New insights on the Monte Fenera Palaeolithic, Italy: Geoarchaeology of the Ciota Ciara cave

Abstract

Monte Fenera is a mostly carbonate hill at the southern border of the Western Alps. It hosts several archaeological sites, among them karstic caves bearing evidence of Palaeolithic occupation. These sites have a long history within Alpine archaeology—having been explored since the 19th century—but information on their stratigraphy, chronology, and formation remains incomplete. They are among the few cave‐sites occupied before the Alpine Last Glacial Maximum in the area, and their study is crucial for understanding human occupation and regional environmental evolution during the Pleistocene. Here we focus on Ciota Ciara, a cave formed in Triassic dolostone, and in particular on the Middle‐to‐Upper Pleistocene succession unearthed at its south‐western entrance since 2009. This succession was analyzed by means of several geoarchaeological methods including stratigraphy, routine sediment analyses, and archaeological micromorphology. Our study shows that sediment accumulation was due to the repeated occurrence of concentrated flow and runoff events from the karstic system alternating with episodes of wall disintegration and short phases of surface stabilization. Post‐depositional processes include frost action, hydromorphism, and diagenesis that have selectively affected the archaeological remains. The results of the study shed light on site formation and have relevance for Pleistocene cave archaeology more widely in the southern Western Alps.

Expedient behaviour and predetermination at the Ciota Ciara cave (north-western Italy) during Middle Palaeolithic

“…The state of preservation of the lithic assemblage is generally good in all the considered units, even if some differences are visible due to the post depositional phenomena that affected the deposit. Lithics from level 15 are often affected by post depositional surface modifications of mechanical origin: as already pointed out by geoarchaeological analysis (Angelucci et al, 2018), in this level quite intense post depositional phenomena took place, mainly linked to water circulation. Therefore, 50% of vein quartz artefacts and 46% of artefacts issued from other raw materials are affected by rounding.…”

“…Differently from the previous interventions, during the current excavations each remain with a length ≥ 2 cm is positioned, while sieving allows to recover the smallest lithic or faunal remains. After the restoration of previous excavations, new excavations focuses in the atrial part of the cave where a 2 m thick sequence was unearthed (Angelucci et al, 2018). Four main stratigraphic units have been identified (13,14,15,103), each one corresponding to different modalities of frequentation of the site (Fig.…”

“…Four main stratigraphic units have been identified (13,14,15,103), each one corresponding to different modalities of frequentation of the site (Fig. 3) (Angelucci et al, 2018;Arzarello et al, 2012;Daffara et al, 2019Daffara et al, , 2014. The paleo-environmental reconstruction, achieved through the paleontological analysis of macro and micro mammals remains, shows that a woodland environment was predominant during the frequentation of the site but a slight climatic change is visible between level 13 and 14, from warmer to cold and humid environments: level 14 is characterized by different markers of cold climate like Cricetus cricetus, Microtus cf.…”

Fieldtrips and Virtual Tours as Geotourism Resources: Examples from the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (NW Italy)

“…Along the trail, eight display panels were placed, illustrating the geological history of this area with photographs and diagrams, starting from an ancient ocean, the Tethys, up to the formation of the Alps, also dwelling on the soils (b, SF 4-V), which are formed here in particular conditions, due to the presence of an almost flat area, of high-altitudes, and extreme climatic conditions. Further engaged research activities are possible at the "Angelo Mosso Scientific Institute", with audiovisuals projections on specific topics [36], and the exhibition of pedoliths of the soils of Cimalegna (reconstruction in the laboratory of an entire soil profile, made using the material taken in the field; [121]) and a collection of lithotypes from the area [120] The peculiarity of Monte Fenera is the presence of many caves (22, SF 1; f, g, SF 4-III) which, over the course of thousands of years, have been occupied by living beings of various animal species, including some extinct ones, such as Ursus Spelaeus, Merk's rhinoceros, and even by Homo neanderthalensis, whose finds retrieved at Fenera give the mountain the primacy of the oldest prehistoric site in Piemonte [102,122]. An articulated karst system has developed inside the carbonate rocks (limestone and dolomites) of the Monte Fenera.…”

For our world without sound. The opportunistic debitage in the Italian context: a methodological evaluation of the lithic assemblages of Pirro Nord, Cà Belvedere di Montepoggiolo, Ciota Ciara cave and Riparo Tagliente.

“…It is a still active karstic cave whose archaeological interest has been the object of systematic excavations during the 60s, the 90s and again from 2009 onwards (Fedele, 1966;Busa et al, 2005;Daffara et al, 2019). During the last investigations an important sequence at the entrance of the cave was unearthed and four main stratigraphical units were found, each one attesting a phase of human occupation (Angelucci et al, 2019). The archaeological record is very rich and includes faunal remains, lithic industry and anthropical evidences, (hearths and human remains; Arzarello et al, 2014).…”