A human settlement dating back to the Paleolithic era on the eastern side of the National Park of Pollino? In the heart of Calabria a discovery that many are talking about. And if studies continue to confirm it, it is a find archaeological extraordinary that rewrites the history of this place. What are we talking about? Human remains found during an excavation campaign in San Lorenzo Bellizzi, in the Grotta di Pietra Sant'Angelo at 854 meters above the sea level.
Human remains found under a pile of stones
To give news of this extraordinary discovery was the Regional Center of Speleology "Enzo dei Medici". For some years the group has been part of the team that is working on the excavation campaign on the site. "The suspicion was born timidly in 2017 - they write in the press release-. Then he stayed alive, strengthening himself, in 2018. Finally, in 2019, the gazes spoke for themselves, without the scholars exchanging a word. Under that meter of neo-Eneolithic sequence, containing a miraculously preserved burial in good condition, there was something else that referred to an antiquity that went far back in time".
Found two lit fireplaces a short distance from the entrance to the cave. And there were flint splinters mixed with the remains of fauna, probably leftovers from meals. Radiocarbon dating has also started to find the first confirmations, which have soon arrived. "If the young individual buried - a male of 30-35 years old - was buried in the cave around 7000 years ago - researchers say -, the hearths discovered further down referred to even more ancient human frequentations, the first datable to around 11.000 years ago, the second to 14.000".
The remains date back to the Paleolithic age
The excavation campaign screwed in 2017. It is a collaboration between researchers from the Universities of Molise and Bari. Understanding, also supported by the Municipality of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, by the Pollino National Park and the Region Calabria. And if the research continues, who knows that this area will not become a tourist destination archaeological to discover the ancient history of the area. The Pollino National Park is already one of the stops chosen by many visitors who love nature. But this aspect linked to archeology is undoubtedly an enrichment.
The remains date back to a man who lived over 7 thousand years ago. Also found remains of ashes and coals attributable to much older hearths than the burial. "A project also supported by the Pollino National Park and the Calabria Region - said the mayor of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, Antonio Cersosimo -. Which will certainly lead to new discoveries soon. A great satisfaction for the scientific results that are emerging and that will contribute to writing new pages on human relations in the Eastern Pollino and beyond". An undoubtedly extraordinary discovery. And we hope that the research will bring to light other wonderful testimonies from the past.
The images are taken from the Facebook page of the "Enzo dei Medici" Regional Center for Speleology
