ESR and ESR/U-series dating of several Middle Pleistocene Italian sites: a comparison with 40Ar/39Ar chronology

International audienceThe stratigraphic sequences of numerous palaeolithic sites of Central and Southern Italy, very rich in both archaeological and palaeontological remains, have recorded volcanic events allowing the comparison of the chronologies derived from ESR and ESR/U-series analyses on fluvial bleached quartz and tooth enamel respec-tively with the chronological framework obtained by 40Ar/39Ar dating method on single volcanic K-feldspar crystals. Since 2009, several Middle Pleistocene sites including volcanic and archaeological levels were studied (from the west to the east): La Polledrara di Cecanibbio, Isoletta, (Lazio), Guado San Nicola, Isernia La Pineta (Molise) and Venosa Notarchirico (Basilicata). The obtained results, that cover the time range between 660 and 350 ka, will be displayed and discussed. They indicate that the multi-method approach is useful to constrain the chronology of each site and that the application of every method have specific limitations due to the geological background (for ESR, the lack of quartz grains in some areas and for ESR/U-series complex U-uptake histories in others places). Despite these limitations, the ESR and ESR/U-series framework is globally in agreement with the 40Ar/39Ar chronology