The Human Remains From the MIS 6 Site of Grotta Del Poggio (Cilento, Southern Italy): A Taxonomic and Chronological Reassessment.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Grotta del Poggio is a key site for exploring the Middle Paleolithic in southern Italy, as it contains a pivotal anthropogenic deposit, mainly attributed to MIS 6, while in the Metal Ages, the cavity was used as a burial place. Excavations in the cave's deposit led to the discovery of a human molar and a human talus. A preliminary morphological evaluation of the talus concluded that it belonged to Homo sapiens. Conversely, the molar exhibited Neanderthal-like morphology. Here, we perform a taxonomic and chronological reassessment of these human remains.

Materials and methods

The molar's crown and root morphology were examined and analyzed using linear measurements, 2D geometric morphometrics (GM) of the crown outline, and 3D GM of the enamel-dentin junction (EDJ)

SUBMITTER: Piccirilli E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12745066 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature