Nestled within the limestone cliffs of Uluzzo Bay in southern Italy, Grotta della Lea has remained largely untouched since it was first documented in the 1970s. Unlike many other archaeological sites that have been repeatedly excavated over decades, this cave has only recently been investigated systematically. That lack of disturbance makes it an exceptional place to study how humans occupied the region during the final millennia of the Upper Paleolithic.
Recent excavations at Grotta della Lea, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports1, have confirmed that the site was used by humans during both the Early Epigravettian (around 22,000 to 18,000 years ago) and later during the Copper and Bronze Ages. However, it is the Epigravettian layers—dating to the last major cold phase of the Ice Age—that provide a rare glimpse into the lives of hunter-gatherers navigating a rapidly changing environment.
A Connection to the Past
Grotta della Lea is part of a broader network of Paleolithic sites in Uluzzo Bay, including Grotta del Cavallo and Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C, both of which have yielded crucial evidence about human occupation in Italy. Grotta del Cavallo, for instance, is famous for preserving some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in Europe, dating to around 45,000 years ago. The discovery of an Epigravettian layer at Grotta della Lea now provides a new chapter in this long history, capturing a time when small bands of hunter-gatherers were adapting to life at the edge of the Last Glacial Maximum.
Tools and Survival in the Late Ice Age
One of the key findings at Grotta della Lea is a collection of carefully crafted lithic tools, primarily made of high-quality chert. Among them are shouldered backed bladelets and projectile points—hallmarks of the Early Epigravettian toolkit. These tools suggest a specialized hunting strategy, likely focused on mobile prey like deer, wild horses, and bovids.
The radiocarbon dating places these tools firmly within the Early Epigravettian, aligning with known sites across Italy. The presence of these distinct lithic technologies indicates that hunter-gatherers in this region were part of a broader cultural tradition that spanned much of southern Europe in the final millennia of the Ice Age.
What the Bones Reveal
Beyond the tools, the cave's faunal remains tell a story of survival and adaptation. Excavations uncovered a wide range of animal bones, including large herbivores such as horses and bovids, as well as smaller game like hares, turtles, and birds. The presence of butchery marks on many of these bones suggests that humans actively hunted and processed animals at the site.
Interestingly, some of the bones also bear signs of carnivore activity, hinting at a complex dynamic between humans and other predators in the region. Were people competing with large carnivores for food, or were scavengers simply taking advantage of human hunting sites? These questions remain open, but they underscore the challenges Ice Age hunters faced in securing resources.
A Site for the Future
Grotta della Lea is still in the early stages of study, but its potential is clear. Because the site was relatively undisturbed before excavation, researchers have the opportunity to apply modern techniques to analyze sediments, organic materials, and artifacts in ways that were not possible at many earlier-discovered sites.
Future work will aim to refine the timeline of human activity in the cave and explore how it fits into the broader landscape of Paleolithic Italy. As researchers continue to study the material from Grotta della Lea, the site promises to deepen our understanding of the people who thrived in Europe’s last great Ice Age.
Related Research
Romandini, M., Marciani, G., Benazzi, S., et al. (2022). "The last Neanderthals of Italy: Evidence of late survival in the Reggio Emilia Apennines." Scientific Reports, 12(1), 5609.
Examines late Neanderthal survival in Italy before the arrival of Homo sapiens.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09532-w
Moroni, A., Ronchitelli, A., Boschin, F., et al. (2018). "Human resilience at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum in the Italian Alps." Quaternary Science Reviews, 197, 58-75.
Investigates how Epigravettian hunter-gatherers adapted to the changing environment.
DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.07.009
Benazzi, S., Douka, K., Fornai, C., et al. (2011). "Early dispersal of modern humans in Europe and implications for Neanderthal behavior." Nature, 479(7374), 525-528.
Discusses early Homo sapiens in Europe and their interactions with Neanderthals.
DOI: 10.1038/nature10617
The discovery at Grotta della Lea marks an important addition to the growing picture of Ice Age Italy, offering new insights into the people who shaped Europe’s prehistoric landscapes.
Marciani, G., Vazzana, A., Higgins, O. A., Martini, I., Terlato, G., Severi, S., Silvestrini, S., Romandini, M., Gruppo Speleologico Neretino, Berna, F., Iacono, F., Calcagnile, L., Quarta, G., Moroni, A., & Benazzi, S. (2025). Grotta della Lea, a new Early Epigravettian site in southern Italy (Uluzzo Bay). Journal of Archaeological Science, Reports, 63(105064), 105064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105064
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