University of Tübingen Collaborates in Uncovering Oldest Southern European Cave Lion Remains

Cave lions lived in what is now Italy around 660,000 to 610,000 years ago. This is proven by a metatarsal bone from the Notarchirico site near Venosa in the Basilicata region, which was discovered during a re-examination of earlier finds. It is the oldest evidence to date of the now extinct big cat in southern Europe. It was identified and published by an international research team with Dr. Alessio Iannucci from Terrestrial Paleoclimatology at the University of Tübingen as the lead author. The study was published in the Journal of Quarternary Science.

The oldest human fossil found in Italy comes from the archaeological site of Notarchirico, probably from a juvenile Homo heidelbergensis. The site provided one of the earliest evidences of the Acheulean culture in Europe and contains evidence of recurrent human settlement between 695,000 and 610,000 years ago. The Acheulean culture, which began in Africa around a million years earlier than in Europe, is characterized by the manufacture of double-edged hand axes and other stone tools that were new at the time.

Major climate and environmental changes

“The Acheulean culture spread rapidly in Europe, beginning more than 600,000 years ago, to northern and southern regions,” reports Alessio Iannucci. At about the same time, during the transition between the Early and Middle Pleistocene, lions and several other large mammals also spread in Europe. “During this period, the rhythm of the cycles of ice ages and interglacial periods changed. The cycles became longer, extending from around 40,000 years to 100,000 years. This was accompanied by strong and recurring climate and environmental changes,” says Iannucci. This resulted in great demands on ecological and behavioral adaptations for both the people of that time and for other species.

“We are interested in which factors played a role in the spread of the Acheulean. We are also using large mammals as a source of information,” says Iannucci. Giant hyenas became extinct in Europe around 900,000 to 700,000 years ago, while other large mammals such as the European forest elephant, red deer and wild boar migrated from Asia and Africa. “Our discovery of a more than 600,000-year-old Panthera spelaea, as the cave lion is scientifically known, reinforces the idea that this species was part of the great faunal transition.”