1. Ongoing research at the late Middle Pleistocene site of La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (central Italy), with emphasis on human-elephant relationships
- Author
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Paola Catalano, Ernesto Santucci, Walter Pantano, R. Gallotti, Eugenio Cerilli, Cristina Lemorini, Salvatore Milli, Anna Paola Anzidei, Maria Rita Palombo, Grazia Maria Bulgarelli, Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico 'Luigi Pigorini', Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma, Cooperativa ARX, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza' = Sapienza University [Rome]
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,Taphonomy ,Pleistocene ,[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory ,Pyroclastic rock ,Fluvial ,Excavation ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,01 natural sciences ,Archaeology ,Paleontology ,Sequence (geology) ,préhistoire ,Mammal ,Geology ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth-Surface Processes - Abstract
The site of La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (Latium, Italy) is related to deposits of the PG6 Sequence (Middle Pleistocene, Aurelia Formation, MIS 10 and 9). The sediments are mainly volcaniclastic in composition, and constitute the filling of incised valleys, mainly characterized by fluvial deposits at the base, passing upward to fluvio-lacustrine and palustrine deposits containing abundant fossil mammal remains and artifacts. The arrangement of the specimens and taphonomic observations suggest that most of the transport of the bones occurred during flooding events, followed by progressive swampy phases, resulting in the formation of areas with stagnant and muddy waters where some elephants became trapped, as indicated by remains in partial anatomical articulation. Recent excavations carried out at the site permit a better definition of the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, already partially outlined in previous publications. In particular, an area showing a close correlation between the skeleton of an elephant and human activity, allows documentation and better understanding of some aspects of human–elephant interaction, probably mainly represented by scavenging activity.
- Published
- 2012