Field Projects

Ongoing field work plays an important role in contextualising old finds as well as making new discoveries. FIRSTSTEPS aims to re-visit sites that can shed new light on Neanderthal-early H. sapiens interactions, and the dispersals and adaptations of modern humans in Europe, concentrating mainly in the Balkans and Italy.

Apidima is a complex of five coastal caves near Areopolis, Peleponnese, Greece. Since the late 1970s the caves yielded a large number of lithics and zooarchaeological finds. In addition, fossil human remains were recovered from Cave A (Middle Pleistocene) and Cave C (Late Pleistocene). Excavations were resumed in 2022 in the framework of FIRSTSTEPS and are ongoing under the auspices of the Norwegian Institute at Athens.

All finds from the ongoing excavations at the Apidima Caves are processed in our field lab. Work includes removal of breccia sediments from finds, sorting of washed sediments, taking pictures and cataloging individual finds.

The Late Pleistocene site Podlipa cave was investigated in spring of 2023 and 2024. The excavations were conducted in collaborations with FIRSTSTEPS collaborators Dr. Jašarević (Regional Museum in Doboj) and Prov. Milhailović (University of Belgrade).

The Via San Francesco site is located in the centre of Sanremo, just a few kilometres from the coast. It consists of a thick stratified deposit, including a layer dated to over 130,000 years ago, which has yielded hundreds of lithic artefacts and faunal remains, with a predominance of deer and, more rarely, horse. The lithics are characterised by a notable use of volumetric laminar reduction alongside planimetric reduction such as Levallois. The retouched artefacts include several obliquely truncated blades, the use-wear analysis of which has led to interpreting them as knives for cutting fresh meat. The excavation is directed by FIRSTSTEPS collaborator Prof. Fabio Negrino (University of Genova) and carried out under the permission of and in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Imperia e Savona; Museo Civico del Comune di Sanremo, and Istituto Internazionale di Studi Liguri - Sezione di Sanremo.

Grotta del Poggio is part of a system of caves and shelters opening into the rock wall of the Poggio limestone spur, located east of Marina di Camerota (Salerno, Southern Italy). This complex, excavated by the University of Siena from 1966 up to today, is considered one of the chrono-stratigraphic points of reference for the Middle Palaeolithic, due to its more than 20m-thick stratigraphic sequence, spanning from 250 to 40 thousand years ago. The continental deposits of the cave refer to a period of cold climate and contain a series of human occupations very rich in lithic artefacts and faunal remains, among which are red deer (Cervus elaphus), chamois (Rupicapra sp.), horse (Equus ferus), rhinoceros (cf. Stephanorhinus), and Elephas (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), all with butchering traces. Interestingly, a Neanderthal tooth was found in the middle part of the sequence. The excavation is co-directed by FIRSTSTEPS member Dr. Simona Arrighi and FIRSTSTEPS collaborator Dr. Adriana Moroni (University of Siena) and carried out under the permission of the Italian Ministry of Culture and The Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Salerno e Avellino, MIC DG ABAP SERV II 07/03/2022 0008419-P [34.61.07/1.14.2/2019].

Compared to its eastern counterpart, the western Swabian Jura exhibits a low density of Palaeolithic sites. However, previous excavations from the 1930s indicate that Pleistocene archaeological layers are preserved in the Bernlochhöhle. Therefore, Dr. Yvonne Tafelmaier, David Naumann, and Prof. Katerina Harvati decided to begin preliminary investigations at the cave as a collaboration between the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege and the University of Tübingen. These preliminary investigations aim to evaluate the potential for the preservation of Pleistocene deposits, to gain a better understanding of the stratigraphy, and to contextualize the preserved archaeological layers at this site. Excavations started in 2024 with a small team of FIRSTSTEPS members and students, both from the University of Tübingen.