Sicily in Transition Research Project. Investigations at Castronovo di Sicilia. Results and Prospects, 2015

Il progetto Sicily in Transition è nato dalla collaborazione delle Università di York e di Roma Tor Vergata, con il pieno ap-poggio della Soprintendenza ai BB. CC. AA di Palermo. La finalità della nostra ricerca è quella di analizzare, attraverso il registro archeologico, in quale modo i mutamenti di regime politico hanno influenzato organizzazione, composizione e stili di vita delle popolazioni soggette. L’arco di tempo considerato va dal VI al XIII secolo, periodo nel quale la Sicilia ha visto diverse dominazioni: quella bizantina, islamica, normanna e sveva. Sicily in Transition prevede di analizzare con metodi in parte nuovi, in parte più tradizionali, sia insiemi di reperti (ecofatti e manufatti) prodotti da precedenti scavi, sia di acquisire dati attraverso nuove indagini. In particolare gli scriventi hanno scelto di indagare un’area molto promettente della Sicilia centrale: il territorio di Castronovo di Sicilia. Qui, in due campagne di ricerca durate ciascuna quattro settimane, sono state realizzate indagini magnetometriche, ricognizioni di superficie, di archeologia dell’architettura e sondaggi stratigrafici. La finalità era quella di valutare il potenziale archeologico dei principali siti storici del territorio. I primi risultati sono promettenti in relazione alla varietà tipologica e cronologica dei diversi insediamenti identificati: una fortezza dei secoli VII-IX sul Monte Kassar; un fortilizio con fasi del pieno medioevo e dell’età moderna sul Colle San Vitale; un ampio villaggio non difeso con fasi dall’età tardoantica al medioevo, incluse importanti testimonianze di età islamica, nell’area del Casale San Pietro. Le indagini preliminari hanno quindi confermato le ampie potenzialità informative dell’intero territorio di Castronovo rispetto ai temi della nostra ricerca e stanno quindi consentendo di programmare gli interventi futuri.

Metallurgia del piombo e siderurgia nel sito protostorico di Brunku ’e s’Omu (Sardegna centro-occidentale): inquadramento funzionale dei manufatti e ricostruzione dei processi produttivi

The archaeological excavations carried out in 2013 in the hut n. 16 of the protohistoric settlement of Brunku ’e s’Omu (central-western Sardinia) returned some metal products. The morpho-metric and functional study of these artifacts al-lowed the identification of two mending strips and other remains related to Bronze Age (late II millennium BC) ceramic vessels reparing. Some uncertainly dated slags and metal fragments were also identified. Visual examination and archaeometric investigation carried out by means of portable energy dispersive X-ray fluores-cence spectrometry (pXRF) were performed on these metals. The analyses were able to relate some remains to iron manufacturing and highlighted the lead composition of the other ones. The chosen approach further clarified some as-pects of nuragic metallurgists’ behaviour in selecting and processing metalliferous geo-materials.

La Rocca di Castiglione del Lago (PG) Campagna di scavo 2014

The archaeological study took into account a very important part of Castiglione del Lago urban unit, where the presence of stratification, probably from the Classical period, had been pointed out, on which military and religious units were over-lapped. More specifically, the area with a small church inside the arms courtyard of the castle, could have suggested the presence of archaeological realities,especially from the sporadic finding of Etruscan pottery. The archaeological investigation was first launched in the area of the small chapel, where at least two construction phases were highlighted, although with no appreciable result regarding Classical period phases. The excavation led to the discovery of underground structures, a number of Renaissance tombs placed around the church, and the identification of other structures related to military use over a cistern-well. At the end of the excavation, the structures were consolidated and protected before the backfilling; the materials recovered during the investigation have been registered at the Municipality of Castiglione del Lago, after bein examined by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologi dell’Umbria and the Soprintendenza per i Beni Storico, Artistici ed Etnoantropologici dell’Umbria.

Gli scavi archeologici presso la Canonica di San Salvatore a Barzanò (Lecco)

Nel periodo compreso tra la primavera del 2007 e l'estate del 2010, presso la Canonica di San Salvatore a Barzanò, unitamente ai lavori di ristrutturazione e restauro, sono stati effettuati diversi interventi di assistenza e di scavo archeologico, inizialmente nelle aree esterne limitrofe e in un secondo tempo all'interno dell'edificio, nell’ambito di un piano di riqualificazione e di restauro del monumento commissionato dal Comune di Barzanò . La cripta e la sagrestia sono state indagate completamente, mentre all'interno dell'aula e della torre campanaria è stato effettuato uno scavo parziale fino a una quota mediamente di m -0.50 dal piano pavimentale: ciononostante, è stato possibile delineare complessivamente nove fasi archeologiche, sette delle quali definiscono le principali sequenze dell'evoluzione strutturale dell'edificio della Canonica.

Metodologia di editing immagini per analisi dati morfometrici dei primi stadi di sviluppo di Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Tra le più importanti risorse alieutiche di molte regioni del Mar Mediterraneo vi sonole acciughe (Engraulisencrasicolus, Linnaeus, 1758), piccoli pesci pelagici appartenenti alle famiglie degli Engraulidae. Dati IREPA del 2009, hanno di fatto reso noto che in Italia, la pesca di E. encrasicolusha rappresentano in media il 26% circa del pescato totale. Questa specie viene continuamente monitorata e grazie a tali programmi è stato evidenziato che vi sono delle fluttuazioni inter-annuali molto pronunciate (Cergoleet al., 2002; Cingolani, 2004), le cui cause possono essere molteplici, da fattori antropicicome l’elevato sforzo di pesca a fattori naturali (Borjia et al., 1996). Va però posta molta attenzione sulle dinamiche biologiche ed ambientali che influiscono sulla sopravvivenza dei primi stadi di vita di questa specie, che ricadendo sul successivo reclutamento, possono essere una delle cause fondamentali delle contrazioni e degli incrementi annuali dello stock adulto (Thikonova et al., 2000; James et al., 2003; Cuttitta et al., 2003, 2006).Lo studio delle fasi ittioplanctoniche e delle sue relazioni con l’ambiente e gli altri organismi, risulta quindi di primaria importanza nell’ambito delle conoscenze necessarie per il corretto sfruttamento delle risorse alieutiche.

