The Pertosa-Auletta Caves, a karstic complex located at the foothills of the Alburni Mountains in southern Italy, have recently been the subject of a significant archaeological research project.

Thanks to collaboration between local authorities and several scientific organizations, it became possible in January 2024 to temporarily drain a dam obstructing the entrance to the caves, allowing for new archaeological investigations inside.

Within the caves lies an exceptional archaeological site dating back approximately 3500 years, consisting of the only known remains in Europe of a prehistoric stilt village in an underground environment.

View of the entrance to the grotto with the reservoir at its highest level, on the left, and with the river water flowing in natural conditions, on the right
View of the entrance to the grotto with the reservoir at its highest level, on the left, and with the river water flowing in natural conditions, on the right. Credit: F. Larocca / Centro Regionale di Speleologia Enzo dei Medici

Due to the dam, these remains could only be sporadically studied. The new work has allowed for documenting the extent of the ancient settlement and better clarifying the presence of artifacts spanning from the Stone Age to the Roman period.

The intervention has expanded knowledge about this unique prehistoric site, which, before the Christian era, was used as a place of worship by Greeks and Romans.

The caves, connected by natural galleries about 2500 meters long and adorned with numerous calcareous formations, also house a small underground lake crossed by boat.

Wooden poles outcropping from the riverbed, part of an extensive system of piles from the protohistoric era
Wooden poles outcropping from the riverbed, part of an extensive system of piles from the protohistoric era. Credit: F. Larocca / Centro Regionale di Speleologia Enzo dei Medici

Additionally, the recovered materials include ceramics, stone tools, and bone artifacts shedding light on the way of life of the human groups that inhabited the site. It has been determined that activities included agriculture, fishing, and hunting.

In the coming months, research efforts at the site will continue, with detailed findings expected to be presented at a major scientific conference.

This project is uncovering new insights into the history of these caves, one of the most emblematic natural and archaeological sites of prehistory in southern Italy.

Archaeologists inside the cave
Archaeologists inside the cave. Credit: Centro Regionale di Speleologia Enzo dei Medici

Sources

Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Salerno e Avellino

  • Share this article:

Discover more from LBV Magazine English Edition

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Archaeologists working at the sites
Archaeological Discoveries in Northern Iraq Evidence the Rise of Private Property and the First City-States Since 2015, a team of researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) has been carrying out an ambitious international archaeological research project in the historic region of Northern Mesopotamia,…
Archaeo-paleontological excavation site in Pirro Nord, Italy
The Italian site of Pirro Nord does not Contain, as Previously Thought, the Oldest Evidence of Human Presence in Western Europe A new study led by the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH) has revealed the first datings of a significant Paleolithic site in Italy. Published in the journal…
20231004_102624-2
Rare find in Germany: Complete Cave Bear Skeletons, Jaws, and Paleolithic Stone Tools Unearthed During archaeological investigations in the Ansbach district, Bavaria, Germany, in 2022, thousands of cave bear bones from the Stone Age and various stone tools were uncovered. Between August and October…
20231130_la_garma_800-2
Remains of a Paleolithic hut from 16,800 years ago, discovered in La Garma Cave in Cantabria Recent archaeological investigations carried out in La Garma Cave, Cantabria (Spain), have allowed for the detailed documentation of the remains of a Paleolithic hut built 16,800 years ago. It is…
The skeleton of the Man of Altamura embedded between the stalactites and stalagmites of the cave
The Altamura Man, the Best-Preserved Neanderthal Fossil, Is So Ancient That It Was Found Embedded Among Stalactites and Stalagmites In 1993, in the Lamalunga karst system near the town of Altamura in southern Italy, an extraordinary archaeological discovery was made: a Neanderthal skeleton, nicknamed the Altamura Man, which is…
General aspect of the coastal platform of eastern Asturias near Llanes; note the general flattened surface modeled by karstic processes and the Sierra del Cuera, part of the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, in the background.
Mystery of prehistoric shell middens in Asturias, Spain, unraveled A hundred years ago, the Count of Vega del Sella laid the foundation for understanding the prehistoric shell middens of Asturias. Now, a century later, an international team of researchers…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Follow LBV Magazine on Google News