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RESEARCH PROGRAM

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Research Units
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International Patent Classification
  • HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
      • METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION, OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS, OR SURGICAL ARTICLES (preservation of bodies or disinfecting characterised by the agent employed A01N; preserving, e.g. sterilising, food or foodstuffs A23; preparations for medical, dental or toilet purposes A61K; preparation of ozone C01B13/10)
      • PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES (bringing into special physical form A61J [N: mechanical aspects]; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; compounds per se C01, C07, C08, C12N; soap compositions C11D; micro-organisms per se C12N) [C0203]
  • PHYSICS
Geographical classification
Bibliografia
Arzarello M., Marcolini F., Pavia G., Pavia M., Petronio C., Petrucci M., Rook L., Sardella R. (2006)- First evidence of early Homo occupation in Europe: the site of Pirro Nord (southern Italy). PNAS, submitted.

Azanza, B., Alberdi, M.T. & Prado, J.L. (2000) - Large mammal turnover pulse correlated with lates Neogene glacial trends in the northwester Mediterranean region. - In Hart M.B. (Ed.): Climates: Past and Present. Geological Society, Special Publications, 181: 161-170

Azanza, B., Palombo, M.R. & Alberdi, M. T. (2004) - Large mammal turnover pulses and palaeoclimate changes from the Miocene to the Late Pleistocene in Italy. - Rivista Italiana di Paelontologia e Stratigrafia, 110 (2): 531-54.

Bertini A. (2003) - Early to Middle Pleistocene changes of the Italian flora and vegetation in the light of a chronostratigraphic framework. Il Quaternario, 16(1bis): 19-36.

Bruner E., Manzi G. & Arsuaga J.L. (2003) - Encephalisation and allometric trajectories in the genus Homo. Evidence from the Neandertal and modern lineages. PNAS USA, 100: 15335-15340.

Bruner E., Saracino B., Ricci F., Tafuri M., Passarello P. & Manzi G. (2004) - Midsagittal cranial shape variation in the genus Homo by geometric morphometrics. Collegium Antropologicum 28: 99-112

Cattani, L., M. Cremaschi, M. Ferrarsi, F. Mallegni, F. Masini, F. Scola, and Tozzi (1991)- Le gisement du Pléstocène moyen de Visogliano (Trieste): restes humaines, industries, environnement. L'anthropologie 95:9-36.

Coltorti M., Cremaschi M., Delitala M.C., Esu D., Fornaseri M., McPherron A., Nicoletti M., van Otterloo R., Peretto C., Sala B., Schmidt V., Sevink (1982)- Reversed magnetic polarity at Isernia la Pineta, a new lower paleolithic site in Central Italy, Nature, 300, n. 5888:173-176.
Cremaschi M., Peretto C. (1988)- Le Paleolithique inferieur de la Plaine orientale du Po. L'Anthropologie, 92-2:643-682.
Crovetto C., Ferrari M., Longo L., Peretto C., Vianello F. (1994): The carinated denticulates from the Paleolithic site of Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Central Italy): tools or flaking waste? The results of the 1993 lithic experiments. Journal of Human Evolution, vol. 9:175-207.

Crovetto C., Ferrari M., Longo L., Peretto C., Vianello F. (1994) - The carinated denticulates from the Paleolithic site of Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Central Italy): tools or flaking waste? The results of the 1993 lithic experiments. Journal of Human Evolution, vol. 9, pp. 175-207.

Giraudi C., Mottura A., Sala B., Siori M. S., Bormioli D. (2003)- The Castagnone site (Cerrina Valley, Monferrato Hills, Nw Italy): Early Pleistocene Sedimentary Record and Biochronology. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, 109-3:517-526.

Gliozzi E., Abbazzi L., Argenti P., Azzaroli A., Caloi L., Capasso Barbato L., Di Stefano G., Esu D., Ficcarelli G., Girotti O., Kotsakis T., Masini F., Mazza P., Mezzabotta C., Palombo M. R., Petronio C., Rook L., Sala B., Sardella R., Zanalda E., Torre D. (1997) - Biochronology of selected mammals, molluscs and ostracods from Middle Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene in Italy. The state of the art. Riv. It. di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, vol. 103 (3): 369-388.

