Quaternary International最新文献

{"title":"Dust storms or landslides? Investigating drivers of settlement, abandonment and landscape change at a Bronze Age farming site in Kyrgyzstan","authors":"Michael Spate ,&nbsp;Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute ,&nbsp;Kubatbek Tabaldiev","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A growing body of archaeological, palaeoecological and geographical research into Middle to Late Holocene human occupation of mountain Central Asia indicates a variety of adaptable farming and herding strategies that allowed past populations to occupy a range of environmental niches. These studies explore human-environment dynamics, considering the ways past populations both driving and responding to environmental change. At the Bronze Age site Chap (Kyrgyzstan), two phases of agricultural occupation are separated by a culturally sterile, thick-bedded loess-like sediment. From sediment samples through the occupation and hiatus deposits, we analyse environmental proxies including sediment grain size, magnetic susceptibility and pollen to explore processes relating to this deposition. It is likely that aridification at around 4200 years Before Present was a significant driver of dust deposition, possibly enhanced by anthropogenic factors. An apparent climatic amelioration and diversified agricultural package after around 3000 years Before Present may have allowed the later re-settlement of the site.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"730 ","pages":"Article 109803"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel sequential chemical extractions protocol to access mineral phases stabilizing organic matter in Amazonian Dark Earths (Holocene)","authors":"Bruna Ramalho ,&nbsp;Vander Freitas Melo ,&nbsp;Jeferson Dieckow ,&nbsp;George Gardner Brown ,&nbsp;Priscila Luzia Simon ,&nbsp;Rodrigo Studart Corrêa","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The association of organic matter with pedogenic minerals plays a crucial role in the stabilization of soil organic matter (SOM). To evaluate the contribution of different mineral phases to mineral-organic associations, the clay fractions of both small (&lt;500 μm) and large (&gt;500 μm) soil aggregates from Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) and reference soils (Ref) across five sites in the Brazilian Amazon were subjected to of sequential chemical extraction: hydroxylamine (HL), sodium dithionite (DT), sodium pyrophosphate (PYR), and NaOH. The extraction residues were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, and dry combustion for carbon (C) concentration. On average, PYR extracted 58 % of the C in both ADE and Ref soils, indicating that this extracted C predominantly corresponds to fractions associated with individual or poorly polymerized Fe and Al octahedral groups. The sequential extraction protocol, incorporating dithionite before PYR, facilitated an enhanced separation of mineral-organic association compartments. Among the minerals analyzed, kaolinite and hematite of low crystallinity were found to be more significant in mineral-organic associations compared to their high crystalline counterparts. Despite the presence of abundant small crystal-sizeof goethite in the samples, hematite was more effective in organo-mineral interactions. In the Amazonian environment, mineral-organic associations in the clay fraction occur indistinctly in ADE and adjacent Refs soils lacking an anthropic A horizon. These specific organic-mineral associations are likely responsible for the reduced decomposition rates and the sustained high levels of SOM in ADEs for over thousands of years since their anthropic formation (Holocene), even under the humid tropical climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"730 ","pages":"Article 109779"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response of freshwater diatoms to Early−Middle Holocene climate changes, SW Lithuania","authors":"Giedrė Vaikutienė ,&nbsp;Liudas Daumantas ,&nbsp;Lauras Balakauskas ,&nbsp;Laura Gedminienė ,&nbsp;Žana Skuratovič ,&nbsp;Jonas Mažeika","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109794","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109794","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Detailed diatom analysis, biodiversity analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling were used to describe the response of diatom assemblages to a general climate change during the Early and Middle Holocene, with particular emphasis on the short-lived changes. Radiocarbon dating and diatom analysis of a sediment core from Lake Amalvas in SW Lithuania revealed that lacustrine sedimentation began before 10100 cal BP. The lake was shallow, oligotrophic−mesotrophic and enriched in calcium-bicarbonates until 9000 cal BP. A low trophic state and unstable environment, indicated by the variation in the B/P ratio and the gradual replacement of the planktonic taxa of <em>Lindavia radiosa</em>, <em>L</em>. <em>ocellata</em> by <em>Aulacoseira ambigua</em> and <em>A</em>. <em>granulata</em>, were established at the end of the Early Holocene (9000−8450 cal BP). The increasing abundance of planktonic <em>Aulacoseira</em> diatoms and the decreasing B/P ratio indicate a gradual increase in the trophic state and in the depth of the lake at the Early−Middle Holocene boundary (8450−7300 cal BP). Two periods of lower lake level, recognizable from an increased content of benthic taxa and a decreased overall number of taxa, may be associated with climate deterioration during the cold