Rita Teresa Melis

The new chronology of the Ceprano calvarium (Italy)

IntroductionThe fossil human calvarium known as Ceprano (Latium, Italy) iscommonly dated to 800e900 ka, on the basis of geological andstratigraphical inferences (Ascenzi et al., 1996, 2000). This chro-nology appeared somehow consistent with the “archaic”morphology of the calvarium and its peculiar combination offeatures, which gave rise to a controversial taxonomic identity(Ascenzietal.,1996,2000;Clarke,2000;Manzietal.,2001;Mallegniet al., 2003; Bruner and Manzi, 2005, 2007). A re-evaluation of thislate Early Pleistocene chronology has been advanced by Muttoniet al. (2009) on the basis of paleomagnetic data. This hypothesis istested here, based on the combined evaluation of the multidisci-plinary evidence collected during recent systematic excavations.The specimen was discovered on 13 March 1994 within a claylevel partly destroyed by bulldozers working for a new road ina locality known as Campogrande (Fig. 1), about 3 km SW ofCeprano and 100 km SE of Rome, in Central Italy (for review andreferences see Manzi, 2004). The sediment containing the cranialfragments yielded more than 50 fragments. However, the craniumremainedincompletebecauseneitherportionsof thefacenorteethwere retrieved.The geological history of the Campogrande area was initiallyreferred to two main stratigraphic complexes (Ascenzi et al., 1996,2000; Ascenzi and Segre, 1997a,b): 1) upper fluvio-colluvialdeposits, with variable occurrence of volcanoclastic products (lateEarly to Middle Pleistocene); 2) lower lacustrine deposits, withoutvolcanoclastic products (roughly predating 1.0 Ma). The layercontaining the human calvarium was considered to belong to thelower portion of the upper stratigraphic complex. Its chronologywas inferred as more ancient than the Acheulean site of FontanaRanuccio, near Anagni (458 5.7 ka; Segre and Ascenzi, 1984),possiblyolderthan700ka,adatecorrespondingtothebeginningofthe volcanic activity in the region (Fornaseri, 1985).Given the presence in the Ceprano basin of various LowerPaleolithic assemblages, the archaic features of the calvarium andits hypothetical chronological position were considered in associ-ation with Mode 1, or Oldowan, techno-complexes (Biddittu,1984;Ascenzietal.,1996,2000).Mode1Paleolithicintheareacomefromvarious localities, including Arce, Castro de’ Volsci, Fontana Liri(Biddittu, 1972, 1974), as well as from the Campogrande area itself(see SOM-1), whose assemblages are characterized by flint orlimestone pebble-tools (mostly choppers, chopping-tools andpercussion tools), by debitage with hammerstone flakes, and byrelatively frequent cores, with a low degree of exploitation, mostoften unifacial, and high frequencyof cortical striking platforms. Asfor Mode 2 or Acheulean assemblages, new recent data (excava-tions 2001e2006; see below) have made it possible to bettercharacterize the material from Campogrande. These materials arenot numerically rich, but they yield evidence of each production

Archaeology and ichnology at Gombore II-2, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: everyday life of a mixed-age hominin group 700,000 years ago

We report the occurrence at 0.7 million years (Ma) of an ichnological assemblage at Gombore II-2, which is one of several archaeological sites at Melka Kunture in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia, 2000 m asl. Adults and children potentially as young as 12 months old left tracks in a silty substrate on the shore of a body of water where ungulates, as well as other mammals and birds, congregated. Furthermore, the same layers contain a rich archaeological and palaeontological record, confirming that knapping was taking place in situ and that stone tools were used for butchering hippo carcasses at the site. The site gives direct information on hominin landscape use at 0.7 Ma and may provide fresh perspective on the childhood of our ancestors.

Granite Landscapes of Sardinia: Long-Term Evolution of Scenic Landforms

Sardinia is characterized by spectacular granite landscapes with superimposed scenic landforms. In the eastern part of the island, the granite reliefs consist of mountain massifs and plateaux separated by metamorphic reliefs and limestone plateaux. Granite landscapes show peculiar landforms such as inselbergs, tors and tafoni and diverse erosion microforms. In the extraordinary landscape of Gallura region, wide flat areas with outcropping rocks, vast extensions of isolated rock blocks and inselberg-type dome-shaped reliefs show evidence of a long period of intense weathering. Scenic landforms characterize the spectacular landscape of Sarrabus region, where differential erosion processes have selected the numerous dikes which have conditioned the orientation of the reliefs and coastal landforms. Many archaeological remnants can be found in most granite regions of Sardinia emphasizing the deep bond between man and the physical environment.

