The abate Vella and his forgeries : some notes on the background of his works

In 1793 the Maltese Abate Giuseppe Vella published the Libro del Consiglio di Egitto containing several Arabic and Norman documents which seemed to confirm the absolute power of medieval rulers over the rights and prerogatives of the nobility. It became an important matter in the efforts of Francesco Maria Venanzio d'Aquino, principe di Caramanico, the viceroy of Sicily, and his lawyers and civil servants to justify and legitimatize the pruning of the rights and power of the mighty Sicilian barons. In a spectacular trial, most of Vella's works were revealed as forgeries. This paper tries to trace the motives behind this forgery and shows how the abate was most likely inspired by similar frauds in Andalucia.peer-reviewe

Rediscovering Sculptures from Tebtynis at the Museo Egizio in Turin

This article presents three case studies from an ongoing research project on the statues and sculptural fragments from Tebtynis, discovered by Carlo Anti in the years 1930-1936 in the temple dedicated to the god Soknebtynis. Specifically, it examines the following three statues: Alexandria, Graeco-Roman Museum inv. no. 22979, Turin, Museo Egizio S. 18176, and a non-royal statue which one of the authors has recently identified as Turin, Museo Egizio S. 19400+S. 19400/1. The authors combine stylistic analysis with a study of relevant archival records currently kept in Padua and Venice, Italy, to shed light on these sculptures and retrace their post-excavation history

The Jericho Oasis Archaeological Park - 2015 Interim Report. Italian-Palestinian cooperation for protection and valorization of archaeological heritage

In April 2015, the Italian Cooperation, Sapienza University of Rome and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities started the Project “Oasis of Jericho” aimed at the implementation of the Jericho Oasis Archaeological Park (JOAP) by means of training of local personnel as tourist guides, specialized restorers and workers for the maintenance of 13 selected archaeological, historical, cultural, naturalistic, and religious sites in the Jericho Oasis, with the cooperation of the Ariha Municipality. Young students and workers participated in several activities, including sites rehabilitation and the production and installation of explanatory panels, the creation of visit itineraries and the involvement of the local community and stakeholders into the protection and valorization of the Jericho archaeological heritage

11/09/1989 - Craig Chesner

Rapporto dell'Undicesima Campagna di Scavo della Missione Archeologica del Centro di Studi Papirologici a Soknopaiou Nesos (Fayyum, Egitto)

AL-Fudayn. An Umayyad Residence in Northern Jordan

The site of al-Fudayn, to the northeast of ʿAmmān and including a mosque, some residential units and baths, is part of the “developed” Umayyad residences; furthermore, the stucco decoration of the qiblī wall plays an important role in the study of Umayyad art as it is the only example, as far as we know, that can be entirely reconstructed; the aim of this essay is to describe the site and suggest its dating through comparison

Ancora sul problema degli ossi scolpiti del Museo di Alessandria

Analisi iconografica e stilistica di ossi scolpiti conservati nel Museo greco- romano di Alessandria in Egitto, provenienti da scavi urbani e dalle necropoli. Produzione di ateliers alessandrini attivi dal II al VI secolo

Bethlehem in the Bronze and Iron Ages in the light of recent discoveries by the Palestinian MOTA-DACH

The discovery of the necropolis of Khalet al-Jam’a, around 2.2 Km south-east of Bethlehem (Nigro et al. in this volume), provides new data on the Bronze and Iron Age town which controlled the main route connecting Jerusalem to Hebron, and the access to the wadiat crossing the southern Judean desert and leading to the coastal plain. Intermediate Bronze Age/Early Bronze IV, Middle Bronze shaft tombs, and at least two major Iron II burial caves (Tomb A7 and the Barmil’s Tomb) excavated by the Palestinian MOTA-DACH in an Iron Age cemetery allow to draw up a renewed picture of Bethlehem and its environs and give the opportunity to re-appraise its long history