Evidence of an Early Pleistocene hominin presence at Pirro Nord (Apricena, Foggia, southern Italy): P13 site

The Pirro 13 karst fissure (Cava dell’Erba, Apricena, Foggia, Italy) shows a significant vertebrate assemblage (Pirro Nord Faunal Unit) associated with lithic artifacts attributable to mode 1. The Faunal Unit, corresponding to the latest Villafranchian, is dated on biochronological basis between 1.3 and 1.6 Ma and accordingly the artifacts represent among the earliest evidence of human presence in Europe. The vertebrate assemblage includes many species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and attests the earliest occurrence of many taxa in Italy such as Bison degiulii, Capreolus sp., Equus altidens, and Meles meles. The lithic assemblage is characterized by a high degree of opportunism and by the exclusive presence of debitage reduction sequences.