Papers by silvana vitagliano
PLOS ONE, 2019
Hafting of stone tools was an important advance in the technology of the Paleolithic. Evidence of... more Hafting of stone tools was an important advance in the technology of the Paleolithic. Evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic is growing and is not limited to points hafted on spears for thrusting or throwing. This article describes the identification of adhesive used for hafting on a variety of stone tools from two Middle Paleolithic caves in Latium, Fossellone Cave and Sant'Agostino Cave. Analysis of the organic residue by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry shows that a conifer resin adhesive was used, in one case mixed with beeswax. Contrary to previous suggestions that the small Middle Paleolithic tools of Latium could be used by hand and that hafting was not needed since it did not improve their functionality, our evidence shows that hafting was used by Neandertals in central Italy. Ethnographic evidence indicates that resin, which dries when exposed to air, is generally warmed by exposure to a small fire thus softened to be molded and pushed in position in the haft. The use of resin at both sites suggests regular fire use, as confirmed by moderate frequencies of burnt lithics in both assemblages. Lithic analysis shows that hafting was applied to a variety of artifacts, irrespective of type, size and technology. Prior to our study evidence of hafting in the Middle Paleolithic of Italy was limited to one case only.
The paper presents some data on a systematic territorial study-project of the territory of Rome d... more The paper presents some data on a systematic territorial study-project of the territory of Rome developed in the 1980s by the Archaeological Superintendence of Rome.
Quaternary International, 2012
The Fossellone Cave (San Felice Circeo-Central Italy) is one of the prehistoric sites that consti... more The Fossellone Cave (San Felice Circeo-Central Italy) is one of the prehistoric sites that constitute the extraordinary group of Mount Circeo caves in the Southern Latium. The archaeological, geostratigraphical and ecological (paleoenvironmental) features of this settlement make it a natural centre of scientific interest. The study of the later part of the Middle Paleolithic sequence (layers F27eF23 of the stratigraphical deposit in the central slope), which started in 1989, has been an opportunity for analysis of the lithic assemblages belonging to late and final facies of the Mousterian complex. The lithic industries of F27eF23 layers indicate the transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic and a change in occupancy from Homo neanderthalensis to Homo sapiens sapiens. The reconstruction of the environmental context and the systematic analysis of raw materials used for industry has been also carried out. The study of patina on artifacts indicates the effects of water circulation and abrasive action of wind in the cave. The evidence of a coloured powder (from yellow to ochre) on tools surfaces in squares b and g of the digging grid of all layers studied suggests the choice of a specific place of the cave where this material was stored from the inhabitants of the cave. The mineral comes from an outcrop far from the Fossellone Cave, in the Mount Circeo area. The spatial distribution of the mineral coloured remains and the frequence of its occurrence in the archeological deposit of the Fossellone Cave suggests its intentional use by the Neanderthalian group inhabiting the area.
Rivista di scienze preistoriche, 2007
Información del artículo Framenti di preistoria francese: la collezione di Le Moustier presso l&#... more Información del artículo Framenti di preistoria francese: la collezione di Le Moustier presso l'American Museum of Natural History di New York (USA).
Africa, Sep 1, 1988
The Italian Archaeological Mission to Sudan (Kassala) of the Istituto Universitario Orientale, Na... more The Italian Archaeological Mission to Sudan (Kassala) of the Istituto Universitario Orientale, Naples, is earring out since 1980 the systematic archaeological investigation of the Gash Delta in the Kassala Province, Eastern Sudan. The project is aimed to reconstruct the dynamics of the ancient peopling of the northern Ethiopian-Sudanese borderland in late prehistorical and early historical times (c. 3000 BC-AD 1000). The purpose of this paper is to outline the process of peopling of the region between 3000 and AD 300/400, on the basis ...
Quaternary International
La Grotta del Fossellone si apre nel calcare liasico del versante Quarto Caldo del Promontorio Ci... more La Grotta del Fossellone si apre nel calcare liasico del versante Quarto Caldo del Promontorio Circeo all'interno del Parco Nazionale (AA. VV. 1995). Essa fu scoperta da Alberto Carlo Blanc nel 1936, durante la prima campagna di scavo alla vicina Grotta delle Capre. La cavità era allora completamente colmata e il deposito formava un talus scosceso che giungeva fino al bordo dell'apertura superiore che le dà il nome.
La Grotta del Fossellone si apre nel calcare liasico del versante Quarto Caldo del Promontorio Ci... more La Grotta del Fossellone si apre nel calcare liasico del versante Quarto Caldo del Promontorio Circeo all'interno del Parco Nazionale (AA. VV. 1995). Essa fu scoperta da Alberto Carlo Blanc nel 1936, durante la prima campagna di scavo alla vicina Grotta delle Capre. La cavità era allora completamente colmata e il deposito formava un talus scosceso che giungeva fino al bordo dell'apertura superiore che le dà il nome.
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Papers by silvana vitagliano