Deciphering sedimentary archives of Neanderthals and Early Anatomically Modern Humans - A micromorphological study at the key site of Fumane cave, Northern Italy

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Fumane cave is a key site for the study of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP) with extraordinary rich archaeological assemblages of Mousterian, Uluzzian and Aurignacian periods involved. The corresponding layers provide a wealth of information on the behaviour of Late Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans and on their living conditions during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, a period of strong millennial-scale environmental changes. The cultural transition is documented with very high temporal resolution in a well-exposed sediment sequence, about two meter thick. It has been excavated over a large surface area. This exceptional situation is unknown from other sites in Europe and provides the unique opportunity for an in-depth and highly detailed study of the MP/UP transition. In addition, signatures of climate change during MIS 3 may be identified in sediment composition and structural features allowing for direct correlation of human occupation and climate change. The microstratigraphic approach can also provide important information for understanding chronostratigraphy of this site. At Fumane, sediments of the MP/UP transition have not yet been investigated in detail. This proposal applies for a comprehensive micromorphological study aiming at a thorough understanding of site formation processes, microstratigraphy and cave use at Fumane. Indicators of climate change, such as diachronic changes in aeolian input or frost will be assessed. The most important questions are whether continuity or discontinuity in human occupation can be deduced from the sedimentary record and whether these can be correlated with palaeoenvironmental change. The investigation will benefit from an exceptionally large collection of more than 170 thin sections prepared from sediment layers of Fumane, which are available for our investigation. The micromorphological study will be supported by digital image analyses of thin sections aiming at more reliable estimates of the relative abundance of sediment components. It is further planned to establish an online database for thin sections in order to improve dissemination of micromorphological results. The gearchaeological approach will yield seminal data on microstratigraphy and spatial variability of sediment properties at the key site Fumane. Based on this deep insight we expect a thorough understanding of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Northern Mediterranean and of the possible relation between human occupation and palaeo-environmental change