Grotta di Castelcivita. Above: Cave location (indicated by a white arrow) at the base of the Alburni massif in the Campania region of southern Italy. Bottom: Excavation pit of Upper Paleolithic layers. Credit: University of Tübingen
An international team of researchers from the Universities of Tübingen (Dr. Armando Falcucci), Siena and Bologna analyzed the cultural remains left by groups of early Homo sapiens at Grotta di Castelcivita in southern Italy, dating before the great eruption known as the Campanian Ignimbrite.
This explosive event, originating in the still active Phlegraean Plains around 40,000 years ago, is considered the most powerful volcanic eruption ever recorded in the Mediterranean. Most importantly, Grotta di Castelcivita is one of the rare archaeological sites where volcanic ash has sealed a high-resolution archaeological sequence.
Using a range of cutting-edge methodologies to meticulously reconstruct the methods used in the processing of stone tools – the most durable artefacts discovered in prehistoric excavations – the researchers demonstrated that cultural development at Castelcivita predates the deposition of volcanic and sub-contemporary strata . the cold climate phase known as Heinrich Stadial 4, which lasted for about 2 millennia.
Examples of material culture remain uncovered in the uppermost layers of the Grotta di Castelcivita, before the final sealing of the archaeological sequence by the volcanic eruption. Micro-dots (a) are extracted from cores (b) that carry the negatives of these removals. In addition to stone tools, over a hundred marine shells of various types were collected from the shores of the Mediterranean and drilled for decorative purposes (c). On the right, one of the micro-dots is shown on top of the fingertip. Credit: University of Tübingen
The most remarkable cultural innovation recorded in this area is the production of miniature stone points from rocks collected near the cave with the most suitable fracture properties. These micro-tools were likely intended to be assembled into multi-component projectile weapons.
This discovery challenges long-held speculation that natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and cooling events, were the main drivers of major changes in hunter-gatherer lifestyles throughout human prehistory.
The study, published in Scientific Reportshypothesizes instead that cultural innovations among early Homo sapiens came from mechanisms of cultural transmission and the creation of large-scale networks that extended beyond the Alps.
Overall, this research represents an important step toward understanding how Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer societies developed sophisticated strategies to thrive in changing environments.
Grotta di Castelcivita is one of the most important prehistoric deposits in Europe, containing a high-resolution stratigraphic sequence with evidence for the replacement of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens groups around 43,000 years ago.
Excavations and research at this site are carried out with permission from the Italian Ministry of Culture by the Prehistory and Anthropology Research Unit, Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Siena, under the direction of Adriana Moroni.
More information:
Armando Falcucci et al, A pre-Campanian Ignimbrite technocultural shift in the Aurignacian sequence of Grotta di Castelcivita, southern Italy, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59896-6
Provided by the University of Tübingen
citation: Ancient volcanic eruption not a catalyst for early Homo sapiens cultural innovations, researchers say (2024, July 5) retrieved July 6, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ancient-volcanic- eruption-catalyst-early .html
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