Manzi G. (2001) - The earliest diffusion of the genus Homo toward Asia and Europe: A brief overview. In P.V. Tobias, M.A. Raath, J. Moggi-Cecchi, G.A. Doyle (eds), Humanity from African Naissance to Coming Millenia; pp. 117-124. Firenze University Press-Witwatersrand University Press, Firenze-Johannesburg.

Manzi G. (2004) - Human evolution at the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary. Evolutionary Anthropology, 13:11-24.

Manzi G., Saracino B., Bruner E. & Passarello P. (2000) - Geometric morphometric analysis of mid-sagittal cranial profiles in Neandertals, modern humans, and their ancestors. Riv. di Antropologia, 78: 193-204.

Manzi G., Bruner E. & Passarello P. (2003) - The one-million-year-old Homo cranium from Bouri (Ethiopia): a reconsideration of its Homo erectus affinities. Journal of Human Evolution 44: 731-736.

Napoleone G., Albianelli A., Azzaroli A., Bertini A., Magi M., Mazzini M. (2003) - Calibration of the upper Valdarno basin to the Plio-Pleistocene for correlating the Apennine continental sequences. Il Quaternario, 16(bis): 131-166.

Peretto C.(1992) - I primi abitanti della Valle Padana: Monte Poggiolo, nel Quadro delle conoscenze europee. Jaca Book :368 pp.

Peretto, C., M. Arzarello, R. Gallotti, G. Lembo, A. Minelli, and U. T. Hohenstein. (2004) - Middle Pleistocene behavioural strategies: the contribution of Isernia La Pineta site (Molise, Italy). Miscelànea en homenaje a Emiliano Aguirre IV:368-381.

Peretto C., M. La Rosa, A. Liboni, S. Milliken, M. Sozzi, A. Zarattini (1997) - Le gisement de Quarto delle Cinfonare dans le cadre du Paléolithique inférieur de l’Italie ouest-centrale, L’Anthropologie, 101, n. 4.

Petronio C. & Sardella R. (1999) - Biochronology of the Pleistocene mammal fauna from Ponte Galeria (Rome) and remarks on the Middle Galerian faunas. Riv. Ital. Paleont. Strat., 105 (1): 155-164.

Rook L. & Torre D.(1996) - The wolf-event in westwern Europe and the beginning of the late Villafranchian. N. Jh. Geol. Palaeont. Mh., 1996: 495-501.

Rook L., Martinez-Navarro B. & Clark Howell F.(2004) - Occurrence of Theropithecus sp. in the Late Villafranchian of Southern Italy and implication for Early Pleistocene "out of Africa" dispersals. Journal of Human Evolution, 47(4):267-77.

Sardella R. (2004) - Late Villafranchian and Galerian carnivores (Mammalia) from the Tyrrhenian coastal area of Central Italy. Terra Nostra, 18th International Senckenberg Conference 2004 in Weimar, 2004(2): 228.

Sardella R., Abbazi L., Argenti P., Azzaroli A., Caloi L., Capasso Barbato L., Di Stefano G., Ficcarelli G., Gliozzi E., Kotsakis T., Masini F., Mazza P., Mezzabotta C., Palombo M.R., Petronio C., Rook L., Sala B. & Torret D. (1998) - Mammal faunal turnover in Italy from the Middle Pliocene to the Holocene. Mededelingen Nederlands Instituut voor Toegepaste Geowetenschappen TNO, 60: 499-511, Haarlem.

