A deposit of mollusk shell remains (Patella ferruginea and Trochus sp.) associated with stone artefacts (weapons, scrap-ers, etc.) of Mesolithic age, has been identified in an underwater cave (-20 m s.I.) at Capo Zafferano, a carbonatic promontory with steep cliffs 10 km E of Palermo (NW Sicily). Patella ferruginea samples are radiocarbon dated to 8960±130 yr B.P. calibrated to 9350÷9900 yr BP in agreement with archaeological dating. Underwater investigations indicate submerged terraces, at -16÷18 m below present sea-level, forming a continuous strip around the promontory and which provided access to the cave. Sea-level at 9500 yr B.P. at the site was about 25 m below the present level: this datum is in agreement with the Tyrrhenian Holocene sea-level curve.
The prehistoric site of Capo Zafferano (Sicily): Geomorphology and Holocene sea level variations [Il sito preistorico dell'arco naturale di Capo Zafferano (Sicilia) aspetti geomorfologici e relazione con le variazioni del livello marino olocenico]
Antonioli, F.
1994-01-01
Abstract
A deposit of mollusk shell remains (Patella ferruginea and Trochus sp.) associated with stone artefacts (weapons, scrap-ers, etc.) of Mesolithic age, has been identified in an underwater cave (-20 m s.I.) at Capo Zafferano, a carbonatic promontory with steep cliffs 10 km E of Palermo (NW Sicily). Patella ferruginea samples are radiocarbon dated to 8960±130 yr B.P. calibrated to 9350÷9900 yr BP in agreement with archaeological dating. Underwater investigations indicate submerged terraces, at -16÷18 m below present sea-level, forming a continuous strip around the promontory and which provided access to the cave. Sea-level at 9500 yr B.P. at the site was about 25 m below the present level: this datum is in agreement with the Tyrrhenian Holocene sea-level curve.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
