Flavio Altamura
Biographic Data
| ID | 178741 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Flavio Altamura |
| GIVEN NAMES | Flavio |
| FAMILY NAME | Altamura |
| SIGNATURE | ALTAMURA F |
| AFFILIATIONS | Sapienza University of Rome |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6074-5213 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 73 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Heritage Management and Early Human Evolution: Melka Kunture as a Model for In Situ Musealisation in the Eastern African Rift
The eastern African archaeological record is central to understanding early human evolution, yet its Pleistocene sites often present major challenges for public interpretation due to their open-air character and limited monumentality. In this context, in situ musealisation has emerged as a key strategy for combining conservation, research, and public access. This paper examines the historical development of such practices in eastern African archa…
A rediscovered fossil hominin fragment from Gombore IB, an early Pleistocene site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Etiopia)
The Gombore gully of Melka Kunture is located in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia. In the Lower Acheulean layer of Gombore IB, dated to 1.7 million years ago, a well-preserved distal portion of a left humerus was discovered in 1976. Additionally, a proximal fragment of a left humerus was discovered from the same site in 1973; however, it was not initially recognized as belonging to a hominin during excavations. This latter specimen, which was o…
Funerary practices and post-mortem manipulations by the early Holocene hunter-gatherers of Riparo Blanc (Mount Circeo, central Italy)
Reassessing Gombore I in the light of the history of research at Melka Kunture (Ethiopia)
Melka Kunture (alto Awash, Etiopía) entre 2.000.000 y 5.000 años
Melka Kunture es un clúster de yacimientos prehistóricos situados en el altiplano etíope, a 2.000-2.200 m sobre el nivel del mar, en la cuenca alta del río Awash. El clima es más bien fresco (temperatura media anual de 17° C) y lluvioso. Los resultados palinológicos demuestran que la vegetación durante el Pleistoceno era de tipo afromontano y, por lo tanto, diferente a la de sabana que se desarrolla en cotas más bajas. Tras casi 60 años de excava…
The paleolandscape evolution of the southwestern coast of Sardinia (Italy) and its impact on Mesolithic settlements
We present a geomorphological map of the southwestern coast of Sardinia encompassing inland and offshore areas of the S’Omu e S’Orku Mesolithic site. The submerged area was documented by high-resolution multibeam bathymetry combined with Side-Scan Sonar data. The emerged coastal area was surveyed using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing and field surveys. The inland landforms were shaped by coastal, fluvial, and gravity-induced processes. Mos…
Une vue d’ensemble sur Melka Kunture, grand complexe de sites pléistocènes dans la vallée supérieure de l’Awash (Éthiopie)
Colorimetric characterization of ochres in a Palaeolithic flint pebble from Maschio dell’Artemisio, Latium, Italy
After the emergence of the Acheulean at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia): From Gombore IB (1.6 Ma) to Gombore Iγ (1.4 Ma), Gombore Iδ (1.3 Ma) and Gombore II OAM Test Pit C (1.2 Ma)
Finding Fossil Footprints in the Archival Record: Case Studies from the Archaeological Site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia)
In this paper I discuss the potential of archival research (i.e. the reassessment of pictures and drawings) for the identification of hitherto overlooked fossil footprints. All of the most important sites of the Pleistocene sequence of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) showed evidence of biogenic structures that had escaped attention during the archaeological investigations which started in the 1960s. The case studies described here sh…
Geomorphological processes, forms and features in the surroundings of the Melka Kunture Palaeolithic site, Ethiopia
The landscape of the surroundings of the Melka Kunture prehistoric site, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia, were studied intensively in the last decades. Nonetheless, the area was mainly characterized under a stratigraphic/geological and archaeological point of view. However, a detailed geomorphological map is still lacking. Hence, in this study, we identify, map and visualize geomorphological forms and processes. The morphology of the forms, as well a…
A new notational artifact from the Upper Paleolithic? Technological and traceological analysis of a pebble decorated with notches found on Monte Alto (Velletri, Italy)
Gombore II (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): A new approach to formation processes and spatial patterns of an Early Pleistocene Acheulean site
Reassessing Hominin Skills at an Early Middle Pleistocene Hippo Butchery Site: Gombore II-2 (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash valley, Ethiopia)
Garba III (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): A MSA site with archaic Homo sapiens remains revisited
After the emergence of the Acheulean at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia): From Gombore IB (1.6 Ma) to Gombore Iγ (1.4 Ma), Gombore Iδ (1.3 Ma) and Gombore II OAM Test Pit C (1.2 Ma)
Gombore II (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): A new approach to formation processes and spatial patterns of an Early Pleistocene Acheulean site
Reassessing Hominin Skills at an Early Middle Pleistocene Hippo Butchery Site: Gombore II-2 (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash valley, Ethiopia)
Garba III (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): A MSA site with archaic Homo sapiens remains revisited
A rediscovered fossil hominin fragment from Gombore IB, an early Pleistocene site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Etiopia)
