The Roman area as a reference for the Middle Pleistocene mammal faunas of Europe

The Roman territory and its surroundings represent one of most important areas for the study of the European Middle Pleistocene mammal paleocommunities. Since the 19th century, thousands of vertebrate fossils have been recovered from a considerable number of localities of the Roman Campaign (Campagna Romana) or within the city. Unfortunately, the majority of historical deposits, especially those located within the urban area of Rome, was destroyed or buried beneath anthropogenetic modifications. Most of the mammal remains recovered during the last centuries is housed in the "Museo Universitario di Scienze della Terra", Sapienza University of Rome (MUST; including the former Museum of Paleontology), and several other findings are scattered in many museums and institutions. By integrating the revision of these collections with a thoughtful examination of historical information (e.g., literature, maps, and original labels associated with the fossil specimens) it is often possible to refine their chronological placement. This approach is crucial for reconstructing the evolution of mammal faunas and their response to the climatic changes occurred during the last 800 ka.

L'area romana come riferimento per le faune a mammiferi del Pleistocene Medio dell'Europa