climate events known as the 9.3 ka and 8.2 ka events. However, the 9.3 ka cold event did not leave evidence of any significant changes in the diatom assemblage and can only be identified by the age scale that roughly corresponds to this event. The lack of a significant shift in the NMDS ordination around the 9.3 ka event supports the idea that there were no substantial climatic or environmental changes at that time. The 8.2 ka event is reflected by changes in the diatom assemblage around 8450−8300 cal BP, in particular a significant increase in the content of epiphytic <em>Staurosira construens</em>. Diversity metrics reveal significant shifts in community structure and diversity during the period, characterised by a declining species number, reduced evenness, and greater degrees of dominance. Samples corresponding to the 8.2 ka event shift markedly along the NMDS ordination gradient, suggesting that temperature, or a closely related climate variable, was likely the primary driver of the compositional change reflected in the ordination gradient.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"730 ","pages":"Article 109794"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Millennia of climate and human influence on Gashaka-Gumti montane landscape, West Africa: Implications for biodiversity conservation and management","authors":"Peter Adegbenga Adeonipekun ,&nbsp;Matthew Adesanya Adeleye ,&nbsp;Oyetola O. Oyebanji ,&nbsp;Simon Graeme Haberle","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The palaeoecology and palaeoclimate of montane ecosystems in Africa are poorly understood due to limited available studies. This is particularly true for Gashaka-Gumti National Park (GGNP) montane landscape in the largest forest reserve in Nigeria, western Africa. To fill this knowledge gap, we analysed pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs from Chappal Hendu shallow sedimentary deposits dating back at least ∼12,000 years, to understand millennial vegetation changes and identify drivers of change in the GGNP. During the Holocene humid period, wet forests gradually replaced montane communities over millennia, whereas in modern times, this shift has occurred abruptly within decades. Forest expansion was greatest in the area in recent decades, whereas a mosaic of forest and non-forest communities characterized the landscape throughout the Holocene partly due to human landscape management with fire. The establishment of GGNP as a forest reserve has resulted in forest area doubling Holocene levels and the reduction of open vegetation types. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of montane ecosystems to climatic pressure and susceptibility to future warming. They further underscore the importance of park management strategies that balance forest expansion with the preservation of ancient cultural mosaic landscape to prevent the total loss of open vegetation communities and associated fauna diversity in the long term. These findings provide a framework for developing conservation goals for sustainable outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"730 ","pages":"Article 109775"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A multi-proxy centennial-resolution paleoecological record of Holocene lake sediments in the marginal zone of Last Scandinavian Glaciation (Tver Region, Russia)","authors":"M.B. Nosova ,&nbsp;A.L. Zakharov ,&nbsp;N.G. Lavrenov ,&nbsp;N.E. Zaretskaya ,&nbsp;N.G. Mazei ,&nbsp;D.A. Kupriyanov ,&nbsp;Yu.A. Pastukhova ,&nbsp;V.O. Bakumenko ,&nbsp;E.E. Severova ,&nbsp;E.A. Konstantinov","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a new centennial-resolution multi-proxy record of the Holocene environmental changes obtained from the small Petrovskoe Lake in the former marginal zone of the Last Scandinavian (Valdai) Glaciation. The series of analyses of the lacustrine deposits includes grain size, loss on ignition, magnetic susceptibility, pollen, macrofossils, cladoceran, chironomids and macrocharcoals, were conducted on a 16.35 m-long sediment core. Based on the data obtained, mass accumulation rate was calculated and the stages of vegetation change were determined using biomisation method. The stages of the reservoir development were identified. It was revealed that during the initial stage of development (11000–10200 cal yr BP), a <em>Sphagnum</em> mire formed on a buried block of dead ice, which was subsequently flooded, resulting in the formation of a kettle hole lake. In the period from 11000 to 10000 cal yr BP, \"cold\" biomes with dominance of <em>Betula</em> and <em>Pinus</em> prevailed. The periods of most active erosion during the early Holocene correspond to 10200–9400 cal yr BP. The further development of the lake followed а path of steadily increasing trophicity and sedimentation rate. A rapid increase in broadleaved taxa led to the emergence of <em>warm mixed forests</em> biome already 9500 cal yr BP. A long warm period, characterized by the dominance of broadleaved species (<em>Tilia, Quercus, Fraxinus, Ulmus</em>), lasted until 4200 cal yr BP when <em>taiga</em> and <em>cold deciduous forests</em> biomes began to replace the <em>warm mixed forests</em>. Key moments of anthropogenic impact that influenced the progressive degradation of primary forests and their replacement by secondary stands began at the time of 4200, 2900, 2200, 1500, 1200 and 800 cal yr BP that coincide with archaeological cultural shifts, short-term episodes of erosion and correlates well with fire activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"729 ","pages":"Article 109778"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Middle Stone age fauna from the DC member of Cave 1B at Klasies River main site, South Africa: Animal exploitation during the MSA II","authors":"Rialivhuwa Ratshinanga ,&nbsp;Sarah Wurz ,&nbsp;Shaw Badenhorst","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Klasies River main site (KRM) is a prominent Middle Stone Age (MSA) site located on the southern Cape coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This contribution discusses the animal remains from the DC member in Cave 1B not reported on before. These animals fall within MSA II (Mossel Bay) techno-complex that, at KRM, dates from before 110 to 78ka. Despite heavy fragmentation, the fauna from this period shows a variety of taxa, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and molluscs. The most common taxa in the sample include indeterminate medium and small mammals, tortoises, indeterminate small birds, Cape fur seals, and indeterminate Bovid I and II's. The presence of several stacked hearths, shellfish, lithics and burnt and butchered bones all suggest that humans were the main agent of accumulation of the fauna. This is further supported by low values for the carnivore-ungulate ratio, the carnivore richness- and the leopard index, which measures the probabilities of brown hyena, leopard and human accumulations. However, the presence of chew marks presumably caused by carnivores suggests brown hyenas or leopards accumulated, or had access to some fauna. Assuming that humans accumulated most fauna, there is evidence of a summer occupation at KRM during the MSA II. People were exploiting a variety of environments during the MSA II, including coastal dunes, grasslands, savanna woodlands and closed, bush environments. During the MSA II at KRM, people focused on hunting ungulates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"729 ","pages":"Article 109781"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wood use and forest resource management at Pompeii. Anthracological analyses in the area of Regio VII, Insula 14","authors":"Riccardo Santeramo ,&nbsp;Silvia Pallecchi ,&nbsp;Carlo Alessandro Montanari","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109782","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109782","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the archaeological excavations of <em>civici</em> 1 to 4 of the Regio VII, Insula 14 of Pompeii, an extensive anthracological sampling, which involves different domestic spaces and structures, was carried out. This paper brings new elements to the knowledge of the past landscape and vegetation cover in the area and allows to reconstruct wood use strategies, for firewood and timber, in the not well-known context of past domestic daily life and shops productive activities. Overall, 2038 charcoal fragments were analysed, covering a broad chronology from the late 3rd century BC to 79 AD. Among them 24 plant <em>taxa</em> were identified, relating to both deciduous and evergreen trees. Our results partially confirm previous data about Pre-Roman and Roman Vesuvian landscape, but also present remarkable peculiarities, like the absence of remains of species such as cypress, cedar, or chestnut, which were broadly used in valuable carpentry. The existence of a high degree of selectivity, as regards both timber for building, furniture, artifacts making, and firewood was detected. The most used wood trees were <em>Fagus</em> (beech) and <em>Abies</em> (fir), followed by various meso-thermophilous broadleaved trees, a few Mediterranean evergreen species and some cultivated fruit plants (<em>Olea</em>, <em>Juglans</em>, and <em>Vitis</em>). Local inhabitants may have preferred these species as a consequence of various factors, including technical features, good availability and socio-cultural drivers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"729 ","pages":"Article 109782"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A rediscovered fossil hominin fragment from Gombore IB, an early Pleistocene site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Etiopia)","authors":"Mauro Rubini ,&nbsp;Alessandro Gozzi ,&nbsp;Flavio Altamura ,&nbsp;Ferdinando Spanò ,&nbsp;Paola Zaio","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109792","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109792","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Gombore gully of Melka Kunture is located in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia. In the Lower Acheulean layer of Gombore IB, dated to 1.7 million years ago, a well-preserved distal portion of a left humerus was discovered in 1976. Additionally, a proximal fragment of a left humerus was discovered from the same site in 1973; however, it was not initially recognized as belonging to a hominin during excavations. This latter specimen, which was only recently identified within the Gombore I collection, is analyzed here. It is attributed to the middle proximal segment of the bone. The bone presents a significant cortical thickness together with a reduced medullary cavity. Subjected to tomographic examination, it revealed a concentrated cortical structure denoting a young individual. The muscle insertion areas appear well developed and free of apparent musculoskeletal stress. The section appears subcircular with significant diaphyseal torsion that denotes muscular activity. The chronological horizon suggests belonging to <em>Homo erectus</em>. The cross-sectional geometric properties analyses highlight affinity with the