Sardella R. & Palombo M. R. (2006) - What biochronological significance for the so-called "Wolf – Event"? Colloque International Q5 "Le Quaternaire, Limites et Spécificités". Dynamiques évolutives des écosystèmes: 106.
Keywords
PALEOECOLOGY, PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY, BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, BIOCHRONOLOGY, PALEOANTHROPOLOGY, EARLY PLEISTOCENE, MEDITERRANEAN AREA

Palaeoenviromental and Palaeobiogeographical context of the earliest dispersal of the genus Homo in Europe: evidences from Early Pleistocene in Italy

Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"
Abstract
Enviromentals changes occurred from the Late Pliocene to the Early Pleistocene had a strong impact on several taxa of terrestrial vertebrates. The study of such variations, confirmed by palaeobotanical and micromammal data, started to give a view for the different peninsula areas.
The integration of biocronological, magnetostratigraphical and radiometric data from Early Pleistocene sites of Italy could give a better knowledge of bioevent successions, that can be correlate to coevals Eurpean sites.
Moreover such reconstructions of the Early Pleistocene could help us to define the palaeoenviroment of the earliest human occupation of Europe; evidences actually are given by lithics manufacts dated one million years B.P. and, more recently, by the important human fossil from Ceprano.
This research point out the palaeoenviromental changes occurred between the Late Pliocene and the Early Pleistocene in the Late Villafranchian Mammal Age, in particular between Olivola/Tasso FU and Farneta/Pirro FU. Such reconstruntion is the "scenario" where the earliest occupation of Italy and Europe by genus Homo occurs, as testified by lithic manufacts recently found in the Pirro Nord site.
Moreover this research would define the possible mammal faunas' migration way from the Africa and Asia that occurred in the same time of the human migration. Sedimentological, biostatigraphical and radiocronological analyses will be the tools that allow us to define >>>

Principal Investigator
Carmelo Petronio Università degli Studi di ROMA "La Sapienza"
Research Objectives
This project concerns palaeontological and palaeoanthropological researches, under stratigraphic control, pointing to the definition of the palaeoenvironmental, palaeobiogeographic and palaeoclimatic settings which guided the earliest human spreading to the Italian peninsula and, as a whole, in southern Europe at the beginning of the Pleistocene. The starting point is determined by the new findings of lithic artefacts in the Pirro Nord site (1.7-1.3 My) of the Gargano area, Puglia region, which testify for an anticipated phase of human migration in Europe. This datum, at first glance displaced from the palaeogegraphic point of view in comparison with the well-assessed emergencies of the Spanish sites Fuente Nueva and Barranco Leon (1.2 My), is on the way of the Dmanisi site record in Georgia (1.8 My). It anticipates the first colonization in the Mediterranean area to the middle part of the Early Pleistocene, along migration pathways which still need to be clarified. Therefore the finalities of this research are manifold.
A first target consists in the stratigraphic-depositional framing of the fossil-bearing karst deposits at Pirro Nord, as well as the analysis of fossil vertebrate assemblages and the definition of functional characters of lithic artefacts, which constitute a singularity of relevant importance. For this purpose the researches are intended to provide general aspects on the vertebrate and plant assemblages which formed the continental ecosystems of Pirro >>>

Timescale
24 months
National and international background
The global climate change that occurred at the end of Pliocene until the beginning of Pleistocene are related to different astronomical, geological and geographical factors. These changes strongly influenced the geographical distribution and the evolution of the terrestrial ecosystems, in particular in the Mediterranean region, and originated extinction, speciation and dispersal events.
Among the dispersals occurred between the Plio-Pleistocene transition and the early Middle Pleistocene, the first human occupation of Europe is of particular importance, with an increasing of evidence coming from Italy.
From the latest Pliocene to the Early Pleistocene the glacial-interglacial cycles alternating deeply influenced the distribution of vegetation and its composition; palaeobotanical assemblages including taxa indicating open environments and dry climatic conditions became very common, and the subtropical taxa, related to Pliocene warm and humid climate, from north to south progressively disappeared. In Central and Southern Italy the glacial-interglacial cycles are characterised by steppe-wood phases alternating; their floristic composition is related to the period and to the geographical area (Bertini, 2003).
The analysis of the most important Plio-Pleistocene Italian mammal faunas enabled the definition of turnover curves for genera and species. In particular, the analysis of the First Occurrences (FO) and Last Occurrences (LO) data show evident events of >>>