The Romito cave ( Italian : Grotta del Romito ) is a natural limestone cave in the Lao Valley of Pollino National Park , near the town of Papasidero in Calabria , Italy. Stratigraphic record of the first excavation confirmed prolonged paleo-human occupation during the Upper Paleolithic from 17,000 years ago and the Neolithic from 6,400 years ago. A single, but exquisite piece of Upper Paleolithic parietal rock engraving was documented. Several burial sites of varying age were initially discovered. Irregularly recurring sessions have led to additional finds, which suggests future excavation work. Notable is the amount of accumulated data that has revealed deeper understanding of prehistoric daily life, the remarkable quality of the rock carvings and the burial named Romito 2 , who exhibits features of pathological skeletal conditions (dwarfism).
24-658: The Grotta del Romito was discovered by Agostino Miglio, then director of the Town Museum in Castrovillari in spring of 1961, who had received curious information from several local people. Excavations started in the summer of 1962 under the direction of Paolo Graziosi of the University of Florence . The Archaeological Park contains a small museum that presents the documentation and ongoing research. The site consists of two distinct areas: an outer former rock shelter or overhang with
48-535: A railway station on the now abandoned narrow gauge line Lagonegro-Lauria-Castrovillari-Spezzano Albanese , owned by the regional company Ferrovie della Calabria . It is crossed by the A2 motorway ( Salerno - Reggio Calabria ) and served by two exits: "Castrovillari-Morano Calabro" and "Castrovillari-Frascineto". Castrovillari local chess team plays in the second division of the Italian team competition. Regarding football ,
72-578: A Neolithic layer suggests that the site was an intermediate base for the obsidian trade - that originated in the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea to be transferred to the Adriatic Sea . During the first excavations three graves were found, 9,200 years old and each containing a couple of human beings, placed in epipaleolithic layers. One grave was found inside the cave, the other two underneath
96-496: A length of 34 m (112 ft) and the inner cave, embedded into the limestone formation with a length of 20 m (66 ft) and accessible via a narrow tunnel. The interior is graced with a number of curiously shaped speleothems and prehistoric graffiti. Excavations in an enlarged trench performed in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007 exposed a long sequence of strata that forms seven main archaeological units (A–N) with episodes of intensive human occupation. The succession ranges from
120-512: A period of climatic amelioration from ca. 15,000 to 13,000 cal BP (Final Epigravettian). Castrovillari Castrovillari ( Calabrian : Castruvìddari ) is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy . Castrovillari lies in the north of Calabria, close to the border with Basilicata and within the Pollino National Park . The town
144-808: A result, French , Occitan and Spanish have left an imprint. French and Norman vocabulary entered the region via the kingdoms of the Normans and the Angevins in Calabria. Other words derived from Spanish , Catalan , and Occitan : All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed eguali in dignità e diritti. Essi sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza e devono agire gli uni verso gli altri in spirito di fratellanza. The Northern Calabrian dialects are largely found in
168-512: Is generally considered an approximate demarcation between the Neapolitan and Extreme Southern Italian groups. The linguistic division roughly corresponds with the historic administrative division already in place since medieval times: Calabria Citeriore (or Latin Calabria) and Calabria Ulteriore (or Greek Calabria). This is a broad generalization and many communities in the more central parts of
192-580: Is related to fireplaces. About fifty discovered pottery shards are evidence for occupation of the cave during the Neolithic/Iron Age transition. The bull, an Aurochs ( Bos primigenius ) is about 1.2 m (4 ft) long located at the mouth of the cave to the west and is engraved on three different levels of profiles. The stylistic scope is characteristic of the Mediterranean and the design of perfect proportions. The feeling of force transmitted from
216-460: Is spoken corresponds generally to the provinces of Reggio Calabria , Vibo Valentia , Catanzaro , the southern part of Crotone ( Crotone , Isola di Capo Rizzuto , Cutro and vicinity) and southern Cilento . The term Sicilian-Calabrian is also used to distinguish the group from the Northern Calabrian group. It comprises Central Calabrian and Southern Calabrian . The primary roots of
240-496: Is surrounded by mountains including Pollino (2,248 m) and Dolcedorme (2,273 m), also part of the Pollino National Park. The town borders with the municipalities of Altomonte , Lungro , Cassano allo Ionio , Cerchiara di Calabria , Chiaromonte , Civita , Frascineto , Morano Calabro , San Basile , Saracena , San Lorenzo Bellizzi , San Lorenzo del Vallo and Terranova di Pollino . The name derives probably from
264-511: The Arbëresh variety of Albanian , as well as Calabrian Greek speakers and pockets of Occitan . Calabrian ( Italian : calabrese ) refers to the Romance varieties spoken in Calabria , Italy . The varieties of Calabria are part of a strong dialect continuum that are generally recognizable as Calabrian, but that are usually divided into two different language groups: The Amantea - Cirò line
