Along
the steep cliffs of the coast around Porto Infreschi there are
various caves, only three of which have so far been systematically
excavated.
Grotta di Santa Maria
Alcuni aspetti dei tratti
interni della Grotta di Santa Maria
Of the deep original stratigraphy which has subsequently be en
eroded by the sea, only more or less extensive lenses remain.
In the large entrance chamber, at the base, there is a succession
of concreted horizons of a reddish colour, breccia and pyroclasts,
which have produced a rare Mousterian industry. At about 10 metres
above current sea-level, concreted lenses of dark earth with abundant
molluscs are plated onto the walls. In a high passage towards
the back of the cave an anthropogenic horizon has been discovered
with a Final Epigravettian type industry. It is characterised
above all by denticulates (19.3%) and sidescrapers (19.3%), while
backed tools (both points and blades, as well as rarer truncated
backed pieces) are relatively frequent (17.5%); endscrapers are
moderately frequent (13.2%) with short types slightly dominating
over long types, and burins which have simple morphologies, are
rare (2.Û%). In the absence of naturalistic and radiometric supporting
data, the chronological position of this industry within the Tyrrhenian
Final Epigravettian is open to discussion; originally attributed
to a period comprised between 12,000 and 10,000 BP (Bachechi,
1989-90), it has recently been attributed to the beginning of
an undifferentiated Epipalaeolithic on the basis of the presence
of some regressive characteristics (Martini, 1993) and therefore
it would have a slightly more recent date.
Located on the eastern side of the bay, a stratigraphic series
of nearly 4 metres in thickness has been excavated which was deposited
in a cave environment but which today lies in the open as a result
of the collapse of the roof of the cave. The series lies on a
marine conglomerate containing Spondylus which is probably of
Tyrrhenian age and consists of alternating levels of reddened
clays and more or less cemented breccias, pyroclasts and stalagmitic
crusts, sealed at the top by colluvial deposits and rockfall.
A rare Mousterian industry is present in nearly the whole series,
and especially in the breccia level with small stones towards
the base of the series. It is constituted by flat, average sized
artifacts and the Levallois technique is present. In the same
breccia levels there are also traces of fire. The faunal remains
include cervids, equids and carnivores and the sediments are palynologically
sterile. The chronological position of the lithic complex from
Porto Infreschi, which is currently being studied, can be preliminarily
attributed to an early but not initial episode of the Mousterian.
The correlations with the longer Mousterian series from Riparo
and Grotta del Poggio (Marina di Camerota) and Riparo del Molare
near Scario are still to be defined.
Grotta del Noglio
This
cave also shows traces of intense periods of marine erosion which
have demolished the prehistoric stratigraphic series. Lenses of
Pleistocene ossiferous breccias remain near the entrance to the
cave while towards the back wall, above a large rockfall, a sequence
has been revealed and systematically excavated in an area which
was not reached by the marine erosion at about 17 metres above
current sea-level: at the bottom there is a deposit with abundant
molluscs (level d), partially eroded and partially disturbed by
successive occupation; at the top there is a Bronze Age deposit
(level c). The Bronze Age livingfloor seems to have been structured
with a floor made of smoothed and squared baked clay, which was
drained by an underlying pavement of marine pebbles, small stones
and rare fragments of pottery. At the edges of this floor there
are two hearths, one of which is surrounded by stones. The pottery
production, which is very abundant, appertains to two aspects
of the Middle Bronze Age: an early facies (Protoapennine) with
Capo Graziano type elements, and a later Middle Bronze Age Apennine
facies.
