From Neanderthals to Homo sapiens: new palaeoecological and tephrocronological data from the MIS3 layers of Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy)

The southern Italian Peninsula plays a crucial role as a biogeographical hotspot in Southern Europe, influenced significantly by the Mediterranean climate. This environment acted as a glacial refuge for diverse flora and fauna, humans included. This study employs pollen analysis on Mousterian and Uluzzian sediments from Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C in the Salento Peninsula (southern Italy) to reconstruct the vegetation landscapes encountered by the late Italian Neanderthals (thus far associated with the Mousterian) and early modern humans (linked to the Uluzzian) during the mid Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Our palynological analyses reveal a distinctive and diverse environment within the Mediterranean landscape. Tephrochronological and OSL constraints and paleoenvironmental variability consistently allow us to date the investigated interval between ~46.6 ka and 43.4 ka, encompassing the second part of the long Greenland interstadial 12 (GI-12) and the onset of the GI-11. Over these three millennia, the environment in the area of Uluzzo C is characterized by a rich flora mainly composed of evergreen elements. Additionally, heliophytes such as Amaranthaceae, Artemisia, and Poaceae are observed. The consistent presence of pollen taxa such as Juglans, and Pinus halepensis/pinea, among others, highlights the importance of this coastal area of Apulia for the long-term persistence of Mediterranean species during the Late Pleistocene. These taxa could be supported by a generally mild climate, as suggested by the occurrence of Olea, Myrtus, and Cistus. These diverse environments would undeniably have offered various opportunities for the survival of Neanderthals and early Upper Palaeolithic hominins, especially during the warm phases and, critically, the cold events of the Late Pleistocene. Our integrated approach underscores the importance of GrottaRiparo di Uluzzo C as a MIS 3 archive, contributing to the ongoing debate on the spatial extent of glacial refugia. Our data from Uluzzo C corroborate the previous idea that the climatic and environmental setting were not the main reason for Neanderthals' abandonment of Uluzzo Bay and potentially southern Italy around 45,000 years ago.