The Valle Giumentina is an early and middle Palaeolithic site, briefly excavated in the 1950s by Prof. Radmilli of the University of Pisa, in collaboration with the geologist J. Demangeot. Seven archaeological levels were exposed within a lacustrine context on the side of a cut up to 25 m deep that had eroded the Pleistocene deposits.

As part of the École Française de Rome’s five-year programme (2012-2021), new multidisciplinary research began on the site with the aim of precisely dating the stratigraphy, determining the technical nature of the lithic industry present and the type of occupation on the site.

During the first season, 2012, a core sample was taken from the Quaternary deposits at a depth of 45 m, and the first blackish palaeo-soil, situated at a depth of 3.5 m, was excavated over an area of 1 m2. In 2013, the campaign had three objectives: excavation of the first palaeo-soil across a large area, acquisition of chronological and palaeo-environmental data from the section (down to 16 m in depth), and a resistivity survey to define the calcareous basin of Valle Giumentina and the geometry of the deposits. In 2014, the archaeological and geo-chronological research continued the work of the previous year. The excavation area of the palaeo-soil (levels ALB and LDP), was extended (51 m2). Samples were taken for Ar/Ar dating and for malacological analysis. In 2015, the levels ALB and LDP were excavated across all the available area. In 2016, the main objective was to excavate the level, LABM-40, below ALB-42 and LDP-41. Elements of bi-facial working were found in this level that were not present in the previous excavations, including a bi-facial flint and various flakes from bi-facial working. A number of flake tools were also present and a total of 396 finds were recorded. Manual core samples were taken in the upper red soil.

The 2017 campaign concentrated on level SML-37, known from the Radmilli excavations for the presence of bi-facial lithic industry. It was this level that determined the site’s attribution to the Acheulean culture, while the levels delimiting it, where no bi-facials were present, were attributed to the Clactonian culture. In the 1950s, it was the only occupation level to produce bi-facials. Today, on the contrary, we know that bi-facial lithic industry is also present in level LABM-40 and underlying layers SLM-37 and LAC-34. The 35 m2 excavated in correspondence with the main section VV1 produced 253 lithic elements, including one bi-facial and some bone remains. The palaeo-soil SLM (silty sand and molluscs) identified in VV1 and VV3 was correlated to level 37 of the Radmilli excavations, thanks to the numerous malacological remains, characteristic of an open and arid environment.