Civita Castellana (VT). Indagini archeologiche di emergenza nel suburbio di Falerii Veteres

In 2013 the works for the construction of the new sewerage network in Civita Castellana have allowed to find a stretch of ancient road paved in via Roma in the suburb of Falerii Veteres. The street was not yet known by archaeologists. It is characterized by a pavement with small lava stones. We know that the Roman conquest of 241 B.C. entailed the abandonment of the Faliscan city and the foundation elsewhere of a new town, called Falerii Novi. However this new discovery joins to other known archaeological evidence documenting the continuity of attendance after this date both the sanctuaries - frequented until the end of II - beginning of I century B.C.- and Falerii Veteres plateau, on which there arose a small Roman burial ground. These testimonies are certainly evidence of the frequenting of the site (although limited) even after the conquest by Rome. A subsequent earthy street with edges in tuff blocks has overlapped on the ancient street: it probably was made when the eastern access to Civita Castellana was built, under the pontificate of Pope Pius VI.

Copio (Baschi-Montecchio, Terni). Un avamposto etrusco sulla sinistra del Tevere Presentazione dei risultati delle indagini di superficie (maggio - giugno 2015)

This paper attempts to demonstrate the importance of the archaeological area of Copio, in province of Terni (Italy). Discovered for the first time in the 1980 by the local historian then mentioned in 2001 and in 2003 in two different archaeological publications, the site of Copio started to arouse interest for its position, lying on a hilltop above one of the most interesting pre-Roman necropolis of Umbria (Vallone di San Lorenzo). The link between the well-known necropolis and Copio is today well-accepted. The aim of this paper, based on a field-walking survey and the analisys of the archaeological finds, is to demonstrate the importance of this area during the pre-Roman period as a commercial bridgehead linked to Volsinii. Strategically lying only one km to east from the Tiber, it should have enjoyed this important and commercial path for the local trade moving goods in incoming and outcoming.

Il «Castellazzo» di Monte Iato in Sicilia occidentale (PA) Quinta e sesta campagna di scavo. Aggiornamenti dal territorio

From May 15th to 30th and 15th to 30th September 2015 took place the fifth and sixth excavation campaign at the Castellazzo of Monte Iato. The presence of 15 participants made it possible to deepen the research significantly and ex-pand the surface area of investigation. It is completely emptied a room already identified in previous campaigns and provided new information about the relationship with the existing cemetery. Part of a burial in a supine position was destroyed by the installation of wall 20. Traces of another turret projecting from the walls have been discovered in the east and another section of the inner walls (15) was fully exposed. A gate, between two towers, is the first entry traced so far, on the north-eastern side of the plateau. The archaeological materials found confirm the characteristics and type of construction. Being a military camp of ephemeral nature, although active at least 30 years, objects such as arrowheads and crossbow quarrels, knives, buckles and harnesses for horses have been found. One of the environments has been interpreted as an area where gaming took place because of the presence of four dice in ivory, glasses and different coins, in addition to the greater extent than the other environments found. Among the findings are reported a glass weight with a cufic inscription dated to the mid-twelfth century and two bronze coins dated in 15th centu-ry.

Scavo 2015 della necropoli romana di Porta Nocera a Pompei: nascita e sviluppo di un paesaggio funerario romano (I sec. a.C. - I sec. d.C.)

The Porta Nocera 2 program aims to study the process of establishing and developing a Roman urban necropolis from a road network, which is an essential setting in the expression of death in the Roman time. As such, the necropolis of Porta Nocera essentially excavated between 1952 and 1958 and then in 1983 offers a privileged field study. Indeed, monuments and funerary enclosures with burial structures (graves, cremation areas) built along the road to Nocera are well preserved and allow to observe funerary practices on a relatively short time, about 160 years, since we can assume that the necropolis has been founded with the colony in 80 BC. It is then the necessity to organize a burial area according to Roman customs, which is at the origin a new landscape development until then essentially marked by the presence of the urban wall.

La lunga diacronia di un sito archeologico toscano: il complesso di Pava (Siena) dal II al XIII sec. d.C.

The paper is centred on southern Tuscany on the archaeological complex of Pieve di Pava where archaeological research have been conducted since the 2000 by the University of Siena. The parish church is first mentioned as the baptisterium Sancti Petri in Pava in a document of AD 715 part of a long dispute between the bishop of Siena and the bishop of Arezzo. But the archaeological excavation revealed a longer history of the site that start from the Roman period with a villa dated between the second to the fourth century BC. The villa continued to grow in Late Antiquity since it was transformed by a church. The paper is centred on these fluctuations of the site and on the implications of the transformations on the landscape. One of the stronger element of the Pava site, in addition to the very particular plan of the early church (built with two opposing apses) was the huge cemetery around the church that was used from the seventh century BC until the Middle Ages. The 900 excavated graves make this one of the largest and most long-lasting late-Roman to medieval cemeteries excavated in Europe.