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Environmental changes and human occupations between MIS 15 and MIS 14 in Central Italy: archaeological levels AO1-20, 24 and LBr of Valle Giumentina (c. 570–530 ka)

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Abstract

This work presents the Middle Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental and archaeological record of the Valle Giumentina basin (Abruzzo, Italy). A high-resolution geological study, including stratigraphy, sedimentology and micromorphology, was performed on the lower part of the sequence which correlates with the time span between MIS 15 and MIS 14 stages, i.e. between 570 and 530 ka. In addition to long-term climatic variability, sedimentological data highlight many short oscillations of varying amplitude during both Glacial and Interglacial periods. These results are confirmed by the studies of environmental proxies (pollen and molluscan analysis) previously undertaken on the Valle Giumentina sequence in 2016. Comparisons with global, Mediterranean and Italian climate archives confirm the consistency of the Valle Giumentina record and the contrasting characteristics of each isotopic stages. The three archaeological levels comprised in this part of the sequence can be assigned to isotopic sub-stages MIS 15a (Level AO1-20), MIS 14d (Level 24) and MIS 14c/14b (Level LBr). Human groups lived here during both temperate and cold periods, into woodland and steppe landscapes. Petrographic, traceological and technological studies were undertaken on the small lithic series (total of 119 artefacts). They suggest that raw material procurement was strictly local. The core and flake production is of techno-type C (recurrent unipolar flaking, SSDA, flaked flakes). Several morphologies of blanks occur with regular and mostly straight cutting-edges (small and thin flakes, notches, thick backed flakes). They are rarely retouched. Despite their good state of preservation, the pieces do not exhibit use-wear traces.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Silvano Agostini for his valuable help and all the volunteers who took part in the archaeological excavations of the Valle Giumentina site over 8 years. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped to enhance the quality of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the École Française de Rome (EFR) and the CEPAM laboratory and carried out with the authorisation of MIBAC/Soprintendenza Archeologia Abruzzo and the support of the Parco Nazionale della Maiella, the Cities of Abbateggio and Caramanico Terme and the Archeoclub of Pescara. This work has been supported by the French government, through the “Université Côte d’Azur UCAJEDI Investments in the Future” project managed by the National Research Agency (ANR) with the reference number ANR-15-IDEX-01 (post-doctoral fellowship of V.V. and publication support for this manuscript).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, CEPAM Cultures et Environnements, Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen Âge – UMR 7264, Nice, France

    Valentina Villa, Elisa Nicoud & Antonin Tomasso

  2. Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Juliette Guibert--Cardin

  3. Inrap Centre-Île-de-France, Paris, France

    Christine Chaussé

  4. LGP Laboratoire de Géographie Physique, Environnements quaternaires et actuels – UMR 8591, Thiais, France

    Christine Chaussé & Nicole Limondin-Lozouet

  5. Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Giovanni Boschian

  6. Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Giovanni Boschian

  7. CNRS, Archéologie des Sociétés Méditerranéennes – UMR 5140, Montpellier, France

    Jean-Philippe Degeai

  8. Free lance palynologist, Viale Giovanni Bovio 10, 65123, Pescara, Italy

    Fabio Fusco

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  1. Valentina Villa
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Contributions

Funding was acquired by EN and VV. All authors participated in field work, formal analysis and investigation. VV, EN, JGC and AT wrote the main manuscript text. VV prepared Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; AT prepared Figure 7; JGC prepared Fig. 8 and EN prepared Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. All authors reviewed the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Valentina Villa.

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Villa, V., Nicoud, E., Guibert--Cardin, J. et al. Environmental changes and human occupations between MIS 15 and MIS 14 in Central Italy: archaeological levels AO1-20, 24 and LBr of Valle Giumentina (c. 570–530 ka). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 16, 33 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-024-01938-1

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