Abstract

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is widely known for its crucial role as a crossroads for human colonization from the Holocene through to at least the Middle Ages. Yet the role played by Sicily in terms of human dispersal along the coastal margins of the western and central Mediterranean during the Pleistocene remains largely unclear. For instance, Sicily is often cited in the literature as being the first Mediterranean island to have been populated by Aurignacian human groups—a scenario that has been heavily debated, if not entirely disproven. In this paper, I present a critical reanalysis of the purported early colonization events of the island known from the literature, together with recently published radiometric dates and sophisticated geological modeling, to show that there is currently no basis to postulate a Sicilian Aurignacian phase (∼45 − 33 ka BP). Additionally, I suggest that there is cause to reconsider the timing and modalities of the colonization of the island by Epigravettian human groups and that the colonization of Sicily could represent the first evidence of an island in the Central and Western Mediterranean colonized by watercraft. Contextualizing the relevance of Sicily in the early seafaring debate, the conclusions presented further suggest a reconsideration of the current pre-Holocene model of human dispersion for the entire Mediterranean.

摘要

西西里岛是地中海最大的岛屿，以其作为从全新世到至少中世纪的人类殖民十字路口的关键作用而广为人知。然而，西西里岛在更新世期间在地中海西部和中部沿海边缘的人类传播方面所起的作用仍不清楚。例如，西西里岛经常在文献中被引用为第一个由奥里尼亚克人类群体居住的地中海岛屿——如果没有完全被证明的话，这种情况已经引起了激烈的争论。在本文中，我对文献中已知的该岛据称的早期殖民事件进行了批判性的再分析，以及最近发表的辐射测量日期和复杂的地质模型，表明目前没有基础假设西西里 Aurignacian 阶段（~45 - 33 ka BP）。此外，我建议有理由重新考虑 Epigravettian 人类群体对该岛进行殖民化的时间和方式，并且西西里岛的殖民化可能代表了地中海中部和西部岛屿被船只殖民的第一个证据。结合西西里岛在早期航海辩论中的相关性，提出的结论进一步表明重新考虑当前整个地中海人类分散的前全新世模型。我建议有理由重新考虑 Epigravettian 人类群体对该岛进行殖民化的时间和方式，并且西西里岛的殖民化可能代表了地中海中部和西部岛屿被船只殖民的第一个证据。结合西西里岛在早期航海辩论中的相关性，提出的结论进一步表明重新考虑当前整个地中海人类分散的前全新世模型。我建议有理由重新考虑 Epigravettian 人类群体对该岛进行殖民化的时间和方式，并且西西里岛的殖民化可能代表了地中海中部和西部岛屿被船只殖民的第一个证据。结合西西里岛在早期航海辩论中的相关性，提出的结论进一步表明重新考虑当前整个地中海人类分散的前全新世模型。