Reassessing the Middle Palaeolithic lithic technology of Grotta Romanelli (Lecce, southern Italy)

IF 1.9 3区地球科学 Q3 GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL

Quaternary International Pub Date : 2025-02-21 DOI:10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109686

Brunella Muttillo , Rosalia Gallotti , Luca Forti , Giuseppe Lembo , Ilaria Mazzini , Pierluigi Pieruccini , Raffaele Sardella

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Located in the southernmost part of the Italian Peninsula, specifically the Salento area in the Apulia region, Grotta Romanelli (Lecce) is one of Italy's most significant Palaeolithic sites. It shows evidence of human occupation from the Middle to the late Upper Palaeolithic.

This study presents a re-analysis of historical lithic collections and also includes a new analysis of artefacts from recent excavations within Middle Palaeolithic Inside Stratigraphic Unit 3 (ISU3). This unit, formerly referred to as level G or “terre rosse”, is dated to at least the MIS 5 interglacial period.

Our findings offer a revised perspective on past interpretations of Grotta Romanelli's Middle Palaeolithic lithic industry. Interpretations of this industry have varied over time, especially regarding the presence of Levallois core technology — an important cultural and chronological marker.

The initial classification in the 1970s described the assemblage as Charentian Mousterian of Quina type, characterized by the absence of Levallois technology and the exclusive use of local materials. However, studies from the 2000s suggested a predominance of Levallois technology, along with a noteworthy, albeit limited, use of non-local materials.

Our lithic analysis suggests instead a focus on expedient flake production using exclusively locally available raw materials, with no evidence of the Levallois method.

These results contrast with previous hypotheses, indicating a distinctive role for Grotta Romanelli's lithic technology within the Middle Palaeolithic cultural framework of southern Italy.

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古罗塔·罗曼内利（意大利南部莱切）旧石器时代中期石器技术的再评估

格罗塔罗曼内利（莱切）位于意大利半岛的最南端，特别是普利亚地区的萨伦托地区，是意大利最重要的旧石器时代遗址之一。它显示了从旧石器时代中期到晚期人类居住的证据。本研究对历史上的石器收藏进行了重新分析，并对中旧石器时代地层单元3 （ISU3）内最近发掘的人工制品进行了新的分析。这个单元以前被称为G层或“陆地”，至少可以追溯到MIS 5间冰期。我们的发现为过去对Grotta Romanelli旧石器时代中期石器工业的解释提供了一个修订的视角。随着时间的推移，对这个行业的解释也有所不同，尤其是关于勒瓦卢瓦核心技术的存在——这是一个重要的文化和时间标志。20世纪70年代的最初分类将这种组合描述为Quina类型的Charentian Mousterian，其特点是缺乏Levallois技术和独家使用当地材料。然而，从2000年代开始的研究表明，勒瓦卢瓦技术占主导地位，同时值得注意的是，尽管有限，使用了非本地材料。我们的岩屑分析表明，相反，专注于权宜之计的片状生产，只使用当地可用的原材料，没有证据表明勒瓦卢瓦方法。这些结果与之前的假设形成对比，表明Grotta Romanelli的石器技术在意大利南部旧石器时代中期文化框架中发挥了独特的作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Quaternary International 地学-地球科学综合

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

4.50%

发文量

336

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Quaternary International is the official journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research. The objectives are to publish a high quality scientific journal under the auspices of the premier Quaternary association that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of INQUA and records recent advances in Quaternary science that appeal to a wide audience. This series will encompass all the full spectrum of the physical and natural sciences that are commonly employed in solving Quaternary problems. The policy is to publish peer refereed collected research papers from symposia, workshops and meetings sponsored by INQUA. In addition, other organizations may request publication of their collected works pertaining to the Quaternary.