TheGrotta del Cavallo or Cavallo Cave (Italian:"Cave of the Horse") is alimestone cave in the region ofApulia,SouthernItaly, nearNardò 90 km (55.92 mi) south ofTaranto. The cave is about 15 m (49 ft) above present sea level. It has a rounded entrance, 5 m (16.40 ft) wide and 2.5 m (8.20 ft) high opening toward the sea. The cave was rediscovered in 1960 and two waves of excavations ensued. The first wave spanning from 1963 to 1966 and the second from 1986 to 2008. The cave was disturbed by looters during the period between the two waves of excavations, damaging the layers corresponding to theUpper Palaeolithic; because of this, the cave entrance is covered by a gate and is closed to the public.[1]
The cave contains a richstratigraphic succession with a depth of 7 m (23 ft), that is deposited on top of aninterglacial beach foundation. The most notable section of this sequence covers theMiddle Palaeolithic, associated with theNeanderthalMousterian culture and recently discovered subsequent strata that were associated with the earliest known appearance ofAnatomically modern humans in Europe.
In 1964 twodeciduous molars were discovered in the cave. In 1967 researchers described the teeth as ofNeanderthal origin and assumed that the accompanyingstone tools and shell bead ornaments were typical of a Neanderthal culture, that was subsequently termed theUluzzi culture[2][3] as it closely resembles theChâtelperronian. However, the association of the Châtelperronian culture withHomo neanderthalensis is subject of ongoing debate.[4][5] In 2011, a team of researchers led by Stefano Benazzi of the Department of Anthropology at theUniversity of Vienna published a study in the journalNature which concluded that the teeth are not of Neanderthal origin, but from an earlyHomo sapiens and date from 45,000 to 43,000 years BP. According to Benazzi these results allow the support of the hypothesis that the Uluzzi culture is not to be attributed toNeanderthals but to modern humans.[6] Although the Human provenance of these teeth is contended, no evidence contradicting this claim has been put forward[3][7] and it has gained some acceptance. However, the attribution of the entire Uluzzi technology to Anatomically Modern European Humans is more contentious.[8]
^Benazzi, Stefano; Douka, Katerina; Fornai, Cinzia; Bauer, Catherine C.; Kullmer, Ottmar; Svoboda, Jiří; Pap, Ildikó; Mallegni, Francesco; Bayle, Priscilla; Coquerelle, Michael; Condemi, Silvana; Ronchitelli, Annamaria; Harvati, Katerina; Weber, Gerhard W. (2011). "Early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behaviour".Nature.479 (7374). Springer Science and Business Media LLC:525–528.Bibcode:2011Natur.479..525B.doi:10.1038/nature10617.ISSN0028-0836.PMID22048311.
