Annamaria Ronchitelli

The aim of Annamaria's research is to move towards the fundamental question of behavioural archaeological interpretations of the cultural and environmental aspects, essential data to reconstruct the socio-economic behaviours and strategies of these early human groups and establish the comparisons and links that occurred between coeval cultures in Northern, Central and Southern Italy.

Main research interests are concerning the study of lithic assemblages of Middle Palaeolithic in Southern Italy where, on the basis of stratigraphic excavations conducted both on the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic sides (Grotta Grande and Molare Shelter at Scario in Campania and Grotta di S. Croce and Grotta dell’Oscurosciuto in Apulia respectively), for a detailed reconstruction of the chronological, palaeoenvironmental and cultural evolution of the Mousterian.

It has to be underline that these deposits, due to the stratigraphic development and the correlations that can be made between them, are among the most important sites in Southern Italy.

Research is carried out following a multidisciplinary approach enriched by international cooperative research projects (France, Spain, England, Canada). Worthy of note is a Neanderthal child’s lower jaw found in the Riparo del Molare in Scario (Salerno).

Regarding the Upper Palaeolithic sequences her research goals are concentrated on the most significant series of Southern Italy: Uluzzian (Grotta del Cavallo, Apulia and Grotta di Castelcivita, Campania), Protoaurignacian and Gravettian (Grotta Paglicci, Apulia and Grotta della Cala, Campania).