The initial findings have been published in the journal PLOS ONE, highlighting the discovery of 25 caves and shelters, some rediscovered after being initially identified between 1870 and the 1990s. The research aims not only to identify the first individuals who arrived on the island but also to determine the first stable community, providing vital information about the patterns and methods of early Homo sapiens expansion in the Mediterranean. Additionally, three new sites with high potential archaeological sediments have been discovered.
The EOS project team, which includes a multidisciplinary group of archaeologists, geologists, paleontologists, and divers, is also investigating the impacts of the island's first human inhabitants on the ecosystem, examining everything from Pleistocene hyena coprolites to changes in the island ecology that may have led to species extinctions. This multidisciplinary effort seeks not only to understand when humans arrived in Sicily but also how their arrival altered the island environment.
Despite evidence suggesting a relatively late human occupation around 17,000 years ago, the project challenges this notion by exploring the possibility that Sicily was inhabited much earlier, considering that humans had already reached remote regions such as Siberia 45,000 years ago and Australia between 65,000 and 45,000 years ago. Researchers are reevaluating old theories about the arrival of the first humans in Sicily, questioning whether the lack of adequate navigation technology or simply the absence of evident resources might have discouraged early settlements.
Current studies include excavations at a rock shelter near Augusta, where students are assisting in capturing the three-dimensional location of recovered fossils. Additionally, the team is examining existing collections in museums and private collections, and enlisting citizen scientists to locate new areas for investigation or excavation. One of the most significant challenges is the search for submerged sites, as Sicily's complex geological history means that ancient coastlines and landscapes are tilted at various degrees across the island. To aid with these estimations, the team is mapping small holes made by burrowing mollusks in the cave walls, which serve as a good approximation of past sea levels.
This comprehensive approach is not only expanding our knowledge of Sicily's prehistory but also involving the local community and using the island as a natural laboratory to study the ecological effects of ancient human settlements. Over time, researchers hope to reconstruct not only the timing of human occupation but also how these early Sicilians interacted with their environment and responded to natural events such as climate changes and earthquakes.
