Parietal art discovered at Arene Candide Cave (Liguria, Italy).

Mussi, Margherita ; Bahn, Paul ; Maggi, Roberto 等

The Palaeolithic parietal art of Italy has been somewhat neglected in recent decades, with little new work done since that of Paolo Graziosi (e.g. 1973). Instead new discoveries of Palaeolithic art on blocks or portable objects have been the focus of attention in this country. Any new find is therefore of major significance, and we report here the discovery of engravings which are possibly of late Pleistocene age. The Caverna delle Arene Candide is a vast cave, opening in a commanding position at 85m asl on the coast of Liguria (north-west Italy) (Figure 1). It has been under excavation since the second half of the nineteenth century, with major campaigns in the first half of the twentieth century directed by Luigi Bernabo Brea and Luigi Cardini. This led to the establishment of a stratigraphic sequence from before the Last Glacial Maximum to Byzantine times. The cave's Neolithic sequence is a reference for the whole of the Western Mediterranean (Bernabo Brea 1956; Guilaine 2004; Maggi 1997), while the Pleistocene deposits yielded a number of well-preserved burials. The earliest of these, nicknamed 'Il Principe' (i.e. 'the Prince'), has recently been dated to 23 440 [+ or -] 190 bp (OxA-10700) (uncalibrated, like all the following [sup.14]C dates) (Cardini 1942; Pettitt et al. 2003). It is the richest Gravettian burial so far discovered in Western Europe. Much later, the cave was again a Pleistocene burial ground. A minimum of 18 individuals were discovered in richly ornamented graves, with other disturbed burials or secondary deposits (Cardini 1980). In the last few years, the more recent inhumations have also been re-dated to between 10 735 [+ or -] 55 bp (OxA-11003) and 9925 [+ or -] 50 bp (OXA-10999) (Formicola et al. 2005). As the six direct dates so far available cluster in two separate sets, which do not overlap within l[sigma], it has been suggested that two different phases of deposition occurred at the end of the Pleistocene.

Only limited evidence of Palaeolithic art was found during the excavation of the Pleistocene deposit: some batons perfores decorated with geometric engravings from the 'Prince' burial--a truly exceptional find in Italy, as such items are not found outside Liguria; and some pebbles with painted Azilian motifs from the layers and burials of final Pleistocene age. This prompted a project aimed at searching for parietal art. Flaking has greatly affected the walls of the main chamber, making the preservation of engravings or paintings highly unlikely. The walls are better preserved in a lateral, elongated cavity, known as ramo Giuseppe Vicino which is accessible from the main chamber through a small opening (Figure 2). Although this entrance is very restricted, once inside one can easily stand up (Figure 3). The ground is littered with stones, and archaeological remains also ended up in the cavity, either because they were thrown in from outside, or because some of the deposits naturally collapsed into this empty area. After a few metres of sloping floor, the ground level is significantly lower than that of the Holocene deposits of the main chamber.

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In February 2005 two small panels with geometric engravings were discovered on the wall opposite the entrance, almost at ground level, while more occur further inside. The latter panels stand higher on the wall, as the ground slopes down from the entrance. The engravings are similar to each other: a set of multiple, thin, vertical incisions running parallel to each other, and carefully fitted within natural oval frames. The general result is a more or less oval shape, with the major axis parallel to the ground. This is clearly apparent near the entrance, where both panels are enclosed within natural fissures (Figures 4A and 5). The engraved lines are up to 15cm long, and thickly packed over a width of 5-15cm. In Panel A, there are 31 lines, located 2-5mm from each other; in Panel B, there are 9 lines, more irregularly spaced. They are patinated, but less so than the support. It is quite common for Palaeolithic art, whether parietal or portable, to be fitted to the shape of its support (e.g. see Robert 2007), and the Arene Candide engravings most certainly do this.

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A clue to the age of the engravings is given by the archaeological layers which once abutted against the entrance to the cavity, and eventually sealed it completely (Figure 2). Thanks to the accurate excavations by Bernabo Brea in the Neolithic levels, and to subsequent campaigns of digging, including those currently underway, the level reached by various deposits can be accurately calculated. We therefore know that it was no longer possible to enter the cavity after the earliest layer of the Square Mouthed Pottery culture had been deposited, approximately 6000 years ago according to uncalibrated [sup.14]C dates. But even to be made at a modest l m above ground level, the engravings must have been made significantly earlier, i.e. before the Neolithic layers had started to be deposited (Figure 2).

Further refinement in the chronology is made possible by comparisons with art from Italy and elsewhere in Europe. At the very end of the Pleistocene, there is a trend towards geometric shapes, filled by parallel lines. This is best exemplified by the engravings of the cave of Gouy, ill northern France, where a 'process of azilianization' has been described (Martin 2007: 188). Similar painted motifs are found in Italy as portable art, as in the Epigravettian levels of Arene Candide itself. Further comparisons can be made with Riparo Dalmeri in north-eastern Italy: slab RD6, of 10 x 8.9 x 2cm (Figure 4B), is one of several stones discovered in this rockshelter, in a layer securely dated to between approximately 11 450 [+ or -] 50 and 11 340 [+ or -] 45 bp (uncalibrated) (Dalmeri et al. 2005a). Within an oval, natural depression of the surface, a number of lines are painted in red (Dalmeri et al. 2005b). Slabs and pebbles with painted parallel lines were also discovered at Grotta Continenza in central Italy, in sections 34 and 36, with [sup.14]C dates close to 10 230 [+ or -] 110 and 11 980 [+ or -] 120 bp (Astuti 2002; Grifoni Cremonesi 1998; 2003). More were found at Grotta della Madonna at Praia a Mare in southern Italy (Cardini 1972): close similarities can be found with a specimen from sections 45-46, which were dated to 9070 [+ or -] 80 bp (R-188) nearly 40 years ago, when Radiocarbon was still in its pioneer phase. Ongoing research by the team of the Museo Pigorini (Rome) will make it possible to re-date it more accurately, and it would come as no surprise if it were closer in age to those of Grotta Dalmeri and Grotta Continenza (Figure 4C).

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Dating engraved panels is always a tricky matter. In the case of the Caverna delle Arene Candide, however, a number of clues consistently point to an age of more than 6000 bp (uncalibrated), when the entrance to the cavity was no longer practicable. The position on the walls suggests a period preceding the Neolithic. As there is no evidence of any Mesolithic layer in the entire stratigraphic sequence, the engravings can be tentatively related to the Epigravettian layers, and to a period 11 000-10 000 years ago (13 000-11 000 years ago after calibration). This fits well with a chronology based on stylistic comparisons with portable art from Italian Palaeolithic sites.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Giulia Carta, Stefano Giannoni and Nadine Rhodes who were of invaluable assistance in making this discovery, while Emilio Provenzani spent time and effort on producing the illustrations. Andrea De Pascale (Museo Civico del Finale) also helped in many ways. MM was supported by a grant from MIUR--Ricerca scientifica.

Received: 14 September 2007; Accepted: 27 November 2007; Revised: 2 January 2008

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Margherita Mussi (1), Paul Bahn (2) & Roberto Maggi (3)

(1) Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Andchita, Universita di Roma 'La Sapienza', via Palestro 63, 00185 Roma, Italy (Email: margherita, mussi@uniroma1.it)

(2) 428 Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 6QR UK (Email: pgbahn@anlabyrd.karoo.co.uk)

(3) Direzione regionale per i beni culturali e paesaggistici della Liguria, via Balbi 10, 16126 Genova, Italy (Email: rmaggi@beniculturali.it)