Towards an improved understanding of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene eco-climatic context of human activities in the Northern Apennines, Italy

Towards an improved understanding of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene eco-climatic context of human activities in the Northern Apennines, Italy - Two well-dated palaeoenvironmental records from Liguria in the northern Apennines (NW Italy) were used to reconstruct the timing and nature of sedimentary changes and vegetation succession during the upper Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. The results from Pian del Lago and Rovegno have provided clear signals for multiple abrupt climatic events: Interstadials at ~43,440- 41,950 cal. BP, ~37,130-36,650 cal. BP, ~36,050-35,160 cal. BP, ~33,860-32,650 cal. BP, ~26,880-26,400 cal. BP, ~23,030 to 22,800 cal. BP, ~14,660-12,480 cal. BP (Lateglacial Interstadial); Stadials at ~22,540-19,300 cal. BP, ~19,300-17,480 cal. BP, ~17,480-14,660 cal. BP and ~12,480-11,560 cal. BP (Lateglacial Stadi- al - ‘Younger Dryas’ chronozone). The presence of these events suggests that the northern Apennines were probably sensitive to many of the extreme climate events recorded in other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. The data have provided important new information on the climatic and environmental context of human activities in the Italian Maritime Alps and northern Apennines especially at the tran- sition between the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic, and during subsequent socio-eco- nomic and cultural developments during the Late Mousterian, Proto-Aurignacian, Aurignacian, Gravettian, Epigravettian, Mesolithic and Early Neolithic.