The land bridge between Europe and Sicily over the past 40kyrs: timing of emersion and implications for the migration ofHomo sapiens

The submerged Sill in the Messina Strait, which is located at a depthof -81 m m.s.l., represents the only possibile connection betweenCalabria and Sicily during the last lowstand, when the sea level was atabout -126 m m.s.l.. This multidisciplinary research aim at documentingtimes and modes the bridge between Calabria and Sicily was emerged,during the last 40 ka BP. The analysis carried out onmorphobathymetric, lithological and relative sea level change (bothisostatic and tectonic) data allow to hypothesize the continental bridgeemerged at least between 21.5 ka and 20 ka cal BP. Moreover,considering erosion processes due to very strong marine currents, itcould be emerged for a longer time span. This hypothesis is supportedby anthropological and mammalofauna data, together with 14C dating onEquus hydruntinus from San Teodoro Cave.