei principali siti stratificati sono sinteticamente esaminati i cambiamenti presenti all’interno di questa successione, in relazione alle strategie di sussistenza, di approvvigionamento, di sfruttamento del territorio e alle attività produttivei. Il comportamento degli Uluzziani mostra dinamiche in evoluzione rispetto al Musteriano e aspetti economici e comportamentali più affini all’Aurignaziano, con l’eccezione della produzione litica. Non sembra che l’espandersi degli Aurignaziani da Nord verso il Sud della nostra Penisola abbia tuttavia dato luogo a forme di acculturazione evidenti presso i gruppi Uluzziani
The Gravettian mandibole from Grotta Paglicci (Apulia, Italy): a geometric morphometric study
No full textPaléoécologie et stratégies de subsistance à l'Abri du Molare de Scario (S. Giovanni a Piro – Salerne – Italie du Sud): niveaux Paléolithique moyen 44-49, données préliminaires
No full textL’Abri du Molare tire son nom du site éponyme (Molara) lié à l’extraction, depuis l’époque historique, de grandes meules de moulin. Il se situe actuellement au bord de la mer, le long de la côte de la Masseta de Scario (Commune de S. Giovanni à Piro - Salerne) (Fig. 1). Les fouilles y ont été conduites par l’U. R. d’Ecologia Preistorica - Dipartimento Scienze Ambientali "G. Sarfatti" de l’Université de Sienne, en collaboration avec la Soprintendenza Archeologica de Salerne, d’Avellino et de Benevento (Gambassini et Ronchitelli 1998 ; Kieffer et al. 2001 ; Ronchitelli 1995). Ces travaux, commencés en 1984, ont duré pendant vingt ans afin de comprendre la totalité du gisement
The palaeoecological meaning of macromammal remains from archaeological sites exemplified by the case study of Grotta Paglicci (Upper Palaeolithic, southern Italy)
No full textBone accumulation in Palaeolithic archaeological sites is often the result of activities carried out by hunter-gatherer
groups. Cultural choices may have influenced prey representation in archaeological assemblages, distorting their palaeoecological
meaning. We present a comparison between large mammal and small mammal assemblages from the Upper
Palaeolithic sequence of Grotta Paglicci (Apulia, southern Italy) that extends from the Marginally Backed Bladelet Aurignacian
(about 39,000 cal yr BP) to the Final Epigravettian (about 13,000 cal yr BP). At Paglicci, the high frequency of
horse and ibex remains indicates open and dry environments for most of the Upper Palaeolithic. This is confirmed by the
predominance of the common vole among small mammals. The alternation between horse and ibex, which takes place
during the Upper Palaeolithic, however, looks to be more related to variations in hunting territories. Taxon frequencies
change abruptly at 17,955–16,696 cal yr BP, with an increase in woodland-related ungulates together with micromammals,
indicating a climatic evolution towards milder and more humid conditions. Results demonstrate that when the
association of ungulate taxa is considered as a whole, it has a good palaeoecological signal, whilst considering taxa separately
can help to better understand cultural choices of past hunter-gatherer communities
Burins des Vachons en Italie: typologie, morphotecnique et tracéologie
No full textThe research was prompted by the discovery of two open air sites characterized by a high frequency of
artifacts noted in literature as “Burins of the Vachons” (Perpère 1972): the sites mentioned are S. Cassiano
(Arezzo) e Caruso (Foggia) [figure 1].
Both are unfortunately on the surface, although the collection comes from a limited area and the Aurignacian context is easily identifiable; besides this, the sites assume special importance because of the presence of numerous Vachons Burins, whereas they are found sporadically in other Aurignacian locations
(stratified and non-stratified) on our peninsula. The study concentrates on the series of S. Cassiano, which we studied directly, and which is richer than the Caruso one studied by Palma di Cesnola (Palma di Cesnola 1989, 1999, 2001), whom we wish to thank for access to the materials. The lithic industry of S. Cassiano (139 pieces) (Moroni Lanfredini and Ronchitelli 2000, 2001), studied according to the Laplace 1964 analytic typology, is characterized by [figures 2-3]:
• large index of Burins (42 %), characterized by the component traceable back to the Burins des Vachons;
• average index (10 %) of Endscrapers, among which nosed, carinated and core-like tools;
• small index (5,5 %) of differentiated Abrupts tools, constituted by truncations overall; we highlight the presence of only one non-Dufour bladelet with marginal retouch; 22 bladelets unretouched are present however, 17 of which with the characteristic of cintrage and twisting to the right (Lucas 1999);
• large index (41 %) of the Substrata, where scrapers, denticulated and abrupts tools are equivalent; deep
notches are present on the blade (but not étranglées blades) and even large blades, with profound nonstepped
retouch. Presence (1,5 %) of scar Tools. Caruso presents analogous characters; among unretouched pieces are several bladelets, 7 of which are curved and twisted. We emphasize again the presence, at both sites, of artifacts traceable back to the Burins du Raysse (Basseler).The association between the Burins des Vachons and the Burins du Raysse has already been highlighted at Abri 1 of the Vachons (str. 2) (Perpère 1977) and in other surface lithic industries in Moravia (Urcice, Slatinice,
Kohoutovice) (Oliva 1996). The Burins des Vachons at S. Cassiano and at Caruso present notably homogeneous characters [figure 5]. We have deliberately chosen to maintain in the description the terminology traditionally linked to the
typological classification of these artifacts, such as “burins”, while still taking into consideration, as we will see as we go along, their probable first use as cores: moreover, the traceological study has shed light on the complexity of the problem, highlighting the multi-functional character of these artifacts. A prime common characteristic resides in the quantitative factor that in both the sites is represented by a remarkable prevalence of this variety inside the group of burins [figure 6a].From a techno-typo-metric point of view, the burins of S. Cassiano are normally made on carinated flakes, of dimensions between 30 and 40 mm, often corticated and with a flat butt. This fact agrees with the sparse elaboration of the supports observed by Perpère at the Abri of the Vachons (Perpère 1972). One of the most surprising characteristics is that these instruments are all oriented to the left, if we hold them with the burin bit on the top and flat removals in view. This uniformity seems to indicate that the
maker worked with the right hand, proceeding in a clockwise execution of the removals (cf. right twisting morphology of the bladelets.
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