La Grotta Nera del Centro Didattico “Eliseo Osualdini”. Un’esperienza didattica sulla preistoria del Carso triestino, uomo e ambiente

Si descrivono i risultati ottenuti dai volontari del Gruppo Speleologico San Giusto di Trieste riunendo in un’unica realtà didattica gli aspetti più importanti dello studio della Preistoria: l’uomo e l’ambiente. Si tratta di quattro anni di esperienza con scuole, associazioni e altri visitatori. Dal rimboschimento del Carso iniziato nel 1842, attraverso la storia della Particella Sperimentale 252 del Bosco Bazzoni trasformata in orto botanico, nasce nel 1978 il Centro Didattico Eliseo Osualdini, risultato delle aspirazioni didattiche di alcuni soci fondatori. Vi si aggiunge nel 2007 la “Grotta Nera”, museo della preistoria del Carso triestino, recuperata come ecomuseo senza bacheche, a basso impatto ambientale. Immerge il visitatore nello spazio sensoriale di una vera grotta, conducendolo dal fondo alla superficie in un viaggio attraverso tempo, clima e culture del passato illustrate con scene di vita, luci selettive e voce narrante. “Tecniche artigianali preistoriche: arte e maestria dei primi abitanti del Carso” si intitola nel 2009 una serie di giornate di archeologia sperimentale che danno a ragazzi in età scolare l’opportunità di manipolare oggetti e attrezzi del passato e di sviluppare ingegno e gestualità nel tentativo di riprodurli, mettendo altresì in evidenza la disponibilità delle materie prime nell’ambiente circostante.Grotta Nera is an “open air” museum of Prehistory, where people – mostly boys of primary school age – can have an idea of the everyday life of ancient humans. This permanent exhibition was set up inside a cave, because caves are the most relevant sites used by prehistoric people in the Trieste Karst area. It includes the reconstruction of some scenes of prehistoric life, whose aspect derive from data collected in one century of archaeological excavations in the Karst area. The visit to the site takes the visitor through time while emerging from the cave, and includes accurate descriptions of the interactions between humans and environment. Other teaching activities are organised, like open days of experimental archaeology, and of environmental and anthropological sciences. The whole project and management are carried out by volunteers, collaborating with University Departments and Museums for organisation and scientific upgrade

Neolithic settlement and paleopedological changes during the Middle Holocene in northern Sardinia (Italy)

Sardinia is the second biggest island in the Mediterranean region and has been intensely settled since the Middle Holocene (c.7750 BP). Despite a large number of documented Neolithic archaeological sites, very little is known about human-environmental interactions, including land use and domestic activities associated with the emergence and expansion of Neolithic settlements (c. 7750 and 5500 BP). To shed new light on these issues, we carried out new geoarchaeological analyses on buried soils and archaeological sequences exposed at the Neolithic site of Contraguda, northern Sardinia. Physical-chemical analyses combined with a micromorphological study of 24 thin sections from archaeological deposits and buried soil horizons were performed to evaluate the formation processes of archaeological deposits and paleosols. Soil micromorphology detected the presence of pedofeatures originating from land clearance and agricultural activities from the buried Vertisol. Vertisol and Entisol formation largely resulted from the anthropic impact on the landscape, which changed the trajectories of soil development and caused desertification of the environment. Furthermore, sediment fabric and pedofeatures also allowed us to reconstruct Neolithic domestic practices, showing that household maintenance waste debris, which also included animal penning refusal, was dumped into pit structures. Together, our results provide the first geoarchaeological evidence of human impact on soil development within the island during the Middle Holocene and give new insight into the Middle Neolithic (c. 6500-6000 BP) domestic behaviour and land use activities. These findings have significant implications for understanding the island's pedological history and offer a valuable insight on the settlement organization of the Neolithic farming communities and their impacts on the paleoenvironment of Sardinia

Herders and caves in Croatia − new geoarchaeological evidence from cave sediments

