I resti umani rinvenuti a Paglicci (Rignano Garganico-FG): nota preliminare

Paglicci Cave (Rignano Garganico-FO), with its deposit of 12 m, contains (in addition to the Acheulean phases and those of the ancient middle Paleolithic), the entire sequence of the upper Paleolithic (from the Aurignacian to the final Epigravettian culture). It is an invaluable resource for knowledge of the ancient populations of Homo sapiens in Europe and of their evolution. Beside the large amount of man-made artifacts, including numerous works of art unearthed during the excavations conducted by the University of Siena, 146 human remains were found. The discovery of these latter remains supplements the Paglicci human sample including well-known burials of women (Pa25) and of a child (Pa12). In this paper we present the list of these findings, which are the topic of a broad systematic and multidisciplinary study undertaken on the basis of modern methodologies by researchers from the University of Siena, in collaboration with researchers from other institutions and universities whose proficiencies lie in a variety of fields. This broad study took the analysis of the Paglicci skulls as its starting point, and our purpose here is to present some of its preliminary results.