Environment and daily life in the Campagna Romana of the late Lower Palaeolithic: the case-study of La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (Latium, Italy)

Authors

  • Eugenio Cerilli collaborator Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, Roma, Italy; Società Cooperativa ARX, Rome, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7237-4680
  • Cristina Lemorini Dipartimento di Scienze della Antichità, SAPIENZA Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
  • Ernesto Santucci collaborator Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, Roma, Italy
  • Ivana Fiore collaborator Museo della Civiltà, Roma, Italy
  • Federica Marano collaborator Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, Roma, Italy
  • Grazia Maria Bulgarelli retired archaeologist Museo della Civiltà, Roma, Italy
  • Maria Rita Palombo SAPIENZA Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
  • Salvatore Milli Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, SAPIENZA Università di Roma, Roma, Italy; CNR-IGAG, Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, Area della Ricerca di Roma, Roma, Italy)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13133/2280-6148/18073

Abstract

 

 The site of La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (Latium, Italy) is located about 22 kilometers northwest of Rome. Excavation campaigns conducted from 1985 to 2013 revealed 1200 square meters of deposits referable to a river that was active during the Middle Pleistocene. Two main sedimentary phases have been recognized. Initially, a fluvial episode led to the deposition of thousands of skeletal remains (mainly mammals, but also amphibians, reptiles, and birds) along with lithic and bone artifacts. Successively, a swampy phase occurred, during which some elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) were trapped in muddy ponds. The skeleton of one of these individuals is surrounded by lithic implements that were carried at (and/or knapped on) the spot. The taphonomic analysis of the skeleton and artifacts context - including technology, refitting, use-wear, residues, and spatial analyses - indicates that the elephant carcass had been subjected to a butchering activity aimed at collecting meat and fat for food, possibly in more than one episode, as well as bones as raw material for making tools. The evidence collected at the site and the comparison with other relevant sites allow for some considerations about the daily dietary needs of the humans who frequented the site and the resources available there. 

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Published

2023-06-22

How to Cite

Cerilli, E., Lemorini, C., Santucci, E., Fiore, I., Marano, F., Bulgarelli, G. M., Palombo, M. R., & Milli, S. (2023). Environment and daily life in the Campagna Romana of the late Lower Palaeolithic: the case-study of La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (Latium, Italy). Journal of Mediterranean Earth Sciences, 15. https://doi.org/10.13133/2280-6148/18073