A submerged monolith in the Sicilian Channel (central Mediterranean Sea): Evidence for Mesolithic human activity. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lodolo, Emanuele; Ben-Avraham, Zvi
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 3(2015)
• Page Start: 398
• Page End: 407
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Sicilian Channel -- Shallow banks -- High-resolution bathymetry -- Underwater surveys -- Petrographic analysis -- Radiometric ages -- Submerged monolith -- Mesolithic human activity; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Research -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.07.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-409X

Abstract

Abstract: The ancient geography of the Mediterranean Basin was profoundly changed by the increase in sea level following the Last Glacial Maximum. This global event has led to the retreat of the coastlines, especially in lowland areas and shallow shelves, such as the Sicilian Channel. The NW sector of this shelf, known as Adventure Plateau, is studded by isolated shoals mostly composed of Late Miocene carbonate rocks and by some volcanic edifices. These shoals, until at least the Early Holocene, formed an archipelago of several islands separated by stretches of extremely shallow sea. One of these submerged features – the Pantelleria Vecchia Bank – located 60 km south of Sicily, has been extensively surveyed using geophysical and geological methods. It is composed of two main shoals, connected seaward by a rectilinear ridge which encloses an embayment. Here we present morphological evidence, underwater observations, and results of petrographic analysis of a man-made, 12 m long monolith resting on the sea-floor of the embayment at a water depth of 40 m. It is broken into two parts, and has three regular holes: one at its end which passes through from part to part, the others in two of its sides. The monolith is composed of calcirudites of Late Pleistocene age, as determined from radiocarbon measurements conducted on several shell fragments extracted from the rock samples. The same age and composition characterize the metre-size blocks forming the rectilinear ridge. The rest of the rocks composing the shoals are mostly Tortonian limestones–sandstones, as revealed by their fossil content. Extrapolating ages from the local sea level curve, we infer that seawater inundated the inner lands at 9350 ± 200 year B.P., the upper limit which can be reasonably taken for the site abandonment. This discovery provides evidence for a significant Mesolithic human activity in the Sicilian Channel region. Highlights: A submerged, 12 m long monolith has been discovered at a water depth of 40 m, in a shallow bank of the Sicilian Channel. Morphological evidence, underwater observations, and results of petrographic analysis testify that the monolith is man-made. This monolith suggests a significant human activity in the Pantelleria Vecchia Bank, a former island of the Sicilian Channel. Seawater inundated the Pantelleria Vecchia Bank at 9350 ± 200 yr B.P., presumably forcing inhabitants to migrate.