Les plus anciens peuplements de la Péninsule italienne

Abstract

The Italian Peninsula is an important benchmark for reconstructing the chronological and cultural data about the genus Homo diffusion outside Africa. Several sites testify to an early occupation of Italy and corroborate the theory that the exit from Africa would have taken place from the Middle East. The oldest site is Pirro Nord (Apricena, Foggia, southern Italy), dated by biochronology to 1.6–1.3Ma. It is characterized by a large assemblage of fossil vertebrates (Pirro Nord Faunal Unit) associated with lithic industries characterized by short reduction sequences, deeply adapted to the raw material and finalized to the production of flakes. In the same cultural context is included the site of Cà Belvedere di Montepoggiolo (Forlì), dated about 0.9 Ma by ESR and palaeomagnetism, where several complete reduction sequences were rebuilt. This first phase of occupation fits perfectly, from a cultural point of view, among the other European sites dated between 1.3 and 0.9 Ma, which are always characterized by the exploitation of local raw materials and by short reduction sequences (SSDA or centripetal) finalized for the production of flakes and by very rarely retouched edges. Unlike most other sites, the oldest Italian sites do not show shaped elements and, particularly at Pirro Nord, a component linked to a strong predetermination seems to be present.