A geoarchaeological review of Balzi Rossi, Italy: A crossroad of Palaeolithic populations in the northwest Mediterranean

The Balzi Rossi archaeological complex (comprised of caves, rock shelters, and open-air sites) is a globally
significant site for Palaeolithic culture and understanding the transition from Neanderthal to Anatomically
Modern Human populations in Europe. It also retains some of the earliest evidence of human interactions with
their coastal environment. Balzi Rossi has been subject to excavation for over 150 years – traditionally as in-
dividual site locations – with most deposits removed when the discipline of archaeology was nascent, and the
science not yet developed. The consequence was the unfortunate loss of materials and critically important
stratigraphic context. However, valuable information regarding the Palaeolithic population, their coastal envi-
ronment, and earlier sea-level change, remains in the literature and in museum repositories. In this work we have
compiled and reviewed the extensive resources, available largely in French and Italian, to provide a summary
and catalogue for each individual site. These ‘Site Summaries’ are available as appendices to this review, which
provides a comprehensive synopsis of the history of excavations conducted at Balzi Rossi, a reconstruction of
stratigraphy where possible, the evidence of Palaeolithic occupations, the evidence of Pleistocene sea-level
fluctuations, and an assessment of the chronological constraint available for both the Palaeolithic populations
and sea level. Finally, this synopsis identifies gaps in knowledge and provides comments on pathways for future
research, suggesting a consilient approach that can be applied in other archaeological contexts.