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Excavation

  • Caverna Generosa
  • Monte Generoso
  •  
  • Italy
  • Lombardy
  • Province of Como
  • Centro Valle Intelvi

Tools

Credits

  • The Italian Database is the result of a collaboration between:

    MIBAC (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per i Beni Archeologici),

    ICCD (Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione) and

    AIAC (Associazione Internazionale di Archeologia Classica).

  • AIAC_logo logo

Summary (English)

  • In 2010 the apical sector of the Sala Terminale was investigated. An in-depth exploration was also made of the Saletta (the excavation area was extended by 1 m2 thus opening almost all of the Saletta area). The sectors investigated in the first excavation area were R6, S6-7 excavating in the first five levels already described (see the 2006, 2007 ff. Reports) and level d.

    Lev αo – a level present only in the first 45 cm of the rock face, constituted by millimetric aggregates, small clasts with voids and clay present between the voids. The clasts have a maximum diameter of about 6 cm. Yellow matrix. Towards U4 it changes into a whitish line about 1 cm thick (pulverulent).

    Lev α1 – present in all sections, very similar to αo with a light orangey-red matrix.

    Lev α – orangey red clay-silt layer, clasts present with diameters of up to 20 cm.

    Lev b – level of clay with some silt with a high level of plasticity. Brick coloured with some yellow variegation. Almost no clasts. Some bone remains.

    Lev c – level of clay-silt, less plastic and siltier than both level b and level d.

    Lev d – similar to level C but more plastic.
    Overall the levels were fossiliferous and compared to the central portion of the Sala Terminale they contained larger numbers of micro-therological fossils, at least in the upper levels.
    In the Saletta sectors AB 26 and 27 and AC 26 and 27 were excavated, along the entire stratigraphic sequence, reaching the present ground surface situated at about 1.5 m below the original level. The excavation investigated 7 levels.

    Lev 0: Brown matrix, presence of silt-clay aggregates (diam. 3-5 mm). Angular clasts with diam. From between 2- 3 cm up to blocks with max. diam. of 50 cm (stratoides). Thickness at metre 26 about 40 cm.

    Lev 1: Yellow clay matrix with few sub-angular clasts (max. diam. 7-8 cm) Thickness about 25-26 cm. Bones present at the base.

    Lev 2: It repeats with characteristics very similar to level O. Has the same colour matrix etc. Thickness 33-34 cm.

    Lev 3: Constituted by a large number of clasts almost all touching each other, diam. About 10-15 cm. Clay aggregates of 1-2 cm. Thickness about 40 cm. Yellow clay matrix.

    Lev 4: In the upper part clasts of 10-12 cm present, towards the bottom the dimensions seemed to decrease. Brown clay matrix with aggregates of up to 1 cm. Bones present.

    Lev 4b: Present at about 50 cm from metre 27, similar to level 3 but with slightly smaller clasts and a yellow clay matrix. It tends to slope towards the exterior of the cavern.
    The finds recovered in this sector are at present being studied as an undergraduate thesis for a degree in Natural Sciences.

    Lev 5b: only reached towards the end of the campaign but seems to present the same characteristics as seen in 2003 (see 2003 report).

  • Andrea Tintori - Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra ‘A.Desio’, Università degli Studi di Milano 
  • Fabio Bona - Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra ‘A.Desio’, Università degli Studi di Milano 

Director

Team

Research Body

  • Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra ‘A.Desio’

Funding Body

  • CCD Scienze e Tecnologie per l'Ambiente e la Natura
  • Ferrovia Monte Generoso, Capolago (TI-CH)
  • Università degli Studi di Milano

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