The peopling of Italian Peninsula began 1 Ma ago, as testified (
Dans la péninsule Italienne, on peut faire remonter la présence de groupes humains à environ un million d'années. Il s'agit de complexes caractérisés par une grande quantité d'éclats et de nucléus. Cette situation semble être commune au secteur méridional de l'Europe, comme l'attestent de nombreux sites tels ceux d'Atapuerca, de Barranco Léon et de Fuente Nueva (Espagne) et du Vallonnet (France).
Le premier peuplement de l'Italie ne semble pas être un phénomène sporadique, et il constituerait plutôt un phénomène très étendu, comme l'attestent les sites de Bibbona (Toscane), Colle Marino, Arce, Fontana Liri et Castro dei Volsci (Latium). À ces sites, on peut ajouter ceux de l'Émilie–Romagne, parmi lesquels le site de Ca' Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo est très significatif. Toute la région aux pieds des Apennins est caractérisée par une ample documentation, qui atteste la présence de groupes humains appartenant à la première diffusion du genre
L'industrie se caractérise par un débitage simple et opportuniste ayant pour finalité la production d'éclats avec des marges coupantes, qui sont utilisés afin de récupérer les masses de viande ou de travailler le bois, comme le démontre l'étude des traces d'utilisation.
Les sites à bifaces semblent apparaître plus tard, en Italie, il y a 600 à 700 000 ans. On assiste avec l'Acheuléen à un important renouvellement technologique et typologique, caractérisé par l'apparition d'une importante variabilité entre les instruments, surtout en ce qui concerne les supports retouchés (racloirs, denticulés et pointes, en particulier). La diffusion progressive des supports moins épais (carénés) et de la méthode Levallois représente le début et l'anticipation du processus qui conduit à l'apparition, puis, à la diffusion des outils complexes du Paléolithique moyen.
Although the time scale is clearly different in Africa and Europe, the sequence of the development of lithic industries in the two continents is essentially similar. Indeed, Acheulean complexes with bifaces spread all over Europe in a relatively late period, while flake industries developed earlier all over the area. These latter are well documented, and in some cases have been investigated by means of systematic excavations and multi-disciplinary studies.
Of particular importance is the deposit of Ca' Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo, explored for about a decade between the 1980s and 1990s. Its importance is due both to the richness of the archaeological record and to its stratigraphic context, which permits a detailed reconstruction to be made of the ancient natural environments. The Monte Poggiolo deposit lies close to the town of Forlì, in the hill area between the Po Valley and the Apennines
The industry of Ca' Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo is characterised by knapped pebbles – more or less intensely worked – and by the products derived from their knapping
The absence of pebble-tools such as choppers and chopping-tools is widespread. These finds, usually considered as tools, are just knapping supports to be included within the ‘core category’.
Experimentation shows the extreme simplicity of the techniques used. Direct percussion is dominant, while bipolar technique is desultory. This is confirmed by the presence of wide and prominent bulbs, of crosswise broken artefacts, and ‘Siret’ burins. Knapping is rapid, opportunistic and aimed at the production of cutting edges (flakes).
The study of the industry and analysis of refittings as well as experimentation tests have allowed a reconstruction of the reduction sequence for pebble working. The standardised
The study of use-wear traces is important for understanding a number of aspects of the industry
The industry of Monte Poggiolo is the result of a simple and opportunistic lithic technology which may only rarely be observed in all its phases on the same core, since it stops at different phases of its exploitation.
The reduction sequence outlined in Monte Poggiolo starts with the removal of the first flake from one of the pebble's edges. This may be removed either at right angles to its major axis or at varying angles. In the first case, unidirectional flakes are removed from the platform. They are small and rarely corticated and have a flat butt. In the second case, the first angled removal with respect to the axis of the pebble is followed by another removal, usually with the same direction and angle, or with an alternate direction, thus forming cores that can morphologically be considered as choppers and chopping-tools. If the flaking of the artefact continues, a number of small decorticated flakes will be produced, also with variations in the angle of the removed surfaces that may lead to the formation of cores with several platforms.
The ancient site of Monte Poggiolo is not unique in Italy. The early peopling is not an isolated trend, as is demonstrated by a number of settlements all over Italy. Several dozen sites located in similar stratigraphic and chronological positions in the Po Valley have yielded ancient industry. These deposits include Bel Poggio
In the rest of Italy, there are a number of other early-period settlements such as Bibbona (Tuscany)
We can include Isernia La Pineta in a more recent phase of the context described above. Much information has been gained from the settlement through multi-disciplinary studies, allowing a detailed analysis to be made of the activities of a community that existed 6–700 000 years ago and of the natural environment in which they lived.
