A team of international researchers from the Universities of Tübingen, Siena, and Bologna discovered that a significant volcanic explosion around 40,000 years ago did not result in cultural advancements among early Homo sapiens.
The study focuses on Grotta di Castelcivita in southern Italy, a significant archaeological site where ancient cultural artifacts have been preserved beneath volcanic ash.
The eruption, known as the Campanian Ignimbrite, originated in the Phlegraean Fields and is regarded as the most violent volcanic event ever documented in the Mediterranean.
The researchers examined the cultural items left by early Homo sapiens before the eruption and discovered signs of significant cultural development that predated the volcanic disaster.
Using new ways to investigate stone tools, the researchers discovered that early humans at Castelcivita were already making complex tiny stone points, known as micro-points, from rocks near the cave.
These tiny tools were most likely used in multi-component projectile weapons, demonstrating their superior abilities and imaginative thinking.
In addition to stone tools, the researchers discovered more than a hundred marine shells collected from Mediterranean coasts.
These shells were perforated and used for decoration, demonstrating a sophisticated and symbolic use of materials.
This result calls into question the long-held idea that environmental disasters like volcanic eruptions and cold events were primary drivers of cultural development in early human communities.
Instead, the study concludes that cultural advances among early Homo sapiens were most likely the product of cultural transmission and the formation of large-scale networks that reached beyond the Alps.
The findings shed new light on how Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups devised sophisticated techniques to adapt to shifting circumstances.
Grotta di Castelcivita is one of Europe’s most significant prehistoric sites, having a comprehensive stratigraphic sequence indicating the replacement of Neanderthals by early Homo sapiens around 43,000 years ago.
The research was carried out with approval from the Italian Ministry of Culture by the University of Siena’s Research Unit of Prehistory and Anthropology, led by Adriana Moroni.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, is an important step toward better understanding the cultural development of early human communities and how they thrived in changing settings.
