Grotta di Castelcivita. Prime: The placement of the cave (indicated by a white arrow) on the base of the Alburni massif within the Campania area, southern Italy. Backside: The excavation trench of the Higher Paleolithic layers. Credit score: College of Tübingen
A world crew of researchers from the Universities of Tübingen (Dr. Armando Falcucci), Siena, and Bologna analyzed the cultural stays left by teams of early Homo sapiens at Grotta di Castelcivita in southern Italy, courting again to earlier than the most important eruption often known as the Campanian Ignimbrite.
This explosive occasion, originating within the still-active Phlegraean Fields about 40,000 years in the past, is taken into account essentially the most highly effective volcanic eruption ever recorded within the Mediterranean. Crucially, Grotta di Castelcivita is among the uncommon archaeological websites the place volcanic ash has sealed a high-resolution archaeological sequence.
By using a set of cutting-edge methodologies to meticulously reconstruct the strategies utilized in crafting stone instruments—essentially the most enduring artifacts unearthed in prehistoric excavations—the researchers demonstrated that cultural growth at Castelcivita predates each the deposition of the volcanic layers and the sub-contemporaneous chilly local weather section often known as Heinrich Stadial 4, which lasted for about 2 millennia.
Examples of fabric tradition stays found within the uppermost layers of Grotta di Castelcivita, earlier than the definitive sealing of the archaeological sequence by the volcanic eruption. The micro-points (a) have been extracted from cores (b) that bear the negatives of those removals. Along with stone instruments, over 100 marine shells of various species have been collected from the Mediterranean shores and perforated for ornamental functions (c). On the precise, one of many micro-points is proven on high of a fingertip. Credit score: College of Tübingen
Probably the most outstanding cultural innovation recorded on the web site is the manufacturing of miniaturized stone factors from rocks collected close to the cave with essentially the most appropriate fracture properties. These micro-tools have been doubtless meant to be hafted into multi-component projectile weapons.
This discovery challenges long-held speculations that pure disasters, akin to volcanic eruptions and cooling occasions, have been essential drivers of main modifications within the lifeways of hunter-gatherers all through human prehistory.
The research, printed in Scientific Experiences, hypothesizes as an alternative that cultural improvements amongst early Homo sapiens originated from mechanisms of cultural transmission and the institution of large-scale networks that prolonged past the Alps.
General, this analysis represents a major step in the direction of understanding how Higher Paleolithic hunter-gatherer societies developed subtle methods to thrive in altering environments.
Grotta di Castelcivita is among the most vital prehistoric deposits in Europe, containing a high-resolution stratigraphic sequence with proof for the alternative of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens teams about 43,000 years in the past.
Excavations and analysis at this web site are carried out with permission from the Italian Ministry of Tradition by the Analysis Unit of Prehistory and Anthropology, Division of Bodily Sciences, Earth, and Atmosphere on the College of Siena, underneath the course of Adriana Moroni.
Extra data:
Armando Falcucci et al, A pre-Campanian Ignimbrite techno-cultural shift within the Aurignacian sequence of Grotta di Castelcivita, southern Italy, Scientific Experiences (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59896-6
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Historical volcanic eruption not a catalyst for early Homo sapiens cultural improvements, researchers say (2024, July 5)
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