Hunter-gatherers living in northern Italy roughly 30,000 years ago were earlier than researchers had believed, according to new dating of a rock shelter excavation. The site, Riparo Mochi, sits near the French-Italian border, and the revised dates move the presence of Noaillian groups in the region back by two to three thousand years.
The excavation was led by Fabio Santaniello of the University of Trento, and the team recovered more than 7,500 artifacts from the site. Among the finds was an intact hearth ringed by marine shells. Radiocarbon dating of those shells places the hearth at roughly 30,000 to 30,800 years ago, which the researchers say reshapes the timeline for the Noaillian culture in the area.
The stone tools offer clues about how these people lived. The team found Noailles burins, a type of tool with a sharp point, and the tips show no sign of wear, suggesting they were used little. Their side edges, however, are worn, consistent with cutting skin and meat. The assemblage also includes shafted blades, scrapers and wedges apparently used for splitting bone.
The new dates also bring northern Italy into line with southern sites. Noaillian dates from the south now cluster between about 31,000 and 30,000 years ago, making the two regions broadly contemporary. The researchers suggest that a cold, dry climate may have pushed these groups eastward toward milder areas, and that hunter-gatherers apparently reached Italy from Spain earlier than previously thought.
The findings were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
Credit. Based on reporting by Jessica Esther Saraceni for Archaeology Magazine. Is this your work? Write to us.
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