Caverna delle Arene Candide | |
 Discovered fossils, now atPegli archaeological museum | |
  location in Italy Show map of Liguria Arene Candide (Italy) Show map of Italy | |
| Alternative name | Grotta dei Frati |
|---|---|
| Location | Caprazoppa promontory,Finale Ligure |
| Region | Liguria, Italy |
| Coordinates | 44°9′42.48″N8°19′35″E / 44.1618000°N 8.32639°E /44.1618000; 8.32639 |
| History | |
| Periods | lateUpper Palaeolithic |
| Associated with | prehistoric settlers |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Arturo Issel, Luigi Bernabò Brea, Luigi Cardini |
TheArene Candide, (Italian:Caverna delle Arene Candide,Cavern of the White sands) is an archaeological site inFinale Ligure,Liguria, Italy. Its name was derived from theeponymous dune of white (candida) sand (arena) that could be found at the base of the cliff until the 1920s in theCaprazoppa promontory, where the Arene Candide cave is located.
The cave is situated at 90 m (300 ft) above sea level on the upper margin of the formerGhigliazza stone quarry and has three wide openings that point towards the sea. Thanks to its position and to those openings the cave is well lit and relatively dry. It can be accessed from above within 30 minutes via a path fromBorgio Verezzi.
The cave is locally known asGrotta dei Frati orArmassa, and received its popular name in 1864, whenArturo Issel visited it, who was the first in a long series of archaeologists and geologists and researchers.[1][2][3][4][5]
The Arene Candide gained international attention after the excavation campaigns in the years 1940 to 1942 and 1948 to 1950 in the south-eastern part of the cave, led byLuigi Bernabò Brea and Luigi Cardini.[6][7][8][9] Their excavation brought a detailedstratigraphic sequence to light, that ranges from theUpper Palaeolithic to theByzantine period.[10] The favorable environmental conditions in the cave proved to be the key to the good state of conservation of the organic material like bonefossils and charcoal fragments. Due to their extraordinary preservation condition, the nineteenpaleolithic burial pits, that were discovered in Arene Candide rank among the most significant funerary complexes in the world, as the material enabled researchers to conduct extensive and comprehensive anthropological studies in the framework of contemporary available scientific methods. Further excavations were carried out in the 1970s and the 2000s.[11][12]
The most remarkable and scientifically valuable burial is called the "Young prince" (Giovane principe), a male around 15 years old, dated to about 23,500 yearsBP, attributed to theGravettian culture.[13] The body was positioned lying on its back on a layer of redochre, 6.7 m (22 ft) below the surface sediment, looking to the south and accompanied by an extremely rich set of grave goods including a cap made of shells and deer canines, jewels made of shellfish, mammoth ivory pendants, four deer antler batons, and a 23 centimetres (9.1 in) stoneblade in his right hand.[14] The blade was crafted fromflint originating in the Forcalquier basin in south-eastern France.[citation needed] He died from a serious injury to the jaw and shoulder, possibly inflicted by a bear or big cat.[15] This area was covered with yellow ochre before the final burial.Isotope analysis of the teeth revealed that approximately 25% of the juvenile's diet consisted of marine protein.[14]
Excavation discoveries are on display in several Italian museums, including the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology inGenoaPegli, the Archaeological Museum of Finale inFinale Ligure and thePigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography in Rome.
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