Percorrer por autor "Niespolo, Elizabeth M."
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- Coastline evolution, submerged landscape, and island occupation: preliminary insight on pleistocene-holocene coastal environments of south-eastern SicilyPublication . Ogloblin Ramirez, Isaac; Galili, Ehud; Tryon, Christian A.; Antonioli, Fabrizio; Zaia, Sara E.; Carroll, Peyton; Niespolo, Elizabeth M.; Gilmore, Lauren D.; Mauro, Sebastiano Di; Portella, Fabio; Minniti, Gianmarco; Monaco, Carmelo; Gonzalez, Nicholas Andrés; Insacco, Gianni; Patania, IlariaSicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean and the closest to mainland Europe, holds some of the earliest uncontroversial evidence in the region of sustained island occupation by humans, dating back to ~16.5 thousand years ago (ka). Using archival studies as well as dive-based and coastal fieldwork, this study provides initial insights into the diversity of submerged and coastal Pleistocene–Holocene landscapes off and on the coast of south-eastern Sicily. New archaeological and geomorphological data demonstrate the continued importance of Sicily in understanding early human uses of islands and nearshore resources well into the Pleistocene. With underwater and coastal archaeological surveys in the Siracusa and Ragusa areas, combined with innovative citizen science, and museum research, and sedimentary analysis, we have identified five key archives: 1) Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological and geological sea-level markers, confirming the quasi-stable tectonic conditions of the SE area of Sicily; 2) Coastal and partially submerged caves containing Middle and Late Pleistocene fauna and geomorphological features, re-identified after their 19th-century discovery, offering valuable data on faunal transitions and environmental changes; 3) Submerged caves and shoreline caverns (at 1 to 25 m water depth) that are possible deposits containing fauna and anthropogenic remains; 4) Submerged landscapes with clay-rich deposits that may represent paleosols or terrestrial Pleistocene-Holocene deposits, possibly associated with prehistoric human occupation of the island; and 5) Three concentrations of Pleistocene-Holocene flint materials (two reworked assemblages of anthropogenically modified flint artifacts in Ognina and Portopalo di Capo Passero —possibly dating to the Neolithic/Mesolithic period — and a concentration of unworked flint nodules at Punta delle Formiche representing an unrecognized natural source of raw material for tool manufacture). These archives provide new data on the island's carrying capacity, the diversity andavailability of coastal resources,and sea-level changes since the Last Glacial Maximum (26.5–19 cal ka BP).
- Geoarchaeology and heritage management: identifying and quantifying multi-scalar erosional processes at kisese II rockshelter, TanzaniaPublication . Patania, Ilaria; Porter, Samantha T.; Keegan, William F.; Dihogo, Rukia; Frank, Sara; Lewis, Jason; Mashaka, Husna; Ogutu, Julius; Skosey-LaLonde, Elena; Tryon, Christian A.; Niespolo, Elizabeth M.; Colarossi, Debra; Ranhorn, Kathryn L.Natural and anthropogenically induced soil erosion can cause serious loss of the archaeological record. Our work shows the value of multi-scalar geoarchaeological study when excavating and re-excavating rockshelters in a highly dynamic sedimentary environment where erosion is prominent. Here we present our work on Kisese II rockshelter, Tanzania, originally excavated in the 1950s and largely unpublished, that preserves an important Pleistocene-Holocene archaeological record integral to understanding the deep history of the Kondoa Rock-Art World Heritage Center. Unlike rockshelters in quiescent tectonic settings, like much of central Europe or South Africa, Kisese II exists in highly dynamic sedimentary environments associated with the active tectonics of the Great Rift Valley system exacerbated by human-induced environmental and climate change. We report on our 2017 and 2019 exploratory research that includes integrated regional-, landscape-, and site-scale geoarchaeological analyses of past and present sedimentary regimes and micromorphological analyses of the archaeological sediments. Historical records and aerial photographs document extensive changes in vegetation cover and erosional regimes since the 1920s, with drastic changes quantified between 1960 and 2019. Field survey points to an increased erosion rate between 2017 and 2019. To serve future archaeologists, heritage specialists, and local populations we combine our data in a geoarchaeological catena that includes soil, vegetation, fauna, and anthropogenic features on the landscape. At the site, micromorphological coupled with chronological analyses demonstrate the preservation of in situ Pleistocene deposits. Comparison of photographs from the 1956 and 2019 excavations show a maximum sediment loss of 68 cm in 63 years or >10% of >6-m-thick sedimentary deposit. In the studied area of the rockshelter we estimate ~1 cm/yr of erosion, suggesting the ongoing removal of much of the higher archaeological sediments which, based on the coarse stratigraphic controls and chronology of the original Inskeep excavations, would suggest the loss of much of the archaeological record of the last ~4000 years. These multi-scalar data are essential for the construction of appropriate mitigation strategies and further study of the remaining stratigraphy.
- Seasonal-to-interannual hydroclimatic variability in Afromontane environments during the late Early Pleistocene hominin occupations on the Southeastern Ethiopian HighlandsPublication . Briatico, Giuseppe; Hartman, Gideon; Gossa, Tegenu; Asrat, Asfawossen; Hailu, Haregwin; Ketema, Natnael; Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; Niespolo, Elizabeth M.; Renne, Paul R.; Resom, Angesom; Hovers, ErellaClimate variability is a key factor influencing the distribution and adaptive response of mammalian species, including hominins. Here, we investigate seasonal and interannual hydroclimatic and environmental variability associated with the late Early Pleistocene hominin occupations on the Southeastern Ethiopian Highlands. We present stable carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of sequentially sampled tooth enamel from herbivores recovered from the archaeological contexts of Melka Wakena and Gadeb (2300–2400 m a.s.l.) and dated between 1.6 and ~ 1.0 Ma. Carbon isotope data indicate predominantly C4 and mixed C3–C4 diets, consistent with mosaic vegetation as part of the Dry evergreen Afromontane Forest and grassland complex (DAF). Intra-tooth oxygen isotope profiles suggest seasonal variability and interannual fluctuations in water balance, reflecting changes in precipitation, evaporation, and local hydrology. Although the temporal resolution of individual tooth records precludes identification of specific climatic drivers, the isotopic data document recurring hydroclimatic variability within high-elevation environments characterized by broadly comparable ecological conditions. Herbivore diets show limited long-term change, suggesting sustained resource availability across seasons and over hundreds of thousands of years. These results indicate that the Ethiopian Highlands repeatedly supported mammalian communities and recurrent Acheulean hominin occupations during the late Early Pleistocene, providing sustained access to water and vegetation resources within an Afromontane environmental framework.