The origin of Neolithic in Liguria: a craniometric perspective

Abstract

The origin of Neolithic in Liguria: a craniometric perspective. The biological origin of the earliest Italian Neolithic populations – as well as their relations both with the local Mesolithic populations and with the other European Neolithic populations – constitute important fields of research. The aim of the present study is to investigate these aspects by using an approach – the comparative morphometric analysis of the craniofacial skeletal district – that can significantly contribute to the testing of different hypotheses. Among the various Italian administrative regions, Liguria possesses one of the richest records of human skeletal remains covering the time interval between the Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic. We have collected the available data for several Neolithic craniofacial specimens of the Ligurian territory, coming from renown sites such as Arene Candide, Arma dell’Aquila, Arma di Nasino, Bergeggi, Pollera, etc. Direct radiometric dates, obtained in the context of a multidisciplinary research project leaded by one of the authors of this study (V.S.S.), are available for several individuals; for other specimens, only the archaeological information drawn from the excavation reports was available, which could be used to attribute the individuals (with the necessary margins of uncertainty) to specific cultural facies (Impresso-Cardial Complex, Square Mouthed Pottery, Chasséen-Lagozza). We have analyzed the Ligurian Neolithic sample together with the comparative data of numerous other samples from the Italian territory and from abroad. The results allow us to formulate some hypotheses concerning the biological relationships of the Neolithic populations from Liguria, and suggest a possible (albeit probably reduced) Mesolithic biological contribution to early Neolithic individuals in our sample. These conclusions will require further confirmation through the comparison with other, possibly independent, lines of evidence.