Revisiting the Early Aurignacian in Italy: New insights from Grotta della Cala

Grotta della Cala in southern Italy is a key archaeological site spanning from the Middle Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. In the stratigraphic sequence close to the cave entrance, numerous artifacts associated with Aurignacian occupations were uncovered, including both lithic and organic materials. However, earlier interpretations were limited by challenges in dating the Upper Paleolithic layers and a lack of modern analytical methods for characterizing the finds. Recent excavations have refined the site's chronology and further explored the Aurignacian deposit. This study builds on this updated framework, offering an interdisciplinary reassessment that includes technological analyses of lithic assemblages and bone tools, along with a taxonomic examination of the marine shells. Many of these shells were intentionally perforated, suggesting symbolic behaviors linked to coastal resource exploitation. Lithic technology at the site is characterized by the systematic production of miniaturized bladelets from carinated cores, while osseous technology centers on the manufacture of split-based antler points, marking the southernmost occurrence of this tool type in Europe. The integration of new radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating allows us to confidently assign all analyzed sub-layers to the Early Aurignacian, a significant finding, given that no other sites in the region securely postdate the Campanian Ignimbrite (∼40,000 years ago). As such, Grotta della Cala is a crucial site for understanding the lifeways of Aurignacian foraging groups in the aftermath of this super-eruption and during Heinrich Stadial 4. Our comparative analysis of Early Aurignacian sites across Italy provides a clearer understanding of regional variability and continuity between 40,000 and 37,000 years ago, contributing to the broader debate on the biocultural dynamics of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.