Archaeological layers are included in a complex stratigraphical series, characterised by lake and volcano deposits that have been altered (palaeosoils)
The remains of fauna (Sala in Peretto
Many bone finds bear evident impact areas that have been caused by deliberate breaks. They show concavities and some negatives of small flakes on the abdomen side. Cut-marks caused by the animal skeleton’s dismemberment with lithic artefacts are also evident [
Pollen analysis (Accorsi et al., in
As regards the lithic industry
In Italy, as in the rest of Europe, the most ancient industries are distinguished by the presence of cores and flakes. On a morphological level, choppers and chopping-tools could still be found, but they appear not to have had any functional aspect, being considered as simple cores. The most ancient industries of Italy and Europe show no typological differences, with the few tools obtained by retouching being rare, incidental and badly refined.
It was not until later, as from 6–700 000 years ago, that Acheulean industries with bifaces began
There is as yet no evidence of an ‘on-site’ development of biface industries. However, there is a great difference between the two stages and it would be easy to identify the point of transition between one and the other. Since there is no concrete evidence, we may hypothesise that, prior to 1 Myr ago, there was an early peopling characterised by an industry made of cores and pebbles such as in the deposit of Monte Poggiolo. This was followed at a more recent time, around 6–7 Myr ago, by the spread of new human groups with Acheulean industries. Thus at least two different stages of development of human groups in Europe during the Early Palaeolithic need to be recognised.
The sequence of European industries recalls that of Africa. Despite this identity, it is not possible to compare the two sequences from a chronological point of view. The European sequence is certainly about 1 million years more recent. In particular it is not possible to claim that human groups began developing from Africa 1.5 Myr ago, with Acheulean industries, and that they reached Europe with an older cultural background such as pebble industries. Nor can we state that groups with pebble industries were pushed by Acheulean industry populations to peripheral, even Eurasian, areas. These hypotheses are only theoretical and do not justify the real dynamics of the transfer of technological knowledge. This is confirmed by the findings of the deposit of Ubeidija, Israel
If the first human groups to arrive in Europe had a pre-Acheulean African cultural background, we may imagine that their development began long before we had previously expected. It is now possible to find traces of human diffusion in Europe long before previous evidence had suggested, as confirmed by data recently discovered in Dmanissi
Acheulean industries with bifaces might be a late trend in Europe, more recent than 1 Myr ago, since the diffusion of groups accompanied by Acheulean industries with bifaces might have taken place only in a more recent period due to the isolation of the continent of Europe from other lands.
Available data show that the development of
This process of separation from the environment is certainly influenced primarily by flaking, and this is supported by developments in hunting techniques and a new social organisation.
Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo: general view of the hill.
Fig. 1. Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo : vue générale de la colline.
Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo: stratigraphic position of the site and radiometric dates.
Fig. 2. Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo : position stratigraphique du site et âges radiométriques.
Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo: general view of the stratigraphy.
Fig. 3. Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo : vue générale de la coupe.
Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo: knapped pebble.
Fig. 4. Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo : fragment de
Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo: refitting.
Fig. 5. Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo :
Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo: refitting.
Fig. 6. Ca’ Belvedere di Monte Poggiolo :
Isernia La Pineta: general view of the excavation.
Fig. 7. Insernia La Pineta : vue générale de la fouille.
Isernia La Pineta: excavation of the 3a archaeosurface.
Fig. 8. Insernia La Pineta : fosse dans l'Archéosurface 3a.
Isernia La Pineta: particular view of the 3a archaeosurface.
Fig. 9. Insernia La Pineta : détail de l'archéosurface 3a.
Isernia la Pineta: general planimetry of the 3a archaeosurface.
Fig. 10. Insernia La Pineta : planimétrie générale de l'archéosurface 3a.
Isernia la Pineta: knapped limestone pebbles.
Fig. 11. Insernia La Pineta : fragment de
Isernia la Pineta: knapped limestone pebbles.
Fig. 12. Insernia La Pineta : fragment de
Isernia la Pineta: knapped limestone pebbles.
Fig. 13. Insernia La Pineta : fragment de
Isernia La Pineta: lithic industry.
Fig. 14. Insernia La Pineta : industrie lithique.
Isernia La Pineta: Bison's radius with percussion notch.
Fig. 15. Insernia La Pineta : radius de bison avec trace de percussion.