Programmes > Par auteur > Fusco Fabio

In the 1950s an outstanding sequence of nine archaeological layers ascribed to Acheulean, Clactonian and Levalloisian traditions has been discovered within the 70 m deep sedimentary succession of the Valle Giumentina basin in the Central Apennines (Italy). The archaeological sequence was then correlated to the Riss and Würm glaciations on the basis of the lithic industries typology. To better understand the Valle Giumentina archaeological and geological context, a multidisciplinary research project (sedimentology, geochemistry, micromorphology, malacology, palynology, geochrono­logy and tephrochronology) including systematic archaeological excavations, funded by the École Française de Rome, was started in 2012, with the aim of studying in details this exceptional long archive combining both cultural and palaeoenvironmental information.

Sedimentological analysis and biomarkers studies indicate that the stratigraphic succession of Valle Giumentina corresponds to two complete interglacial-glacial cycles, accurately correlated with MIS 15 to MIS 12 thanks to the 40Ar/39Ar dating method. Consequently, the Valle Giumentina succession is at least 200 ka older than previously estimated, and the site must accordingly be shifted into an older phase of the European Lower Palaeolithic. This new chronostratigraphic framework allows us to precise the chronology of each archaeological level and to determine the environmental context of Palaeolithic human settlements. The site was occupied during both glacial and interglacial periods (MIS14, MIS12 and MIS 13 respectively), corresponding to a wide range of environmental contexts, from open steppe and grassland to closed forest landscapes.

Lithic studies with a technological approach are still in progress but according to their typology, every lithic series from each archaeological layers appear to be very homogeneous and don't show any major evolution. The appearance of handaxes tools in a palaeosol correlated to the beginning of MIS 12 is the only technical novelty identified in the archaeological record. Here, handaxes are associated with a core and flake industry very similar to the previous and the further ones. Our geochronological study presents a new sequence to fill the scarcity of sites between the periods of MIS 15 and 11. It allows us to bring forwards lithic studies to look at socioeconomical behaviors in this time range and possibly to their evolution which is not obvious at first glance.