Rita Teresa Melis

Enamel hypoplasia results from temporary disruptions of enamel deposition during tooth development. It is widely used as an indicator of physiological stress in archeological and paleontological contexts; yet, its relationship with environmental conditions during tooth formation remains poorly constrained. Here, we combine macroscopic identification of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) with intra‐tooth stable carbon ( δ ¹³ C) and oxygen ( δ ¹⁸ O) isotope records from 100 sequential enamel samples to investigate short‐term environmental variability and physiological stress in Early Pleistocene hippopotamids from Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia). Two continuously growing teeth (specimen IDs MK 18 SIMB III 128 and MK 75 GOM II 672), respectively dated to ~1.4 and ~1.0 Ma, were selected because they were the only specimens in the examined assemblages in which LEH was identified. Although both teeth show LEH, they show different distributions of the enamel defects and contrasting intra‐tooth isotopic patterns. MK 18 SIMB III 128 (~1.4 Ma) displays a broad intra‐tooth variation and a strong positive cross‐correlation between its δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁸ O profiles. The enamel within the LEH‐affected interval has higher δ ¹³ C and δ ¹⁸ O values than the unaffected apical enamel, and samples positioned directly on visible LEH differ from adjacent enamel in both isotope systems. These patterns are consistent with discrete stress episodes associated with changing hydrological conditions, although dietary and physiological contributions to the carbon isotope record cannot be separated. MK 75 GOM II 672 (~1.0 Ma) displays narrower isotopic variation and LEH across most of the preserved tooth surface. Its profile is compatible with prolonged or recurrent stress under relatively stable, water‐limited hydrological conditions, but the localized isotopic differences do not identify a single causal mechanism. The differences between the specimens may reflect both their distinct developmental histories and local variation in fluvial dynamics and water‐source stability. Because enamel mineralization and sampling integrate isotopic information over extended developmental intervals, the observed associations should be interpreted at the scale of broader developmental phases and not as evidence of exact synchrony between LEH formation and individual isotope values. The integration of LEH and intra‐tooth isotope analysis provides a promising framework for investigating relationships among individual life histories, physiological stress, and environmental variability in fossil mammals.

The eastern African archaeological record is central to understanding early human evolution, yet its Pleistocene sites often present major challenges for public interpretation due to their open-air character and limited monumentality. In this context, in situ musealisation has emerged as a key strategy for combining conservation, research, and public access. This paper examines the historical development of such practices in eastern African archaeology through a comparative assessment of major sites, including Olorgesailie, Kariandusi, Isimila, and Olduvai Gorge, with particular emphasis on the Melka Kunture and Balchit (Ethiopia) archaeological complex. The analysis shows that early initiatives were largely experimental, frequently linked to specific academic events or tourism development, and commonly based on the direct exposure of archaeological surfaces, which generated important conservation and research constraints. By contrast, Melka Kunture represents a more integrated management model that combines landscape-scale interpretation, controlled visitor itineraries, multilingual outreach, high-resolution documentation, and the strategic use of replicas in a sensitive context. Recently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the site illustrates how Pleistocene heritage can be made publicly accessible without compromising scientific integrity.

S’Omu e S’Orku (SOMK) is a collapsed rock shelter on the western coast of Sardinia, with a 9500–7800 cal BP geoarchaeological stratigraphic sequence encompassing the 9.3 and the 8.2 ka climatic events of the early Holocene. Sardinia is quite remote from the Italian coast and from mainland Europe, without firm evidence of human peopling before the onset of the Holocene. The animal species of the time were very few, all of them endemic, with Prolagus sardus , an ochotonid the size of a hare, by far dominant in the SOMK record. More local resources were novel for newly arrived people, like obsidian for producing lithic artefacts, but after the evidence from SOMK at first, they adapted and soon developed elaborated burial customs. The 9.3 event was characterised by wildfires burning the landscaped and by the ensuing debris flows sweeping the rock shelter. Then, when the environment stabilised again, a burial provides evidence of more human presence. The 8.2 event is marked by more wildfires and debris flows, and then at SOMK there is no more archaeological record. The sea-level is known was rising, eroding and invading stretches of the coasts. The human groups do not seem to have overcome all the compounded challenges of a quickly changing environment.

