Diet and habitat of the late Middle Pleistocene mammals from the Casal de’ Pazzi site (Rome, Italy) using stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios

Abstract

The late Middle Pleistocene archaeological site of Casal de’ Pazzi (MIS 7, ∼240–200 ka) in central Italy provided a complex of paleontological (both fauna and flora) and archaeological evidence, as well as a cranial fragment of Homo heidelbergensis.Here, we investigated the stable carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios of tooth enamel from six herbivore species (Palaeoloxodon antiquus, Hippopotamus amphibius, Bos primigenius, Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis, Equus ferus, and Dama Dama) to contribute to the understanding of the paleoenvironment of the site through the reconstruction of the diet and habitat of Pleistocene mammals. Our results indicate that the analyzed taxa fed on C3 plants and exploited both closed and open environments. This is consistent with the macro-botanical remains (leaf fossil impressions of Zelkova sp., Laurus nobilis, and Cercis siliquastrum) found at Casal de’ Pazzi and pollen evidence from the nearby lake of Valle di Castiglione. The area around the site was characterized by diversified Mediterranean evergreen forest tree species, accompanied by mesophilic elements of the mixed deciduous oak and beach forest, alternating with diversified wooded/forested vegetation and xeric vegetation. This was the environmental context in which the late Middle Pleistocene Homo lived. Comparisons with published isotopic data from other European archaeological localities between ∼600 and 125 ka evidenced considerable environmental differences through time and space, according to the general climate trends and local factors, such as latitude, temperature, and vegetation composition.