The palaeoenvironmental context of MIS 3 and the use of plants by Neanderthal groups in southern Italy: results from the Riparo l’Oscurusciuto site

IF 1.5 2区历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports Pub Date : 2025-09-20 DOI:10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105399

Rosa M. Albert , Juan Ochando , Ivan Martini , Carlos Alberto Rivera-Rondón , Jacopo Crezzini , Clarissa Dominici , Vincenzo Spagnolo , Paolo Boscato , Annamaria Ronchitelli , Francesco Boschin , Francesco Berna

{"title":"The palaeoenvironmental context of MIS 3 and the use of plants by Neanderthal groups in southern Italy: results from the Riparo l’Oscurusciuto site","authors":"Rosa M. Albert , Juan Ochando , Ivan Martini , Carlos Alberto Rivera-Rondón , Jacopo Crezzini , Clarissa Dominici , Vincenzo Spagnolo , Paolo Boscato , Annamaria Ronchitelli , Francesco Boschin , Francesco Berna","doi":"10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105399","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neanderthal populations occupied caves and rockshelters across the Mediterranean, leaving behind evidence of their daily activities, including plant remains. By studying these remains, we can gain a better understanding of how these populations used plant resources and adapted to their environment. A critical period for studying Neanderthal behaviour is Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) which was characterized in Europe by millennial-scale climatic instability involving fluctuations between warming and cooling events. These changes may have impacted the dispersal and dynamics of Neanderthal populations, prompting new behavioural, subsistence and settlement adaptations.</div><div>A key site for studying Neanderthal groups in southern Italy during MIS 3 is Riparo l’Oscurusciuto in the Ginosa Ravine. The site’s long stratigraphic sequence and well-preserved faunal and material culture remains, including hearths, span the period from ∼55 ka to ∼42.8 ka BP. This makes the site central to our understanding of Neanderthal life and how they adapted to the environment until their disappearance from the region. Here, we present the results of a high-resolution study of plant microremains (phytoliths and pollen) and aquatic siliceous microremains (diatoms and chrysophyte cysts), alongside the mineralogical characterisation of their sedimentary contexts using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The ∼12,200-year long reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment reveals a changing landscape starting with semi-open woodlands and forests at ∼55 ka and changing to more open woodland steppe environments starting sometime before ∼52 ka. The woody vegetation was composed of evergreen and deciduous oak woodlands with a continued presence of other mesophytes and Mediterranean woody taxa, including gymnosperms. The grasses (mostly C<sub>3</sub> Pooid), are associated with a wide range of herbaceous species, probably reflecting the opening up of the landscape. Neanderthals responded to these changes by adapting their activities to the surrounding vegetation, by for example using grasses for the hearths, the ashes of which were later spread around the site.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48150,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 105399"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X25004328","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"ARCHAEOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Neanderthal populations occupied caves and rockshelters across the Mediterranean, leaving behind evidence of their daily activities, including plant remains. By studying these remains, we can gain a better understanding of how these populations used plant resources and adapted to their environment. A critical period for studying Neanderthal behaviour is Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) which was characterized in Europe by millennial-scale climatic instability involving fluctuations between warming and cooling events. These changes may have impacted the dispersal and dynamics of Neanderthal populations, prompting new behavioural, subsistence and settlement adaptations.

A key site for studying Neanderthal groups in southern Italy during MIS 3 is Riparo l’Oscurusciuto in the Ginosa Ravine. The site’s long stratigraphic sequence and well-preserved faunal and material culture remains, including hearths, span the period from ∼55 ka to ∼42.8 ka BP. This makes the site central to our understanding of Neanderthal life and how they adapted to the environment until their disappearance from the region. Here, we present the results of a high-resolution study of plant microremains (phytoliths and pollen) and aquatic siliceous microremains (diatoms and chrysophyte cysts), alongside the mineralogical characterisation of their sedimentary contexts using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The ∼12,200-year long reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment reveals a changing landscape starting with semi-open woodlands and forests at ∼55 ka and changing to more open woodland steppe environments starting sometime before ∼52 ka. The woody vegetation was composed of evergreen and deciduous oak woodlands with a continued presence of other mesophytes and Mediterranean woody taxa, including gymnosperms. The grasses (mostly C₃ Pooid), are associated with a wide range of herbaceous species, probably reflecting the opening up of the landscape. Neanderthals responded to these changes by adapting their activities to the surrounding vegetation, by for example using grasses for the hearths, the ashes of which were later spread around the site.

查看原文本刊更多论文

MIS 3的古环境背景和意大利南部尼安德特人对植物的使用：来自Riparo l 'Oscurusciuto遗址的结果

尼安德特人居住在地中海的洞穴和岩石避难所，留下了他们日常活动的证据，包括植物遗骸。通过研究这些遗迹，我们可以更好地了解这些种群是如何利用植物资源并适应环境的。研究尼安德特人行为的一个关键时期是海洋同位素阶段3 (MIS 3)，该阶段在欧洲的特点是千年尺度的气候不稳定，包括变暖和变冷事件之间的波动。这些变化可能影响了尼安德特人种群的分散和动态，促使新的行为、生存和定居适应。在MIS 3期间，研究意大利南部尼安德特人群体的一个关键地点是基诺萨峡谷的Riparo l 'Oscurusciuto。该遗址的长地层序列和保存完好的动物和物质文化遗迹，包括壁炉，跨越了~ 55 ka至~ 42.8 ka BP。这使得该遗址成为我们了解尼安德特人生活以及他们如何适应环境直到从该地区消失的中心。在这里，我们展示了植物微遗骸（植物岩和花粉）和水生硅质微遗骸（硅藻和菊花囊）的高分辨率研究结果，以及使用傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱对其沉积背景进行矿物学表征。对古环境进行的长达~ 12,200年的重建揭示了一个变化的景观，从~ 55 ka的半开放林地和森林开始，到~ 52 ka之前的某个时间开始向更开放的林地草原环境转变。木本植被主要由常绿和落叶栎林组成，并持续存在其他中生植物和地中海木本类群，包括裸子植物。草（主要是C3类），与广泛的草本物种有关，可能反映了景观的开放。尼安德特人通过调整他们的活动以适应周围的植被来应对这些变化，例如，他们使用草作为壁炉，其灰烬后来散布在遗址周围。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

3.10

自引率

12.50%

发文量

405

期刊介绍： Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports is aimed at archaeologists and scientists engaged with the application of scientific techniques and methodologies to all areas of archaeology. The journal focuses on the results of the application of scientific methods to archaeological problems and debates. It will provide a forum for reviews and scientific debate of issues in scientific archaeology and their impact in the wider subject. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports will publish papers of excellent archaeological science, with regional or wider interest. This will include case studies, reviews and short papers where an established scientific technique sheds light on archaeological questions and debates.