The Gombore gully of Melka Kunture is located in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia. In the Lower Acheulean layer of Gombore IB, dated to 1.7 million years ago, a well-preserved distal portion of a left humerus was discovered in 1976. Additionally, a proximal fragment of a left humerus was discovered from the same site in 1973; however, it was not initially recognized as belonging to a hominin during excavations. This latter specimen, which was o…
Finding Fossil Footprints in the Archival Record: Case Studies from the Archaeological Site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia)
In this paper I discuss the potential of archival research (i.e. the reassessment of pictures and drawings) for the identification of hitherto overlooked fossil footprints. All of the most important sites of the Pleistocene sequence of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) showed evidence of biogenic structures that had escaped attention during the archaeological investigations which started in the 1960s. The case studies described here sh…
A new notational artifact from the Upper Paleolithic? Technological and traceological analysis of a pebble decorated with notches found on Monte Alto (Velletri, Italy)
Garba III (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): A MSA site with archaic Homo sapiens remains revisited
Geomorphological processes, forms and features in the surroundings of the Melka Kunture Palaeolithic site, Ethiopia
The landscape of the surroundings of the Melka Kunture prehistoric site, Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia, were studied intensively in the last decades. Nonetheless, the area was mainly characterized under a stratigraphic/geological and archaeological point of view. However, a detailed geomorphological map is still lacking. Hence, in this study, we identify, map and visualize geomorphological forms and processes. The morphology of the forms, as well a…
A new notational artifact from the Upper Paleolithic? Technological and traceological analysis of a pebble decorated with notches found on Monte Alto (Velletri, Italy)
Gombore II (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia): A new approach to formation processes and spatial patterns of an Early Pleistocene Acheulean site
Reassessing Hominin Skills at an Early Middle Pleistocene Hippo Butchery Site: Gombore II-2 (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash valley, Ethiopia)
Finding Fossil Footprints in the Archival Record: Case Studies from the Archaeological Site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia)
In this paper I discuss the potential of archival research (i.e. the reassessment of pictures and drawings) for the identification of hitherto overlooked fossil footprints. All of the most important sites of the Pleistocene sequence of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) showed evidence of biogenic structures that had escaped attention during the archaeological investigations which started in the 1960s. The case studies described here sh…
After the emergence of the Acheulean at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia): From Gombore IB (1.6 Ma) to Gombore Iγ (1.4 Ma), Gombore Iδ (1.3 Ma) and Gombore II OAM Test Pit C (1.2 Ma)
Une vue d’ensemble sur Melka Kunture, grand complexe de sites pléistocènes dans la vallée supérieure de l’Awash (Éthiopie)
Colorimetric characterization of ochres in a Palaeolithic flint pebble from Maschio dell’Artemisio, Latium, Italy
Melka Kunture (alto Awash, Etiopía) entre 2.000.000 y 5.000 años
Melka Kunture es un clúster de yacimientos prehistóricos situados en el altiplano etíope, a 2.000-2.200 m sobre el nivel del mar, en la cuenca alta del río Awash. El clima es más bien fresco (temperatura media anual de 17° C) y lluvioso. Los resultados palinológicos demuestran que la vegetación durante el Pleistoceno era de tipo afromontano y, por lo tanto, diferente a la de sabana que se desarrolla en cotas más bajas. Tras casi 60 años de excava…
The paleolandscape evolution of the southwestern coast of Sardinia (Italy) and its impact on Mesolithic settlements
We present a geomorphological map of the southwestern coast of Sardinia encompassing inland and offshore areas of the S’Omu e S’Orku Mesolithic site. The submerged area was documented by high-resolution multibeam bathymetry combined with Side-Scan Sonar data. The emerged coastal area was surveyed using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing and field surveys. The inland landforms were shaped by coastal, fluvial, and gravity-induced processes. Mos…
Reassessing Gombore I in the light of the history of research at Melka Kunture (Ethiopia)
A rediscovered fossil hominin fragment from Gombore IB, an early Pleistocene site of Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Etiopia)
The Gombore gully of Melka Kunture is located in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia. In the Lower Acheulean layer of Gombore IB, dated to 1.7 million years ago, a well-preserved distal portion of a left humerus was discovered in 1976. Additionally, a proximal fragment of a left humerus was discovered from the same site in 1973; however, it was not initially recognized as belonging to a hominin during excavations. This latter specimen, which was o…
Funerary practices and post-mortem manipulations by the early Holocene hunter-gatherers of Riparo Blanc (Mount Circeo, central Italy)
Heritage Management and Early Human Evolution: Melka Kunture as a Model for In Situ Musealisation in the Eastern African Rift
The eastern African archaeological record is central to understanding early human evolution, yet its Pleistocene sites often present major challenges for public interpretation due to their open-air character and limited monumentality. In this context, in situ musealisation has emerged as a key strategy for combining conservation, research, and public access. This paper examines the historical development of such practices in eastern African archa…
Geography (14 works) · Archaeology (13 works) · Geology (12 works) · Paleontology (12 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (12 works) · Pleistocene (9 works) · Acheulean (5 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (5 works) · Early Pleistocene (4 works) · Evolution and Paleontology Studies (4 works)