Dating the Middle Palaeolithic of Fumane Cave by the combined ESR/U-series method

Abstract

Fumane Cave, located in Northern Italy, is a major prehistoric site for understanding late Neandertal and early modern human behaviours. The cave contains a 12-m-thick stratigraphic sequence of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic layers, which have yielded a number of flint artefacts and faunal remains. The upper part of the stratigraphic sequence is well-dated using radiocarbon analysis, placing the last Middle Palaeolithic occupations at ca. 44–45 ka cal BP and the first Upper Palaeolithic occupations (Uluzzian and Aurignacian) after around 43 ka cal BP. However, the lower part of the stratigraphic sequence remains less well-documented chronologically. Previous thermoluminescence (TL) dating placed the entire sequence within the last climatic cycle, following the last Interglacial stage (MIS 5e). In this study, we present a revised chronology for the Middle Palaeolithic levels at Fumane Cave, based on combined Electronic Spin Resonance/Uranium (ESR/U)-series dating of herbivorous teeth spanning much of the sequence. Our results diverge from earlier TL data, indicating that the oldest layers date to MIS 7–6 (units S9–S3) and MIS 6–5 (units BR12–BR9). For the late Mousterian (units A11–A4) and the Upper Palaeolithic (unit A2), recalculated ages using new in situ gamma measurements align with existing radiocarbon and TL dates. However, our findings highlight the methodological challenges of applying ESR/U-series dating to samples younger than 50 ka, particularly in heterogeneous layers. These new results suggest that Middle Palaeolithic occupations at Fumane Cave spanned over 200 ka, covering the two most recent climatic cycles. This extended temporal framework parallels that of San Bernardino cave, another key site in Northern Italy, and underscores the prolonged presence of Levallois technology in the region.