Survival in refugia could have been a critical aspect in the demise of Neanderthals, in a way that makes it crucial to investigate human dispersal and paleoecology of the last Neanderthal populations during the Late Pleistocene. South of the Alps and bound by the Appennines to the east and the Tyrrhenian coast to the west, southern Latium constitutes a geographical cul de sac and a possible refuge area during the Pleistocene, as also mirrored in the fossil record . In this perspective, we present a reappraisal of the Middle Paleolithic site of Grotta Breuil (Monte Circeo) , within a multidisciplinary investigation. e cave represents a Mousterian site that was is in use while, elsewhere in the Peninsula, Upper Paleolithic contexts are already present. Fossil human remains most probably associated with layer 5, dated to about 34,600 ± 330 BP (AMS uncalibrated date) , include the posterior-lower portion of a le parietal and two molars belonging to two different individuals, an adult and an old juvenile respectively . Zooarchaeological analysis revealed changes in hunted species, especially for what concerns seasonality (with main occupation of the site during autumn to spring) . e Grotta Breuil sequence seems to show changes in adaptive strategies across layers of occupation, with lower layers showing residential use and upper layers associated with a sporadic use of the cave throughout the year. Our project envisages a paleoantropological, archaeological, and palaeoecological investigation paired with a systematic isotopic study of human and animal fossils. e human specimens have been imaged by X-ray microtomography (μCT), with the aim to perform detailed morphometric analyses. e isotopic investigation includes oxygen (δ18O a), carbon (δ13C), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope ratios of carbonates of teeth of fossil faunas (with multiple species available for our study) sampled from the whole stratigraphy at the site. We aim at reconstructing the paleoecology of the later phases of the Middle Paleolithic with the isotopic ratios from the Neanderthal fossil found at the cave reconnecting human behavior with a wider ecological context.
Among the last Neanderthals. A reappraisal of the Grotta Breuil case-study (Monte Circeo, Latium, Italy) / Tafuri, MARY ANNE; Alhaique, Francesca; Bernardini, Federico; DI VINCENZO, Fabio; Profico, Antonio; Tuniz, Claudio; Grimaldi, Stefano; Manzi, Giorgio. - STAMPA. - 4:(2015), pp. 216-216. (Intervento presentato al convegno European Society for the study of Human Evolution tenutosi a Londra nel 10-12/09/2015).
Among the last Neanderthals. A reappraisal of the Grotta Breuil case-study (Monte Circeo, Latium, Italy)
TAFURI, MARY ANNE;ALHAIQUE, Francesca;DI VINCENZO, FABIO;PROFICO, ANTONIO;TUNIZ, CLAUDIO;MANZI, Giorgio
2015
Abstract
Survival in refugia could have been a critical aspect in the demise of Neanderthals, in a way that makes it crucial to investigate human dispersal and paleoecology of the last Neanderthal populations during the Late Pleistocene. South of the Alps and bound by the Appennines to the east and the Tyrrhenian coast to the west, southern Latium constitutes a geographical cul de sac and a possible refuge area during the Pleistocene, as also mirrored in the fossil record . In this perspective, we present a reappraisal of the Middle Paleolithic site of Grotta Breuil (Monte Circeo) , within a multidisciplinary investigation. e cave represents a Mousterian site that was is in use while, elsewhere in the Peninsula, Upper Paleolithic contexts are already present. Fossil human remains most probably associated with layer 5, dated to about 34,600 ± 330 BP (AMS uncalibrated date) , include the posterior-lower portion of a le parietal and two molars belonging to two different individuals, an adult and an old juvenile respectively . Zooarchaeological analysis revealed changes in hunted species, especially for what concerns seasonality (with main occupation of the site during autumn to spring) . e Grotta Breuil sequence seems to show changes in adaptive strategies across layers of occupation, with lower layers showing residential use and upper layers associated with a sporadic use of the cave throughout the year. Our project envisages a paleoantropological, archaeological, and palaeoecological investigation paired with a systematic isotopic study of human and animal fossils. e human specimens have been imaged by X-ray microtomography (μCT), with the aim to perform detailed morphometric analyses. e isotopic investigation includes oxygen (δ18O a), carbon (δ13C), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotope ratios of carbonates of teeth of fossil faunas (with multiple species available for our study) sampled from the whole stratigraphy at the site. We aim at reconstructing the paleoecology of the later phases of the Middle Paleolithic with the isotopic ratios from the Neanderthal fossil found at the cave reconnecting human behavior with a wider ecological context.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