U radu su predstavljeni rezultati novih geoarheoloških i mikromorfoloških istraživanja koja su autori izvršili na holocenskim arheološkim špiljskim sedimentima u Hrvatskoj. Zajedno s preispitivanjem prethodno objavljenih podataka, ovo istraživanje daje nove spoznaje o stočarskoj uporabi špilja u Hrvatskoj. Makroskopski i mikroskopski pokazatelji prisutnosti životinja – uglavnom preživača – upućuju na to da su se od neolitika nadalje špilje koristile kao staje, kao što je slučaj na čitavom prostoru sjevernog Sredozemlja, od Pirenejskog poluotoka do Italije i juga Balkanskog poluotoka. Na temelju rasprostranjenosti pretpovijesnih nalazišta na otvorenome i špiljskih nalazišta, može se zaključiti da su špilje bile sastavni dio kompleksnih agropastoralnih sustava eksploatacije krajolika.This paper presents the results of new geoarchaeological and micromorphological studies carried out by the authors on Holocene archaeological cave sediments in Croatia. Combined with the reappraisal of previously published data, this study sheds new light on the pastoral use of caves in Croatia. The occurrence of macro- and microscopic indicators of the presence of animals – mostly ruminants – shows that caves were used for housing livestock from the Neolithic onwards, as happened all over the Northern Mediterranean area, from the Iberian Peninsula to Italy, and in the Southern Balkans. Following the distribution of open-air and cave prehistoric sites it can be concluded that caves were integrated in complex agropastoral systems of landscape exploitation

Quaternary evolution of the fluviokarst Rosandra Valley (Trieste, NE Italy)

The stratigraphy of terraced sediments as well as morphological features of the middle reach of the Rosandra Valley (Trieste, NE Italy) were studied in order to reconstruct its Quaternary evolution. This sector forms a fluviokarst valley, which is characterized by a deep incised gorge with abrasional features. Downstream, the gradient is reduced, the valley widens and terraced deposits occur. Alluvial/colluvial terraces crop out for about 1 to 1.5 km along the creek. They show the coalescence of the alluvial deposits with debrisfalls from the steep limestone slopes and colluvial fans related to some minor tributaries. The highest terrace is roughly 15 m high. 14C datings on a frustule plant collected in the lower part of the deposit (> 45.000 yrs. BP), together with geological and geomorphological considerations, suggested that the terrace scarp could be Middle Pleistocene in age. The geomorphic regime of the creek changed from aggradation to erosion, as recorded by fanhead trenching and incision of fluvial terrace scarps, and it still persists. The tectonic uplift, which is partly responsible for the downcutting of the terrace and is still active, could be related to the SE-NW tilting of the Karst plateau

Quaternary evolution of the fluviokarst Rosandra Valley (Trieste, NE Italy)

The stratigraphy of terraced sediments as well as morphological features of the middle reach of the Rosandra Valley (Trieste, NE Italy) were studied in order to reconstruct its Quaternary evolution. This sector forms a fluviokarst valley, which is characterized by a deep incised gorge with abrasional features. Downstream, the gradient is reduced, the valley widens and terraced deposits occur. Alluvial/colluvial terraces crop out for about 1 to 1.5 km along the creek. They show the coalescence of the alluvial deposits with debrisfalls from the steep limestone slopes and colluvial fans related to some minor tributaries. The highest terrace is roughly 15 m high. 14C datings on a frustule plant collected in the lower part of the deposit (> 45.000 yrs. BP), together with geological and geomorphological considerations, suggested that the terrace scarp could be Middle Pleistocene in age. The geomorphic regime of the creek changed from aggradation to erosion, as recorded by fanhead trenching and incision of fluvial terrace scarps, and it still persists. The tectonic uplift, which is partly responsible for the downcutting of the terrace and is still active, could be related to the SE-NW tilting of the Karst plateau

Pulmonary recurrence from prostate cancer and biochemical remission after metastasis directed therapy. A case report.

