Fiorenzo Facchini

Maria Giovanna Belcastro

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Coll. Antropol. 28 (2004) 1: 1–3UCD 572:56:903Review paperEvolution of the Human Peoplingin Italy – Paleobiology, Behavior,Subsistence StrategiesA Research Program Financed by the MIUR(Ministry of Education, University and Research)Fiorenzo Facchini1, Maria Giovanna Belcastro1and Ursula Thun Hohenstein21 Department of Experimental Evolutionary Biology, Anthropology Unit, University ofBologna, Bologna, Italy2 Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalyA research program financed by theMIUR (1998–2000) was carried out withthe participation of eight Research Unitsof Italian Universities: Bologna (Coordi-nator: Fiorenzo Facchini), Ferrara (Coor-dinator: Carlo Peretto), Pisa (Coordinator:Carlo Tozzi), Rome (Coordinator: PietroPassarello), Milan (Coordinator: LeoneFasani), Turin (Coordinator: Giacomo Gia-cobini), Bari (Coordinator: Vittorio PesceDelfino), Siena (Coordinator: Arturo Pal-ma di Cesnola).The program, coordinated by FiorenzoFacchini, dealt with various aspects ofprehistoric and paleobiological researchon the human settlement of Italy. It rep-resented an interesting collaboration be-tween research groups involved in thestudy of specimens from various prehis-toric, protohistoric and historic sites inthe Italian peninsula, covering a time pe-riod from the Lower Pleistocene to theHolocene and deriving from diverse local-ities and environments from the Alps tothe Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts. Theresearch was based on new specimenscoming from archaeological excavationscarried out during the research and onpreviously discovered specimens.Sites and skeletal series examinedFor the Lower Paleolithic: Carso Trie-stino, Visogliano, Grotta del Colombo,Isernia La Pineta, Monte Poggiolo, Ma-rina di Camerota, Boccabianca.For the Middle Paleolithic: Cavernadegli Orsi, Grotta di Santa Lucia, Grottadel Cavallo, Grotta del Colombo, GrottaS. Bernardino, Grotta di Fumane, Grottadella Ghiacciaia, Riparo Tagliente, RiparoMochi, Grotta Paglicci, Altamura, GrottaBreuil, Monte Versa.For the Upper Paleolithic: Riparo Mo-chi, Grotta di Fumane, Pontecosi, Montedi Lama, Riparo San Bartolomeo, RiparoTagliente, Grotta Continenza, Grotta Pa-1Received for publication September 12, 2003glicci, Grotta del Cavallo, Ostuni, Riparodel Molare, Grotta della Cava, Ponte diPietra, Riparo del Broion.For the Mesolithic: Alpe Veglia, Mon-deval de Sora, Cansiglio, Defensola, Grot-ta delle Mura, Grotta dell’Edera.For the Neolithic: Grotta della Cala,Latronico, Catignano, Pianosa, Contra-guda, Grotta Continenza, Colle S. Stefa-no, Settefonti.For the last few millennia: Riparo To-mass, Castellaro Lagusello, Maccarese,La Quercia, Quadrella, Casalecchio diReno, Vicenne-Campochiaro.The research was carried out with spe-cific methodologies, partly already vali-dated, partly being tested and validated.The vast time period involved and thedistribution of the studies in very diverseenvironments allowed diachronic and syn-chronic evaluations of climatic changesand their consequences for the fauna andvegetation, subsistence economies, adap-tation and migrations of the human groups,as well as more general biological andcultural changes.The stratigraphic, pedological and pa-leoclimatic studies allowed to place thespecimens within an environmental fra-mework. The morphological analysessought to identify characteristics of thehuman remains and of the cultures. Par-ticular attention was given to the envi-ronmental and behavioral changes intransitional phases (Middle-Upper Paleo-lithic; Epigravettian-Mesolithic; Neoli-thic-Metals Age; late Antiquity/EarlyMiddle Ages) in order to identify changesin life-style, subsistence strategies andthe relationships between populations.From the methodological point of view,paleobiological, paleocultural and paleo-environmental indicators were evaluatedand proposed others regarding: a) identi-fication of the different typologies of hu-man groups and manufactured articles,b) characteristics related to sex and age,c) nutrition and health status, d) stonetool industries, e) organization of the ter-ritory, f) funerary practices.In the paleoenvironmental research,the climatic changes that influenced thelife-style and movements of the humangroups in relation to the faunal resources(particularly the exploitation of