Uluzzian

A team led by archaeological scientist Katerina Douka has dated the Uluzzian as lasting from shortly before 45,000 to around 39,500 years before present (BP), at a similar date or slightly earlier than the Campanian Ignimbrite eruption.

[1] Geographical extent: In Italy: Apulia (the Grotta del Cavallo and the Uluzzo cave), Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Tuscany, and Fumane (the northernmost point).

[3] Excavations by 1963 Arturo Palma di Cesnola of the Grotta del Cavallo ("Cave of the Horse") in southern Italy uncovered the first remains later called "Uluzzian".

[5] These teeth, dated to 43,000–45,000 BP, are the oldest currently-known remains of modern humans in Europe.

[6] The Uluzzians made and used beads from shells of marine molluscs such as scaphopods, snails (Columbella rustica, Cyclope neritea), and other species.

Caves overlooking the Bay of Uluzzo.
Caves overlooking the Bay of Uluzzo.
Bay of Uluzzo in relation to the Gulf of Taranto .
Entrance to the Grotta del Cavallo (photo: Thilo Parg, 2019).
Stratigraphy of deposits on the floor of the Fumane Cave (photo:Thilo Parg, 2014).