The discovery
In 1973 the Siena-Perugia highway was being built. The small town of Farneta, close to the motorway route, hosted numerous quarries for the extraction of sand, necessary for the construction of the highway. In one of these quarries, in the month of March, numerous fossil remains came to light. Including Linda's skeleton that is today on display at the Museum of Geology and Paleontology in Florence.
The carcasses of Linda and other animals that shared the habitat with her were carried by a river and piled up in a sandy bend. For this reason, at the time of discovery, Linda's spinal column was in anatomical connection however some parts were missing, such as, the right tusk and some bones of the limbs.
Click on the bones!
The dig
The parish priest of the Farneta Abbey, Don Sante Felici, was a naturalist and passionate paleontophile. It was he who was first informed of the discovery of the large skeleton of Mammuthus meridionalis in the sand quarry. Promptly, Don Sante contacted Professor Augusto Azzaroli of the University of Florence and they organized an excavation campaign that involved both university staff and local inhabitants. It was soon realized that the site represented a precious window onto the Tuscan Pleistocene.
Click on the animals!
How did Linda and other animals live 1.6 million years ago? Ancestors of hyenas, panthers, donkeys, zebras, deer, rhinoceroses, and gigantic elephants populated Italy.
The paleoenvironment
Between 1.4 and 1.6 million years ago the Farneta environment consisted of a river plain, although we lack data for a more precise reconstruction. The paleoenvironment was reconstructed including both flora that is now found in Italy (e.g. Quercus) and flora that is now found in other geographical areas but which was present in the biome in the Early Pleistocene (e.g. Zelkova)
Glacial and interglacial
The Pleistocene was characterized by alternating glacial and interglacial periods which influenced the variation of sea levels and ecosystems. During cold glacial periods forests were often replaced by arid steppes while in warm interglacial periods the wetter climate favored the development of forests.
The fossil pollen
Fossil pollen provides data on plant species, their abundance, and consequently on the climate of the past. Pollen is contained in the sediments together with animal remains. The pollen data from localities near Farneta have allowed us to reconstruct a hypothetical life scenario for Linda and the other animal species: an interglacial environment but with already the first traces of drying up.
The Farneta faunal unit
A particular association of animals, defined in a limited period of time, is called a faunal unit. A faunal unit is therefore the result of adaptation to climate and environmental changes that characterize a specific time interval. For example, if paleontologists found the same animals in a distant place, they could trace that new site back to the Farneta faunal unit and to the period from which it dates back.
Coprolites
Coprolites are fossilized excrement. In the site there are coprolites attributed to the giant hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris, proving the presence of this large predator in the area. Pachycrocuta was able to crush and ingest even bones, and the high calcium content in the excrement facilitated their fossilization (as coprolites).
The project.
The "Linda." project is funded by the PNRR CN5 Spoke 7, aiming at disseminating biodiversity. Through the 3D digitization of specimens in museums, the project aim is to create a virtual collection accessible by visitors during their visit to the network's museums, and to create and test a new opportunity to explain and disseminate biodiversity in deep time.
Matteo Belvedere
Associate Professor of Paleontology at the University of Florence, specializing in vertebrate ichnology, in particular dinosaurs. An expert in 3D digitisation techniques, he has contributed to the development of standard protocols for photogrammetry applied to paleontological finds. Has worked in international institutions and collaborated on the development of DigTrace software
Silvia Danise
Associate Professor in Paleontology and Paleoecology, deals with marine paleoecology and mass extinctions. After a doctorate in Florence and periods of research in the UK and the USA, she returned to Italy thanks to the "Rita Levi Montalcini" programme. Received the prestigious Hodson Award in 2019.
Isacco Alberti
Teacher and paleoartist, he graduated in visual arts in 2018 with a thesis on the anatomy of Ouranosaurus nigeriensis at the Natural History Museum of Venice, since then his goal is to use images to bring paleontology to the general public. Designed and illustrated the platform.
Francesca Borchi
Doctoral student in Paleontology at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Florence. It deals with the valorization of museum fossil collections through techniques of virtual paleontology and new didactic approaches. Since 2019 is part of the museum operators of the Museum of Geology and Paleontology in Florence.
Alessio Leone
After graduating in Geological Sciences at the University of Camerino with a thesis about a population of Ursus spelaeus, he is currently a master’s student at the University of Florence. He has contributed to the drafting of texts and the creation of 3D models on the platform.