L'occupazione umana del Pleistocene medio di Guado San Nicola (Monteroduni, Molise)

The systematic excavation of the site of Guado San Nicola (Monteroduni, Molise) revealed a stratigraphic sequence, more than two meters thick, located on the distal part of an ancient terraced alluvial cone made by the Lorda creek, a tributary of the Volturno river. The lithologic, morphographic and pedostratigraphic evidences suggest its attribution to an Interstadial of MIS6 or to MIS 72. The radiometric dating (40Ar/39Ar method and Electron Spin Resonance in combination with the uranium family disequilibrium method) reported an age between 350 and 400.000 years, confirmed by a Late Galerian fauna and by the presence of Cervus elaphus acoronatus and Equus ferus ssp. The fauna assemblage, apart from these two taxa, is characterized by the presence of Ursus sp., Elephas sp., Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis, Bos primigenius e cf. Megacerinae, which denote a warm temperate dry climate. Paleontological remains are characterized by the presence of intentional fractures produced by human activities aimed at the extraction of bone marrow while cut marks are badly preserved. The abundance of deer antlers seems to be due to its use as soft hammers. Handaxes of different forms and variable sizes are frequent, usually the shaping is mostly accurate on the point while the base is not shaped at all; the débitage component is characterized by the presence of a Levallois production. From a chronological point of view, despite the lithologic, morphographic and pedostratigraphic interpretation suggests a correlation to an Interstadial of MIS 6 or to MIS 7, the considerations on the fauna and radiometric dating are in agreement with an attribution to MIS 11.