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

富曼洞穴是研究中、上旧石器时代(MP/UP)的关键遗址，涉及莫斯特期、乌鲁兹期和奥里尼亚期等非常丰富的考古组合。相应的层提供了关于晚期尼安德特人和解剖学上的现代人的行为以及他们在海洋同位素阶段3期间的生活条件的丰富信息，这是一个千年尺度的强烈环境变化时期。在一个暴露良好的沉积序列中，以非常高的时间分辨率记录了这种文化转变，大约有两米厚。它已经在一大片表面积上被挖掘出来。这一特殊情况是欧洲其他地方所没有的，它为深入和高度详细地研究MP/UP过渡提供了独特的机会。此外，可在沉积物组成和结构特征中确定管理信息系统3期间气候变化的特征，从而使人类活动与气候变化直接相关。微地层学方法也可以为了解该遗址的年代地层学提供重要信息。在富曼，MP/UP转变的沉积物尚未得到详细研究。这项建议适用于全面的微形态研究，目的是彻底了解富曼遗址的形成过程、微地层学和洞穴用途。将评估气候变化的指标，如风成输入或霜冻的历时变化。最重要的问题是，能否从沉积记录中推断出人类活动的连续性或间断性，以及这些是否与古环境变化相关联。这项调查将受益于从富曼沉淀层中提取的170多个薄片的超大收集，这些薄片可供我们进行调查。微形态研究将得到薄片数字图像分析的支持，目的是更可靠地估计沉积物组分的相对丰度。还计划建立一个薄片在线数据库，以改进微形态结果的传播。齿轮地质学方法将产生关于关键地点富马内微地层学和沉积物属性空间变异性的开创性数据。基于这种深刻的洞察，我们期待着对地中海北部旧石器时代中期至晚期的过渡以及人类占领与古环境变化之间可能的关系有一个透彻的了解

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