Variability in the Mountain Environment at Melka Kunture Archaeological Site, Ethiopia, During the Early Pleistocene (~1.7 Ma) and the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (0.9–0.6 Ma)

In this paper, we present and discuss pollen data from the Early Pleistocene (1.8 to 1.6 Ma) – we use the revised timescale approved by IUGS, in which the base of the Pleistocene is defined by the GSSP of the Gelasian Stage at 2.588 (2.6) Ma (Gibbard et al. 2010) – and from the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (0.9 to 0.6 Ma) at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia). At 2000 m asl in the Ethiopian highlands, these deposits yield many rich and successive archaeological sites, notably documenting the late Oldowan, the emergence of the Acheulean and the middle Acheulean. The stratigraphic position of the fifteen pollen samples is checked by 40Ar/39Ar dating and by geological investigation. Furthermore, they are now correlated to archaeological layers whose excavated lithic industries have been reinterpreted. Our study shows that mountain forest trees belonging to the present-day Afromontane complex were already established in Ethiopia at ~1.8 Ma and that the knappers of the Oldowan and early Acheulean could cope with mountain climatic conditions that had a large diurnal temperature range. Moreover, the new interpretation of pollen results emphasizes changes that occurred in the vegetation cover at 200- or 300-thousand-year snapshot intervals, one during the Early Pleistocene and another one later on, during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. These changes concerned plant species and their respective abundance and appear to have been related to rainfall and temperature variability. The proportion of forest trees increased during wet episodes, whereas the influence of Afroalpine grassland indicators increased during cool and dry episodes. Variations in Early Pleistocene pollen data from Melka Kunture at ~1.8–1.6 Ma are consistent with isotopic evidence of precession variability as recorded at Olduvai and Turkana archaeological sites at ~2–1.8 Ma. For the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, variations in pollen data seem to match the climatic variability of isotopic and long pollen records from the Mediterranean region, notably upon the onset of dominant 100 ka-long glacial/interglacial cycles.

The Coastal Dunes of Sardinia: Landscape Response to Climate and Sea Level Changes

The Sardinian coasts are characterized by spectacular aeolian landscapes. These are concentrated in areas where the morphology of the coast, the age-long wind action on the wide sandy beaches and the past availability of sand from the continental shelf—during the low sea level during Pleistocene glacial phases—permitted remarkable volumes of sands to accumulate and to dominate above other forms of the coastal landscape. In the western coast of the island, hit by strong northwestern winds, vast dune fields, adorned by the Mediterranean bush and white flowers of sea, show a spectacular variety of landforms such as small nebkhas, loose dunes, cobblestone floors and deflation furrows. Lithified fossil dunes (aeolianites) occur along most Sardinian coasts, providing important information on past climate and sea level changes. These attractive wind landscapes offer researchers and visitors many and various opportunities of study, recreation and tourism, in a context unique due to the high value of the present and past landscapes.

Petrographic and physical investigations on geomaterials for conservation of Las Plassas Castle (Marmilla, Sardinia, Italy)

The Castle of Marmilla, located near the village of Las Plassas (central-Sardinia), represented a strategic military stronghold of great importance in the war between the kingdom of Arborea and the Aragonese Kingdom of Sardinia in the fourteenth century. Archaeological documents highlight the use, albeit partial, of some environments even in the modern age, during the times of feudal Sardinia (XV-XVI century), when the castle was an integral part of the possessions of the Barony of Las Plassas. It was used as a district prison until the nineteenth century. Built on top of a conical hill at 270 meters above sea level the castle has an irregular hexagonal shape, elongated along the north-west and south-east. Its foundations are excavated in a layer of Miocene sandstones and currently occupy the entire hilltop. What remains of the castle of Marmilla denotes a series of construction phases. A wide circle of walls delimiting the fortification of 550 square meters: inside there are the remains of a cistern and two towers, to the N and S sides, near the entrance. At present, the main tower and the walls, perimeter and internal, are preserved, albeit affected by a profound degradation, and they allow us to observe the construction techniques and choices made in the ongoing renovations, restorations and strengthening interventions. The structure is made of cantons sandstone cut with precision; at the base of the north tower was used ashlar stones. The cistern, located below ground level, is carved into the rock and covered with sandstone cantons; a second tank is located outside the masonry, near the northern side of the fortification. By minero-petrographic and physical-mechanical analysis of geomaterials (i.e., stones, mortars) used in the castle construction, the alteration degree of the materials, in order to identify a correct restoration for conservation purposes, has been defined.