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#1732848465668288-643: The Province of Cosenza and are similar to the Neapolitan language . The northern fringes are an area of transitional dialects which give way to Campanian and Lucanian dialects. The map shows the Cosentian dialects (Ve) and transitional dialects (Vd) occurring in Cosenza province. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in
312-544: The medieval Latin castrum villarum , meaning "fortress of the villas". The place is inhabited since prehistoric times. The city was founded, or better fortified, during the medieval wars between the Lombards and the Byzantine Empire ; the name comes from a more ancient fortress called "Sassonion" or "Saxonion", so the "Castron" appeared in some documents as "Neon Sassonion", likely the ancient Byzantine name corresponding to
336-527: The Middle and Late Gravettian (units L-I-H-G) to the Early Epigravettian (unit F), Middle Epigravettian (lower unit E) and Late Epigravettian (upper unit E and units D-C-B). These cultural stages occurred between 26,000 and 10,000 years ago. Deposits near the entrance are about 8 m (26 ft) thick and consist of clastic sediments. Palaeolithic deposits, up to 6 m (20 ft) thick, underlie
360-433: The adjacent rock shelter near the bull-engraved stone. The specimens were named Romito 1 - 6 and all were between 15 and 25 years old and not taller than 1.5 m (5 ft). P. Graziosi discovered the diminutive remains of Romito 2 that turned out to be the earliest known case of dwarfism in the human skeletal record. The specimen, known as Romito 2 , exhibits features typical of acromesomelic dysplasia . Romito 2
384-441: The dialects is Latin . Southern and Central Calabrian dialects are strongly influenced by a Greek substratum and ensuing levels of Latin influence and other external Southern Italian superstrata , in part hindered by geography, resulted in the many local variations found between the idioms of Calabria. Nonetheless, the dialects have some influence from other languages, thanks to the periodic rule and influx of other cultures. As
408-401: The fact that this individual reached late adolescence attests to tolerance of Upper Paleolithic groups for severely abnormal individuals and their ability to support members who were of limited economic value to the social group. To date, nine intact, well preserved burials have been recovered from stratigraphic layers dating from ca. 18,000 to 11,000 BP, the majority of burials corresponding to
432-495: The medieval Latin "Castrum Villarum". Officially the city entered the history in 1064 AD when the "Castra" was occupied by Norman warriors led by Robert Guiscard . In 1090, during the county of his son Roger Borsa , the sanctuary of "Saint Mary of the Castle" Madonna del Castello was built. During the House of Hohenstaufen rule in southern Italy, the town obtained the title of city and
456-453: The middle Holocene layers, around 2 m (6.6 ft) thick and contain Middle and Late Neolithic pottery. Locally derived rock blocks up to 4 m (13 ft) in size rest on the talus slope in front of, and below, the entrance, indicating that there was originally an overhang that later collapsed. Deposits of human occupation contain numerous bones and stone tools, rounded out of size-exogenous pebbles and abundant charcoal detritus which
480-725: The most representative team is the U.S. Castrovillari Calcio , commonly known as Castrovillari. The team played for several seasons in the Serie C2 , the fourth highest football league in Italy and the lowest with a professional status. Its home ground is the " Mimmo Rende Stadium ". Northern Calabrian The primary languages of Calabria are the Italian language as well as regional varieties of Extreme Southern Italian and Neapolitan languages , all collectively known as Calabrian (Italian: calabrese ). In addition, there are speakers of
504-491: The overall design of the figure and the careful handling of the anatomical details amounts to the highest expression of Paleolithic realism in the region. In front of the rock another bovine figure has been cut, much more subtly, showing only the chest, head and part of the back. On the opposite end of the shelter sits another engraved boulder, covered with numerous linear signs. Both engraving are dated to between 14,000 and 12,000 BP. The presence of large quantities of obsidian in
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#1732848465668528-452: The region exhibit features of both language groups. The dialects of Calabria have been extensively studied, catalogued and commented upon by German philologist Gerhard Rohlfs . From the mid-1920s to the mid-1970s, he traveled the region extensively and assembled a very extensive, multi-volume dictionary. The areas where Central–Southern Calabrian ( calabbrìsi or calavrìsi , in Sicilian)
552-418: Was characterized by unusually short forearms and lower legs, resulting in a rather short stature. Abnormal cartilage and bone development also affected other bones of the body, particularly those of the hands and feet. There was likely a limited extension of the elbows and arms and progressively abnormal curvature of the spine. Besides providing evidence for a greater antiquity of dwarfism than previously known,
576-577: Was the starting point for the evangelization of Calabria by the Minor Friars Order, founded by St. Francis from Assisi. The first Franciscan Monastery in Calabria ("Protoconvento francescano") was built here in 1220 by Pietro Cathin from Sant'Andrea of the Marca, the first Order's Prior in Calabria. the castle was built in 1490 during the Aragonese rule in southern Italy. The town was served, until 1978, by
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