Rio Secco Cave – Clauzetto (PN)

The profile was edited by Michelle Boyle

Rio Secco Cave – Clauzetto (PN)

The profile was edited by Michelle Boyle


A site of interest in the investigation of the Neanderthal-Sapiens transition, the Rio Secco Cave is located in the karst landscape near Clauzetto, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It includes a shelter six to seven meters deep placed above a tunnel filled with debris. The cave, one of several Paleolithic sites existing on the Pradis Plateau, was not a primary habitation site but of relevance to nomadic hunting activity. Repeated excavation campaigns have produced a considerable collection of prehistoric animal remains and stone artefacts.
Excavations have revealed a number of layers and sub-layers to a depth of over three metres, many of which include evidence of human presence and activity. The layers extend into both the shelter and the primary cavity and include: the walking surface; a layer with non-local flint artefacts of Gravettian age; a layer of large stones with marmot burrows and a subsequent layer mixed with Mousterian flints, bones, and coals scattered due to the marmots' cave activity; an older layer that includes a large quantity of ungulate and bear remains along with bones, charcoal and stone tools showing the use of fire in processing.
The animal remains tell us many things about human activity and the Paleolithic ecosystem in the area. The remains of chamois, ibex and marmot found in the most recent layers suggest the cold climate of the last glacial period. Overall there are fewer finds of prey animals than predators, with cave bears predominating, highlighting both bear hibernation and human activity.
From the bird finds we know that the landscape was characterized by coniferous forests and — above the tree line — by alpine meadows with rocky outcrops, a water ecosystem and that birds were used as food in the Gravettian; while Neanderthals were found both in cool temperate forest (indicated by deer, elk, and wild boar) and in alpine grassland environments (home to wolves, goats, and bison) with running water and/or wetlands. Both predators and prey (especially brown and cave bears) were hunted by humans as evidenced by bones cut during slaughter and crushed for marrow harvesting. Bone tools for flint knapping have been found in Mousterian strata, along with flints, scrapers, and rough stone tools from local rivers and streams. The Gravettian flints were made of finer stone, originating both locally and from sites located at a certain distance. Significantly, among the Neanderthal materials was found a golden eagle talus that had been deliberately cut to isolate the claw for symbolic use.
Such discoveries – confirmed by research following the 2023 excavation – are rare in Europe, highlighting the importance of the cave site as a cultural and scientific research resource. While molecular biology has shown us unequivocally that Neanderthals and Sapiens hybridized, further archaeological and paleoanthropological research is needed to investigate the cultural aspects of such hybridization. There are parallels between the structural complexities of social change in the Paleolithic and those of the present time, and understanding these distant ancestors and foremothers more fully can provide pertinent information to the collective changes we now face as a global community.Author's note: I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to prof. Peresani and the archaeological team of the University of Ferrara for the privilege of having been able to participate in the excavation in the Rio Secco Cave.

Historical notes

The archaeological research, under the guidance of Professor Marco Peresani of the University of Ferrara, began in 2002, while the most recent excavation took place in the autumn of 2023.

CARD

Name

Rio Secco Cave – Clauzetto (PN)

Subject

Manufactured goods

Timeline

The various excavation activities have revealed a stratigraphy between the Mousterian and the Gravettian.

Location of discovery

Rio Secco cave in the municipality of Clauzetto

Region

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Environmental context

CavesRepair

exhibits exhibited

Many finds are exhibited at the Pradis Cave Museum in Piazza IV Novembre 6 in Clauzetto, tel. 333-5932336. The cave is open to the public sometimes, contact the Pradis Cave Museum.

State of conservation

Discount

Legal condition

The cave is inside private land

REFERENCES

  1. Marco Peresani – How we were – The Mill 2020;
  2. Marco Peresani, Alessandra Livraghi and Gloria Cattabriga – “Rio Secco Cave” – in SFERA: Archive of research products of the University of Ferrara – Ferrara 2023;
  3. Marco Peresani and Matteo Romandini – “Rio Secco Cave (Clauzetto, PN)” – in Prehistoric research at the University of Ferrara. Annals of the University of Ferrara – Scientific and naturistic museology Volume 15 – 2019;
  4. Carlo Peretto – Evolution in the mirror: From the origins, to the origin of man and beyond – Arachne 2021;
  5. Sahra Talamo, Marco Peresani, Matteo Romandini, Rossella Duches, Camille Jéquier, Nicola Nannini, Andreas Pastoors, Andrea Picin, Manuel Vaquero, Gerd-Christian Weniger and Jean Jacques Hublin – “Detecting human presence at the border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. C-14 Dating at Rio Secco Cave as Expression of the First Gravettian and the Late Mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region” – in PLOS One 9 volume –2014;
  6. Paolo Maddaleni – “Caves of paleontological and paleethnological interest in Friuli: state of knowledge and preliminary results of the review of some materials” – in Gortania n. 38 – Udine 2017 – pp. 85-120;
  7. Marco Peresani, Matteo Romandini and Gabriele Terlato – “The first occupants of the Carnic Prealps” – in Proceedings and Memoirs of the “E. Caves Commission” Boegan” – vol. 45 – Trieste 2015;
  8. Franco Cucchi, Manuela Montagnari Kokeli, Giuseppe Muscio, Paola Visentini and Luca Zini – Prehistoric caves of Friuli Venezia Giulia – Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia 2023;
  9. Lisa Carrera, Marco Pavia, Matteo Romandini and Marco Peresani – “Avian fossil assemblages at the onset of the LGM in the eastern Alps: a palaecological contribution from the Rio Secco Cave (Italy)” – in Comptes Rendus Palevol n. 17 – 2018 – pp- 166-177.