Archaeological excavations at the Poggio and Cala caves in Marina di Camerota

The archaeological excavation activities, conducted by the Prehistory and Anthropology Research Unit of the Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Siena and the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Bologna, at the Grotta del Poggio and the Grotta della Cala in Marina di Camerota.

The research is being conducted thanks to the fundamental support of the Municipal Administration of Camerota and is being carried out in collaboration with the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Salerno and Avellino, under a ministerial concession.

The two prehistoric sites, the subject of multidisciplinary investigations since the 60s, are now among the most significant Italian Paleolithic sites at an international level, as they represent true cornerstones for the chrono-cultural reconstruction of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic.

The Poggio Cave has been known, since the time of its discovery, for the presence of levels of occupation related to Neanderthal man (Middle Paleolithic), when animals such as the elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) and the rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus sp.) lived in southern Italy.

During this period, Neanderthals produced massive flake tools (scrapers and denticulates), sometimes featuring a distinctive invasive retouching known as "scalariform." These characteristics, combined with the considerable thickness of the anthropogenic deposit (approximately 6 m), make the Grotta del Poggio a rare archive of anthropogenic and paleoenvironmental data of extreme scientific importance, so important that it extends beyond Italy's borders: since 2022, the site has been included in a European project on Neanderthals and early sapiens.

Continuing research, conducted using the most modern stratigraphic investigation systems and cutting-edge technologies, will allow us to acquire unprecedented information on the behavior, lifestyle, and cognitive abilities of Neanderthal hunter-gatherer groups at a still very little-known stage of their evolutionary journey.

This year, research in the nearby Cala Cave returns to the Upper Paleolithic levels dating back to the Early Gravettian. Excavation of an area occupied by Bronze Age burials, discovered in 2018 in the cave's inner chamber, has been completed. This has yielded a series of exceptional finds, including dozens of glass and amber beads and human remains, primarily teeth, belonging to multiple individuals.

The data collected are now being examined by a multidisciplinary team of scholars from different institutions (Universities of Siena, Bologna and Florence, CNR ISTEC of Faenza and Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Caserta and Benevento). The definitive results of the studies are awaited and, appropriately integrated, will soon be the subject of a publication in an international journal.

The levels of frequentation dating back to the early Gravettian period have in the past yielded numerous stone tools, abundant faunal remains and ornaments consisting of both atrophied deer canines and small marine shells.

The new excavations aim to expand the surveyed area so as to also carry out spatial distribution studies, essential for understanding how our distant sapiens ancestors used and managed their living spaces.

The Cala Cave continues to offer new discoveries every year. These discoveries, on the one hand, immeasurably enrich our knowledge of a now distant past in which humans lived in complete harmony with nature. On the other, they help maintain the interest of scholars and the general public in a site officially recognized as a World Heritage Site.

The results achieved are the fruit of years of research and studies made possible thanks to the solid synergy established between the Municipality of Camerota, the Superintendency and all the research bodies involved.