Understanding Late Pleistocene Landscapes of Central Italy: a Multidisciplinary Approach Maurizio Gatta PhD University of York Archaeology October 2017 Abstract It is now clear in archaeology that a full interpretation of sites cannot be realised if information about the environmental setting and constraints of the surrounding context are not available. The Latium coast (central Italy) has been extensively investigated since the 19th century and is one of the regions with the highest number of prehistoric sites in Italy. In spite of this, multidisciplinary environmental reconstructions of this region are still absent. This thesis deals with investigations of the travertine quarry Cava Muracci (Latium, central Italy), where excavations were carried out between 2012 and 2016. Seven caves were discovered, coprolites, a large faunal assemblage and a small lithic collection were found at one of them (i.e. Area 3) which was revealed to be a cave hyena den dating between 44–34 ka BP. A holistic palaeoecological study has been undertaken to increase our knowledge of the environment of the coastal Latium, the so-called Pontine Plain. Pollen analysis of cave hyena coprolites, an extremely undervalued resource, has been carried out for the first time in the region. This study has provided new insights into the vegetation and climate of the Pontine Plain, previously known only through distant pollen records. The faunal assemblage from the den has also been exhaustively studied. The environmental inferences have then been combined with the pollen data and geological information. The results returned a complex reconstruction of the local landscape, with at least three main habitats and a wide biodiversity. Finally, the role of the Pontine Plain as an ecological refugium has been examined. The results of this research suggest the region had milder environmental constraints, providing an optimal place to live to several faunal and vegetational taxa also during the harshest millennia of Late Pleistocene. II “Dissatisfaction is a symptom of ambition. It’s the coal that fuels the fire.” III List of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................ II List of Contents.............................................................................................................. IV List of Figures.................................................................................................................. X List of Tables........................................................................................................….... XV Preface....................................................................................................................... XVII Acknowledgments.................................................................................................... XVIII Declaration................................................................................................................. XIX Chapter I: Research Framework and Aims…………………………………………. 1 1.1 Thesis aims and objectives…………………………………………………………. 1 1.1.1 Chapter outlines……………………………………………………………..… 3 1.1.2 Appendices…………………………………………………………………….. 6 1.2 Chronological background: The Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition……………. 6 1.2.1 The transition in Italy.......................................................................................... 8 1.3 Research background................................................................................................ 10 1.3.1 The concept of refugium................................................................................... 11 1.3.1.1 European refugia………………………………………………………... 13 1.3.1.2 Italian refugia…………………………………………………………… 15 1.3.2 Introduction to environmental archaeology and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions………………………………………………………………………… 17 1.4 Time and space scale in archaeological context…………………………………... 20 1.4.1 Spatial scale………………………………………………………………….. 21 1.4.2 Temporal scale……………………………………………………………….. 22 1.5 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………….. 24 IV Chapter II: Introduction to the Pontine Plain……………………………………... 27 2.1 Geographical background......................................................................................... 28 2.1.1 The Lepino-Ausoni ridge................................................................................. 30 2.1.2 The Alban Hills................................................................................................. 30 2.1.3 The Circeo promontory..................................................................................... 34 2.1.4 The Pontine Plain.............................................................................................. 34 2.2 The climate: opportunity or constraint factor?......................................................... 39 2.3 Cisterna di Latina: the case study............................................................................. 43 2.3.1 The main research context: Area 3…………………………………………... 45 2.3.2 Cava Muracci: The other collection areas …………………………………... 49 2.3.3 Chronology ………………………………………………………………….. 51 2.3.4 Concluding remarks………………………………………………………….. 53 2.4 Conclusions.............................................................................................................. 54 Chapter III: Previous and Ongoing Prehistoric Research in Latium……………. 56 3.1 Previous environmental studies on the Late Pleistocene central Italy...................... 63 3.2 The archaeozoological studies on the regional fauna............................................... 70 3.3 The lithic technology of Tyrrhenian Latium............................................................ 72 3.4 Conclusions.............................................................................................................. 78 Chapter IV: Materials and Methods……………………………………………….. 80 4.1 Dating: methods and issues encountered………………………………………….. 81 4.1.1 Bones diagenesis in karst environments: radiocarbon and U-series…………. 83 4.1.2 Radiocarbon dating of hyena coprolites........................................................... 86 4.1.3 Trace element composition of SU13………………………………………… 87 4.2 Morpho-technical and use-wear analysis on lithic industry..................................... 88 4.3 Palaeoecological analysis......................................................................................... 90 V 4.3.1 Pilot study......................................................................................................... 90 4.3.2 Pollen analysis method..................................................................................... 97 4.3.3 Further assessments on coprolites..................................................................... 98 4.4 Archaeozoological analysis...................................................................................... 99 Chapter V: Human Exploitation of the Landscape……………………………… 102 5.1 The human presence in the region.......................................................................... 103 5.1.1 Grotta Guattari……………………………………………………………… 109 5.1.2 Grotta Breuil…………………………………….………………………….. 110 5.1.3 Grotta Barbara……………………………………………………………… 110 5.1.4 Grotta del Fossellone………………………………………………………... 111 5.1.5 Grotta di Sant’Agostino…………………………………………………….. 111 5.1.6 Grotta dei Moscerini………………………………………………………... 112 5.1.7 Canale delle Acque Alte (Canale Mussolini)……………………………….. 112 5.2 The lithic industry from Cava Muracci……………………….…………………. 114 5.2.1 Material for the present study………………………………………………. 114 5.2.2 Techno-typological analysis………………………………………………... 117 5.2.3 Use-wear assessment and analysis of the lithic collection………………….. 120 5.2.3.1 Assessment of use-wear analysis potential for CM’s assemblage…….. 122 5.2.3.2 Use-wear analysis of the flint assemblage from CM…………………... 124 5.2.4 Final interpretation………………………………………………………….. 127 5.3 Analysis of the human exploitation of the territory............................................... 129 5.3.1 The importance of topographic features......................................................... 130 5.3.2 The land and marine resources....................................................................... 132 5.3.3 A landscape perspective on the lithic industry............................................... 135 5.3.4 Elaborating the exploitation of the territory.................................................... 139 5.4 Conclusions............................................................................................................ 141 VI Chapter VI: Palaeoecological analysis of the coprolites…………………………. 143 6.1 Introduction to coprolites and pollen analysis..………………………………….. 143 6.1.1 The potential for coprolite studies………………………………………….. 145 6.2 Cava Muracci’s coprolites………………………………...................................... 148 6.2.1 Description of the coprolites………………………………………………... 148 6.2.2 Results from pollen analysis………………………………………………... 153 6.3 The environmental reconstruction based on pollen data………………………… 154 6.4 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………… 156 Chapter VII: The archaeozoological study of faunal remains…………………... 158 7.1 Faunal deposits as indicators of past environments……………………………… 159 7.2 Taxonomic analysis: systematic palaeontology, NISP and MNI………………... 161 7.2.1 Micro-, avi- and ichthyo- fauna…………………………………………….. 161 7.2.2 Macromammals……………………………………………………………... 164 7.3 Taphonomic analysis…………………………………………………………….. 174 7.3.1 The cause of bone accumulations…………………………………………..