The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, between 50 000 and 40 000 years ago, is a period of important ecological and cultural changes. In this framework, the Rock Shelter of Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy) represents an important site due to Late Mousterian and Uluzzian evidence preserved in its stratigraphic sequence. Here, we present the results of a multidisciplinary analysis performed on the materials collected between 2016 and 2018 from the Uluzzian stratigraphic units (SUs) 3, 15 and 17. The analysis involved lithic technology, use-wear, zooarchaeology, ancient DNA of sediments and palaeoproteomics, completed by quartz single-grain optically stimulated luminescence dating of the cave sediments. The lithic assemblage is characterized by a volumetric production and a debitage with no or little management of the convexities (by using the bipolar technique), with the objective to produce bladelets and flakelets. The zooarchaeological study found evidence of butchery activity and of the possible exploitation of marine resources, while drawing a picture of a patchy landscape, composed of open forests and dry open environments surrounding the shelter. Ancient mitochondrial DNA from two mammalian taxa were recovered from the sediments. Preliminary zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry results are consistent with ancient DNA and zooarchaeological taxonomic information, while further palaeoproteomics investigations are ongoing. Our new data from the re-discovery of the Uluzzo C Rock Shelter represent an important contribution to better understand the meaning of the Uluzzian in the context of the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic transition in south-eastern Italy.

中文翻译：

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来自意大利东南部 Uluzzo C Rock Shelter 的 Uluzzian 定居点的综合多学科生态分析

5 万至 4 万年前的旧石器时代中晚期过渡时期，是一个重要的生态和文化变化时期。在这个框架中，Uluzzo C（意大利南部阿普利亚）的岩石庇护所代表了一个重要的地点，因为在其地层序列中保存了晚穆斯特世和乌卢兹世的证据。在这里，我们展示了对 2016 年至 2018 年间从 Uluzzian 地层单元 (SU) 3、15 和 17 收集的材料进行的多学科分析的结果。分析涉及岩石技术、使用磨损、动物考古学、沉积物的古代 DNA 和古蛋白质组学，通过洞穴沉积物的石英单粒光激发发光测年完成。石块组合的特点是体积生产和对凸面没有或很少管理的借方（通过使用双极技术），目的是生产小叶片和小薄片。动物考古研究发现了屠杀活动和可能开发海洋资源的证据，同时描绘了由开阔的森林和避难所周围干燥的开放环境组成的斑驳景观。从沉积物中回收了来自两个哺乳动物分类群的古代线粒体 DNA。质谱法的初步动物考古学结果与古代 DNA 和动物考古学分类学信息一致，而进一步的古蛋白质组学研究正在进行中。