We report a case of a 69-years-old man who presented with a solitary 1 cm nodule in the lower lobe of the left lung almost 3 years after radical prostatectomy for pT3aN0M0, Gleason score 4+3 disease, without evidence of osseous or lymphatic spread. Surgical resection of the pulmonary lobe confirmed the metastatic nature of the lesion, with subsequent reduction of serum PSA to undetectable levels. After 2 years from the metastasis resection, serum PSA is still undetectable, without the necessity of additional treatments. Solitary pulmonary metastases from prostate cancer (Pca) are rare in clinical practice, with only 29 previous cases described besides the one that we present

Change fast or change slow? Late Glacial and Early Holocene cultures in a changing environment at Grotta Continenza, Central Italy

This work contextualises the sequence of Grotta Continenza, a cave with a rich sequence of Late Glacial to Early Holocene archaeological levels spanning from the Late Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, within the framework of southern Italy cultural adaptation to environmental change.The sequence is dated by Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates and event durations are computed, including hiatuses in sedimentation and gaps in culture development; these data are used in association with sedimentology and soil micromorphology to assess sedimentary models that can explain the environmental change.Techno-typological and behavioural aspects of Late Upper Palaeolithic populations are correlated with environmental change, mostly during Younger Dryas

Living-Floors and Structures From the Lower Paleolithic to the Bronze Age in Italy

New researches have been performed on the analysis of some Italian dwelling structures dating from the Lower Paleolithic to Bronze Age. Different methods have been applied to each study according to the extensions of the areas explored. The following sites have been analyzed: Isernia La Pineta (Molise), Visogliano (Trieste) – Lower Paleolithic; Grotta del Cavallo (Lecce), Grotta Grande and Riparo del Molare (Salerno) – Middle Paleolithic; Grotta di Fumane (Verona), Riparo Tagliente (Verona), Grotta Continenza (Fucino L’Aquila), San Bartolomeo (Maiella Mountain, Abruzzo) – Upper Paleolithic; Mondeval de Sora (Belluno), Alpe Veglia (Verbania) and Grotta Edera (Aurisina, Trieste) Mesolithic; Cala Giovanna Piano (Pianosa Island, Livorno), Contraguda (Perfugas, Sassari), Colle Santo Stefano (Fucino, L’Aquila), Catignano (Pescara), Settefonti (L’Aquila) – Neolithic; Castellaro Lagusello (Monzambano, Mantua) – Bronze Age

Palynological and Archaeological Evidence for Ritual Use of Wine in the Kura-Araxes Period at Aradetis Orgora (Georgia, Caucasus)

Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs found in two zoomorphic Kura-Araxes vessels (ca. 3000 BCE) from Aradetis Orgora suggest they were utilized for the ritual consumption of wine and likely represent the beginning of the enduring tradition of animal-shaped wine-drinking containers in Georgia. This hypothesis is supported by archaeological and geoarchaeological data: the vessels resemble later wine-containing vessels from Georgia and elsewhere and were found in a building whose context is suggestive of a small shrine. Their palynological spectra match those of present-day wine and wine containers of other periods. One of the vessels was intact, with only a small access hole, that hindered the contamination of its contents; consequently, its palynological spectrum can be utilized as a standard for determining the presence of wine in other archaeological vessels. The analysis of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs from different contexts at the Aradetis Orgora settlement and from its cemetery (Doghlauri) yielded other significant results regarding the practice of viticulture and the cultural relevance of wine during the Kura-Araxes period

At the upper Palaeolithic – Mesolithic boundary : revision of the human remains from Riparo Fredian (Molazzana, Lucca, Italy)

Abstract: Pleistocene and early Holocene human fossils in Tuscany are very few and poorly described. Any new information is thus an important contribution to our knowledge of the peopling of this region. Here we present a revision of the human fossil remains from the Riparo Fredian, a site located in Garfagnana and first published by Boschian et al., (1995). The authors described the human remains of the site pointing out the presence of 39 isolated human teeth (19 maxillary and 20 mandibular) and “fragments of one adult humerus, of a child's femur and of a youngster’s ulna”, considered as belonging to six individuals at least. A reanalysis of the human remains indicated that several specimens were incorrectly identified. It was thus deemed important to revise the identification of each fossil and their interpretation. The revision of human remains from Riparo Fredian has led to several changes in their anatomical identification with respect to the original publications. Of the 39 teeth previously described, the analysis revealed that two of them belonged to non-human animals, and 18 were mistakenly identified. A new, correct identification is provided for each of them. Also, two human teeth not described in the original papers have been identified. The anatomical identification of the post-cranial remains has been confirmed for two out of the three specimens. The minimum number of individuals, based on the dental remains, is confirmed as at least 5, but most probably 6, although with a different allocation of teeth to individual specimens. The age at death of the six individuals has also been reassessed, indicating the presence of two infants, two young adults and two mature adults