Of the many critical phases of human evolution, one of the most investigated is the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic with the pivotal bio-cultural substitution of Neanderthals by Homo sapiens in Western Eurasia. The complexity of this over ten thousands years phase raises from the ensemble of evidence ascribed to the diverse adaptations expressed by Neanderthals and the first representatives of our species. In countless archaeological records Neanderthals left clear traces of a cultural variability dotted with innovations in the technology of stone and bone tools, alongside with manifestations in the range of the symbolic sphere. Together with other aspects of daily life, this evidence contributes shedding light on the cognitive aptitudes of those hominins and reassessing gaps in Pleistocene human diversities. Among archaeological contexts, the cave of Fumane in the Monti Lessini (Veneto Pre-Alps, northeastern Italy) is a key site. It is positioned along the potential trajectory of hominins moving into southern Europe from eastern and southeastern regions and includes a finely layered sedimentary sequence with cultural layers ascribed to the Mousterian, Uluzzian, Aurignacian and Gravettian. The ensemble constitutes one of the most complete, detailed and dated continental stratigraphic series from a segment of the late Pleistocene between 50 and 30 ka cal BP in a cave context of Southern Europe. Assessments based on sedimentological and palaeontological record provide indicators for framing Neanderthals in their respective ecological contexts since the late Middle Pleistocene until their demise during MIS3. On-going research is producing data ascribable to the human ecological relations and the interaction with specific natural resources, thus contributing to shed light on the complexity of Neanderthal behavior. Thanks to the high-resolution archaeological record of the earliest appearances of Homo sapiens, Fumane also provides clues to compare life, subsistence, and cultures between these Pleistocene hominins for comprehensive reasonings on our unicity.

中文翻译：

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从洞穴考察人类进化。Grotta di Fumane 的晚期尼安德特人和早期智人：现状和展望。

在人类进化的许多关键阶段中，研究最多的阶段之一是从旧石器时代中期到晚期的过渡，以及欧亚大陆西部智人对尼安德特人的关键生物文化替代。这一超过一万年的阶段的复杂性源于归因于尼安德特人和我们物种的第一批代表所表达的不同适应性的证据集合。在无数的考古记录中，尼安德特人留下了清晰的文化变异痕迹，其中点缀着石器和骨器技术的创新，以及象征领域范围内的表现形式。连同日常生活的其他方面，这一证据有助于阐明这些古人类的认知能力，并重新评估更新世人类多样性的差距。在考古环境中，Monti Lessini（意大利东北部 Veneto Pre-Alps）的 Fumane 洞穴是一个重要遗址。它位于古人类从东部和东南部地区进入南欧的潜在轨迹上，包括一个精细分层的沉积序列，其文化层归因于 Mousterian、Uluzzian、Aurignacian 和 Gravettian。该组合构成了南欧洞穴环境中更新世晚期 50 至 30 ka BP 的一段最完整、最详细和最有日期的大陆地层系列之一。基于沉积学和古生物学记录的评估提供了从中更新世晚期到他们在 MIS3 期间消亡的各自生态环境中构建尼安德特人的指标。正在进行的研究正在产生归因于人类生态关系和与特定自然资源的相互作用的数据，从而有助于阐明尼安德特人行为的复杂性。多亏了智人最早出现的高分辨率考古记录，Fumane 还提供了线索来比较这些更新世人类之间的生活、生存和文化，以便对我们的单一性进行全面推理。