Fig 1.
Geological sketch map of the northern Latium and location of the study area.
1) Holocene sediments; 2) Middle-Upper Pleistocene terraced marine sediments rich in volcanic components; 3a) Middle-Upper Pleistocene alkali-potassic lavas and volcaniclastic deposits; 3b) Middle-Upper Pleistocene volcaniclastic sediments of the Tuscania basin; 4) Lower Pleistocene marine sediments; 5) Acid volcanic rocks of the Tolfa and Cimini volcanic district; 6) Pliocene marine sediments; 7) Meso-Cenozoic flysch units of the Monti Romani and Monti della Tolfa; 8) Margins of the main craters and calderas; 9) Main scoria cones and small central edifices. (Modified from [55]).
Fig 2.
Digital elevation model of the Ficoncella site and geological sketch map of the study area.
a) Digital elevation model of the Ficoncella site area showing the flat terraced morphologies characterinzing the northern sector of the Latium coast; b) Detailed geological map of the study area and c) geological cross-section. The codes are those reported in the official geologic map of the Italian Geological Survey (sheet 354 Tarquinia). A modification occured in the sector of the Ficoncella site where the new data reported in this work have allowed us to better differentiate the stratigraphic units. On this basis the FIC1, FIC2, FIC3 units have been tentatively correlated to the units occurring in the official geological map. Legend: FYT – sandstone and mudstone turbidites; SBM – marine clay and silty clay with local intercalations of conglomerates; RGG/MCC – clayey sands and bioclastic calcarenites; CPS – bioclastic sands; PGT – fluvial gravel with carbonate and volcaniclastic clasts; SML – calcarenites and bioclastic sands; ANK/FIC1 – fluvial sands and silt rich in volcaniclastic sediments; TVS/FIC2 – Ignimbrite deposits; FAV/FIC3 – fluvio-lacustrine sandy silt deposits; ALL – fluvial sands and gravel rich in volcanic clasts; a1 – landslide deposits; e – eluvial and colluvial deposits; b – alluvial deposits.
Fig 3.
Stratigraphic column of the Ficoncella core showing the inferred depositional environment and pictures of the core.
Fig 4.
Stratigraphic scheme of the Ficoncella site.
Table 1.
Major-element compositions (normalised to 100 wt%) of glass shards and/or micropumices from the investigated FIC-12.9 tephra.
Fig 5.
Compositional features of the investigated tephra (FIC-12.9) and of its proximal and distal counterparts.
Total alkali vs silica and representative Harker diagrams (EMPA or EDS compositions) for glass from the tephra FIC-12.9 and from the distal equivalent tephras of the Mt. Sabatini Fall A pumice unit (~499 ka, [53]) from Mercure (layer SC3, [86]) and Sulmona basins (layer MT3, [114]) here also correlated to layer A9 from the Acerno basin [87].
Fig 6.
Climatostratigraphic position and age of the archaeological horizon inferred from the tephrostratigraphic correlation between Ficoncella and other successions containing the Sabatini Fall A pumice unit (~499 ka).
Mercure tephra record and 40Ar/39Ar ages of the proximal correlated units (AF-d; Fall A and Tufo Pisolitico di Trigoria, TPT) from ref. [86], and reference therein; Acerno tephra-pollen record and 40Ar/39Ar tephra ages from refs. [87–88]. The possible succession of the marine isotope stages (MIS), from MIS 14 to the MIS 12, is also shown.
Fig 7.
Faunal remains belonging to an individual of Palaeoloxodon discovered during the excavation companions.
A: in blue are represented anatomical elements found until now; B: detail of the skull of Palaeoloxodon; C: excavation area south in which is has a concentration of several anatomical portions of Palaeoloxodon; D: Detail of two vertebrae in anatomical connection.
Table 2.
Technological composition of the assemblage.
Fig 8.
1 and 2: Limestone flake; 3 to 5: small flint tool; 6 to 8 small flint flakes; 9: retouch flint flake.
Table 3.
Raw material repartition of the assemblage (excluding knapping debris).
Fig 9.
Examples of artefacts discovered during the excavation of Ficoncella site.
1 to 4: small shaped tools products from small flint pebbles; 5 and 6: unretouched flakes produced from small flint pebbles; 7: refitting of two small retouch flint flakes.
Fig 10.
Plan of excavation with the artefacts found during the excavation campaigns 2010, 2011 and 2012.
1: Even if the excavation area is very partial, there are two major concentrations of artefacts: around the skull of Elephas and around the vertebrae of the same individual. 2: Vertical distribution of the archaeological remains. We can see that the lithic and faunal remains are at the same altitude.