A Geoarchaeological Study of Site Formation Processes at Arma Veirana, A Palaeolithic Cave in Liguria, Italy

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Advances in the Prehistory of Liguria and Neighboring Regions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Arma Veirana is a cave situated along the steep flanks of the Neva river valley, ca. 14 km from the modern-day Mediterranean coast in the mountainous interior of Liguria. The cave formed tectonically within marble, schist and other metamorphic rocks and presents a large but relatively short cavity. Excavations since 2015, conducted by a team of researchers from the USA, Canada, Italy and Germany, have uncovered several meters of deposits dated to both the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. Geoarchaeological investigations at the site indicate that the entrance to the cave has suffered from periods of extensive rock fall and portions of the Paleolithic deposits have been subsequently eroded. However, micromorphological analysis shows that a significant portion of the cave’s infilling is intact and in situ. Furthermore, micromorphology indicates that humans contributed to the accumulation of sediment within the site, notably in the form of combustion residues within the Middle Paleolithic layer "the Black Mousterian."

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Recent Advances in the Prehistory of Liguria and Neighboring Regions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25587