Beefa Cave is a site that is part of the Melka Kunture archaeological complex located in the Ethiopian Highlands in the upper Awash River Valley. Excavations have revealed a sequence of ashy levels dating to the mid-Holocene. Lithic artifacts, faunal remains, undiagnostic pottery, and micro- and macrobotanical remains were recovered. The lithic assemblage of Beefa Cave is analyzed here using a techno-typological approach, combined with use-wear and residue analysis, and results are further contextualized with archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data. Preliminary results provide initial insights into the occupation of the cave, establishing a starting point for studying Holocene settlement and economy on a regional basis and from a diachronic perspective.

The forest ecosystems of large Mediterranean islands are critical hubs of evolutionary diversity with unique floristic composition and distinctive vegetation patterns reflecting long-term population dynamics and ecological legacies. Mediterranean islands provide invaluable natural archives, preserving crucial insights into the resilience of past forest ecosystems and their responses to climate variability. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the Holocene vegetation history of major western Mediterranean islands, with the twofold aim of examining the timing, extent, and rates of vegetation changes over the last few thousand years, and evaluating the influence of Rapid Climate Changes (RCCs) on forest ecosystems. The rate of change analysis allowed the identification of a distinct pattern of rapid shifts in forest composition, corresponding to periods of climate instability. These shifts align with the periodicity of Bond events, suggesting synchronicity between changes in forest ecosystems and centennial-scale climatic oscillations at a supra-regional scale. A REDFIT spectral analysis applied to palynological proxies of forest cover changes identified prominent periodicities suggesting a direct influence of solar activity and/or a relation with complex ocean–atmosphere circulation mechanisms triggered by global climate forcings.

In Africa, the scarcity of hominin remains found in direct association with stone tools has hindered attempts to link Homo habilis and Homo erectus with particular lithic industries. The infant mandible discovered in level E at Garba IV (Melka Kunture) on the highlands of Ethiopia is critical to this issue because of its direct association with an Oldowan lithic industry. Here, we used synchrotron imaging to examine the internal morphology of the unerupted permanent dentition and confirmed its identification as H. erectus . Additionally, we used revised paleomagnetic ages to show that (i) the mandible in level E is ~2 million years old and represents one of the earliest H. erectus fossils and that (ii) overlying level D, ~1.95 million years old, contains the earliest known Acheulean assemblage.

Melka Kunture es un clúster de yacimientos prehistóricos situados en el altiplano etíope, a 2.000-2.200 m sobre el nivel del mar, en la cuenca alta del río Awash. El clima es más bien fresco (temperatura media anual de 17° C) y lluvioso. Los resultados palinológicos demuestran que la vegetación durante el Pleistoceno era de tipo afromontano y, por lo tanto, diferente a la de sabana que se desarrolla en cotas más bajas. Tras casi 60 años de excavaciones en 20 yacimientos y en unos 60 niveles arqueológicos distintos, la secuencia arqueológica identificada incluye el Olduvayense, Achelense, Middle Stone Age y Late Stone Age. También se han descubierto fósiles de homininos en asociación directa con industrias líticas de diferentes tecnocomplejos. Además, se conocen niveles icnológicos, que proporcionan información sobre la vida y el comportamiento de homininos y fauna. La investigación sobre la adaptación de los homininos al clima y al entorno de las tierras altas es relevante para entender cómo y cuándo se produjo el primer poblamiento de Europa.

We present a geomorphological map of the southwestern coast of Sardinia encompassing inland and offshore areas of the S’Omu e S’Orku Mesolithic site. The submerged area was documented by high-resolution multibeam bathymetry combined with Side-Scan Sonar data. The emerged coastal area was surveyed using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing and field surveys. The inland landforms were shaped by coastal, fluvial, and gravity-induced processes. Most of the submerged landforms appear be modeled in subaerial conditions during sea-level lowstands, and then sealed by the rising sea level. The coastal evolution has been characterized by the rapid cliff retreat facilitated intense linear erosion of watercourses, by debris flows, rockfalls and toppling. Geomorphological evidences of cliff retreat due to landslide was supported by a simplified analytic hydraulic model of the wave-cliff interaction. These processes and the sea level rise canceled any possible Mesolithic settlement along the coast. The survival of the S’Omu e S’Orku site is only due to a protected morphological position and to the distance from the Early Holocene coastline. The dearth of coastal Early Holocene prehistoric sites is likely the outcome of the presented coastal dynamics.