(Apr. 9) - The last discovered at the archaeological excavations in Buya, Eritrea, has an Italian sign. An international team, led by paleoanthropologist Alfredo Coppa, from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza', has found new human remains dating back to about a million years ago. An extraordinary discovery immediately named the "Shrine of the Amygdales," because the site is undoubtedly one of the places with the highest concentration of Acheulian stone tools dating from that period: basalt, shale, chert and quartzite tools accumulated over the years. This is probably the bottom deposits of a channel, and it shows a prolonged human presence over time. The detailed work of the mission also enabled geologists to explain the historical context of the findings, although there is still waiting for the instrumental analysis that will date all the finds. This discover confirms that the area around Buya in one of the regions with the highest potential for research on the origin of our species. (Ram/Peg)

A SEVEN UNIVERSITIES' PROJECT
Researches in Danakil, coordinated by Alfredo Coppa, from the Department of Environmental Sciences, were made possible thanks to the University of Rome 'La Sapienza', which founds archaeological excavations, such as the International project "Italian-Eritrean Danakil Expedition: Anthropo-Archaeological and Geo-Paleontological Mission". All the projects involve researchers from 'La Sapienza', from the Eritrean National Museum in Asmara, from the University of Florence, Padua, Turin, Ferrara, Bologna, from the Pigorini Museum in Rome, from the University of Barcelona and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.