Abstract
We present here the results of a technological and typological analysis of the Acheulian and early Middle Paleolithic assemblages from Torre in Pietra (Latium, Italy) together with comparisons with the Acheulian small tools of Castel di Guido. The assemblages were never chronometrically dated before. We have now 40Ar/39Ar dates and ESR-U-series dates, within a geomorphological framework, which support correlations to marine isotope stages. The Acheulian (previously correlated to MIS 9) is now dated to MIS 10 while the Middle Paleolithic is dated to MIS 7. Lithic analyses are preceded by taphonomic evaluations. The Levallois method of the Middle Paleolithic assemblage is an innovation characterized by the production of thin flake blanks without cortex. In contrast, the small tool blanks of the Acheulian were either pebbles or thick flakes with some cortex. They provided a relatively easy manual prehension. The choice of Levallois thin flake blanks in the Middle Paleolithic assemblage suggest that the new technology is most likely related to the emergence of hafting. Accordingly, the oldest direct evidence of hafting technology is from the site of Campitello Quarry in Tuscany (Central Italy) where birch-bark tar, found on the proximal part of two flint flakes, is dated to the end of MIS 7. Nevertheless, a peculiar feature of the Middle Paleolithic at Torre in Pietra is the continuous presence of small tool blanks on pebbles and cores and on thick flake albeit at a much lower frequency than in the older Acheulian industries. The adoption of the new technology is thus characterized by innovation combined with a degree of stability. The persistence of these habits in spite of the introduction of an innovative technique underlies the importance of cultural transmission and conformity in the behavior of Neandertals.
Highlights
In 1954 the discovery of Acheulian artifacts and mammal remains within fluvio-lacustrine sediments cropping out at the foot of a hill in locality Torre del Pagliaccetto, 26 km northwest of Rome and 6 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, prompted the start of excavations by AC Blanc
Since deposition of the Ponte Galeria Formation (PGF), other six major aggradational successions deposited in the coastal area during periods of sea-level rise in response to deglaciations during marine isotopic stages (MIS) 13 through MIS 1, plus a minor succession correlated with sub-stage MIS 8.5 [17]
The hominins at Torre in Pietra and Castel di Guido had a clear understanding of the specific qualities of flint which came in the form of rather small pebbles and was deemed desirable for the making of small tools
Summary
In 1954 the discovery of Acheulian artifacts and mammal remains within fluvio-lacustrine sediments cropping out at the foot of a hill in locality Torre del Pagliaccetto, 26 km northwest of Rome and 6 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea, prompted the start of excavations by AC Blanc. Stratigraphy, vertebrate, invertebrate and botanical remains, and the stone artifacts from the Acheulian and Middle Paleolithic deposits. In the section published by Malatesta [1] layers 12n and 11m contained Acheulian artifacts and layer 4d contained Middle Paleolithic artifacts. The sequence of deposits with the Acheulian level at the base was referred to as the Aurelian Formation [1]. In 1978 Piperno and Biddittu [29] published a typological analysis of level m and d supported by numerous drawings and detailed description of all the artifacts based on Bordes’ method. The level d assemblage was defined as a Pre-Mousterian industry, a definition that was current at doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160516.g020. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160516.g021 the time for all typologically Mousterian industries older than the Last Glaciation [79,80]. The authors noted a significant component of small tools on flint pebbles (“light-duty choppers”), a feature already seen in level m
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