Men and elephants at Poggetti Vecchi

In the early months of 2012 investigative works for the construction of a thermal pool within a small artificial basin in the district of Poggetti Vecchi, close to Grosseto unearthed a Palaeolithic site with many remains of Palaeoloxodon antiquus, alongside those of several other vertebrates. Urgent excavations were carried out by the Tuscan Archaeological Commission between March and June 2012 and in November 2013, over an area of around 160 m2 within the artificial basin. The work was complicated by the constant flow of hot spring water; the pool was emptied during the excavation by a large pump, while it was filled with water during the rest of the day. The same level yielded a set of wooden artefacts of great scientific relevance. These items are presently being restored and under study. Based on preliminary analytical results, the oldest level of frequentation of the Poggetti Vecchi site can be attributed to a time period ranging around 150- 200 ka BP. The area is located at the foot of a small limestone land surface elevation of around 11 metres above sea level, along the shore of an old lake, now filled. The area was repeatedly frequented by prehistoric man, probably at the beginning of the middle Palaeolithic, for hunting and/or scavenging carcasses of large herbivores that lived in the area. The research in the site of Poggetti Vecchi called for a multidisciplinary approach, involving numerous specialists from different scientific disciplines. The study, still in progress, will include also absolute dating, which is however difficult to obtain in presence of hot spring water.