first <em>Homo</em> through comparisons with diachronic and synchronic samples. This affinity is probably to be found in the variability of the species and in the bio-complexity at the origin of human evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"729 ","pages":"Article 109792"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143820440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution of global vegetation patterns since the last glacial maximum","authors":"Junyan Geng ,&nbsp;Haibin Wu ,&nbsp;Wenchao Zhang ,&nbsp;Qin Li ,&nbsp;Yanyan Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vegetation evolution is a crucial component of global change research, providing a foundation for understanding the interactions between vegetation dynamics and climate changes. However, current vegetation reconstructions since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) have not yet provided a complete and continuous presentation of global-scale vegetation evolution. In this study, we systematically compiled 3286 pollen records and applied the biomization method to reconstruct global vegetation patterns on a millennium resolution since the LGM. Our results show that during the LGM, the mid- and high-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere were primarily covered by tundra, with steppe and open coniferous forests in western North America, taiga in eastern North America, and steppe dominating much of Eurasia. In the low latitudes, tropical rainforests retreated significantly compared to the present, while arid shrubland expanded across much of Africa. Since the deglaciation, forests have gradually expanded, with cold-adapted biomes shifting to higher latitudes. In the mid-latitudes, mixed forests and deciduous broadleaf forests increased in North America, Europe, and China. During the early to mid-Holocene, forests dominated in the mid- and low-latitudes, while tundra and taiga dominated in the high-latitudes. By the late Holocene, steppe and desert expanded in central North America and northern China, while tropical rainforests flourished in South America. The results further reveal that the global forest cover increased by ∼31 % from the LGM to the mid-Holocene, then decreased by ∼5 % at the late Holocene. In the mid-to high-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, forest cover varied significantly, rising notably from the LGM to the early and mid-Holocene, peaking around ∼7–5 ka BP, and declining after ∼5 ka BP. Conversely, the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere exhibited a more gradual pattern, with forest percentage peaking earlier ∼12–8 ka BP, and maintaining relatively stable afterward. Tropical regions had more erratic changes, initially fluctuating between 18 and 15 ka BP, followed by steady growth peaking ∼4–6 ka BP, and continued fluctuations thereafter. Our results reveal asynchronous vegetation changes across different global regions and provide a biome-level perspective, offering a finer classification of vegetation dynamics compared to previous global-scale studies. This dataset has the potential for comparison with palaeovegetation simulations, promoting better integration with different vegetation classification schemes. Moving forward, increasing the data density and integrating simulations will be crucial for a deeper exploration of the feedback mechanisms between vegetation evolution and climate change, thereby enhancing the accuracy of predictions of future vegetation dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"729 ","pages":"Article 109780"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Marked regionalism during the Last Glacial across the Italian Peninsula: Evidence from the large mammal assemblage of Santa Maria di Agnano (Apulia, southern Italy)","authors":"B. Mecozzi ,&nbsp;P. Magniez ,&nbsp;D. Coppola ,&nbsp;D. Borić ,&nbsp;H. Baills","doi":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109767","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109767","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we present the mammal sample collected from Stratigraphic Unit 8 of the external excavation area of Grotta di Santa Maria di Agnano (Apulia, southern Italy). The material was collected during the 2011, 2015, and 2016 excavation seasons and it is described here for the first time. In this level, lithic tools consistent with the Gravettian techno-complex have been identified. Grotta di Santa Maria di Agnano is renowned for the Upper Palaeolithic burials, Ostuni 1 and Ostuni 2, found inside the cave and dated between 29,495–28,766 years cal BP and 27,809–27375 years cal BP. Thousands of lithic tools, shells, and vertebrate remains have also been found during more than twenty years of excavations. These data provide valuable information about the terrestrial ecosystems of Mediterranean Europe at the end of the Pleistocene and human-animal interactions in the course of the period of dramatic climatic changes that occurred over the last 40,000 years. Finally, we compare this assemblage with other faunal assemblages recovered in Gravettian contexts across the Italian Peninsula, offering an overview of marked regional differences in climatic and environmental conditions reflected in the diversity of mammalian palaeocommunities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49644,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary International","volume":"728 ","pages":"Article 109767"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143815024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}