Ungula-tes) and vegetation were studied. The mo-dalities of provisioning with regard toraw materials used in stone tool makingand the circulation of flint, and in recentperiods, of obsidian were analyzed. Forsome sites, not only the local raw materi-als were exploited but also appreciablevariations among the distance of the out-crops and the place of production, whichincreased with time, were recorded. Thedwelling structures and subsistence stra-tegies were also investigated.In the paleobiological research, analyt-ical morphometric studies of skulls of Ho-mo erectus, Neandertalians and Homo sa-piens were conducted. Methods to estimatethe age and sex were evaluated, as wellas methods to analyze functional indica-tors in known skeletal collections and inseries of ancient populations. Masticato-ry and non masticatory dental alterationswere studied in various collections and inthe Epipalaeolithic series of Taforalt.Dental microwear was studied in severalNeandertalian specimens. Ethnic-cultu-ral aspects, also related to the use of thehorse, were investigated in the early me-dieval series of Vicenne.In the paleocultural research, stoneand bone specimens were analyzed in or-der to identify the typology, function andtechnical-economic aspects, use-wear onstone tools, and marks of anthropic andnon-anthropic activity on animal hardtissues. For some sites, the reconstruc-tion of different chaîne opératoire for theproduction of artifacts was documentedin relation to the various phases of occu-pation, the activities performed, and thetype of raw material employed. Indica-2F. Facchini et al.: Evolution of the Human Peopling in Italy, Coll. Antropol. 28 (2004) 1: 1–3tions about hunting, provisioning and or-ganization of the territory emerged fromthe investigations. The traces of humanactions on bone or stone tools revealednon-utilitarian behaviors (like collectionsof shells, use of ochre, manufacture anduse of bones) and provided taphonomicinformation.More than sixty researchers, many ofthem young ones participated in the vari-ous studies. International collaborationswere also maintained.The research results have been com-municated by means of numerous contri-butions to national and international sci-entific meetings, congresses and paperspublished in specialist journals. They ha-ve also provided an important contribu-tion to Italy’s Cultural Heritage throughthe organization of exhibitions and localmuseums.It was decided to present several con-tributions in the present issue in order todocument and integrate at least part ofthe research carried out within the pro-gram and especially the collaborationamong the various Research Units.The contributions have been dividedinto two main sections:1. Paleoenvironment and subsistencestrategies;2. Paleobiology and behavior.The section »Paleoenvironment andsubsistence strategies« includes contribu-tions of the Pisa, Siena, Ferrara, Rome,Milan and Turin Research Units. Theyconcern the study of the paleoenviron-ment, dwelling structures, subsistencestrategies, raw materials provisioning,technology and economy. The unifying el-ement is the man-environment interac-tion.The section »Paleobiology and behav-ior« includes the contributions of the Bo-logna, Bari, Rome and Turin ResearchUnits. It concerns the proposal of meth-odologies to study the skeletal age in chil-dren, morphological and functional skele-tal markers, paleonutrition, microweardental analysis, cranial morphology andsome applications in the study of pastpopulations. The unifying element is test-ing and validation of methodologies inHuman Paleobiology.We wish to thank Prof. Pavao Rudanand the journal Collegium Antropologi-cum for the possibility to publish the pre-sent issue. We thank gratefully Dr. LiviaGalletti for her collaboration to the prep-aration of the present issue.Fiorenzo FacchiniMaria Giovanna BelcastroUrsula Thun Hohenstein3F. Facchini et al.: Evolution of the Human Peopling in Italy, Coll. Antropol. 28 (2004) 1: 1–3

Evolution of the Human Peopling in Italy – Paleobiology, Behavior, Subsistence Strategies A Research Program Financed by the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research)

Evolution of the Human Peopling in Italy – Paleobiology, Behavior, Subsistence Strategies A Research Program Financed by the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research)

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