La Valle dei Templi in epoca medioevale. Caratterizzazione antropologica e paleopatologica delle sepolture antistanti in Tempio della Concordia

Riassunto ― Il lavoro presenta i risultati delle analisi bio-archeologiche effettuate su resti scheletrici umani rinvenuti in quattordici sepolture di epoca medioevale rinvenute nel Parco Archeologico della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento (Sicilia). L’obiettivo è stato l’acquisizione delle informazioni necessarie per la ricostruzione del profilo biologico di ciascun individuo, al fine di determinarne il sesso, la stima dell’età biologica alla morte, la stima della statura e la valutazione delle patologie e degli indicatori di stress occupazionale mediante le correnti metodologie e tecniche diagnostiche di tipo antropologico. Sebbene il cattivo stato di conservazione di alcuni individui non ne abbia consentito la caratterizzazione antropologica, le indagini hanno messo in luce l’eterogeneità relativa alle classi d’età e hanno permesso di constatare la manifestazione di alterazioni di natura patologica nei soggetti di età matura, talvolta di eziologia non ancora accertata, come la DISH (Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis). La dimensione del campione non è rappresentativa dell’intera popolazione, ma approfondimenti successivi forniranno una migliore comprensione delle dinamiche popolazionistiche di Agrigento medievale

"Ci sono più cose in cielo e in terra..." Due metodologie diverse per investigare il passato: il Castello Nuovo di Sciacca tra storia e archeologia

La storia di Sciacca e del Castello Nuovo, ricostruita sulle fonti documentarie, riceve nuova luce dalle indagini condotte dalla Soprintendenza di Agrigento nel butto del castello, che ha restituito importanti testimonianze di cultura materiale. Il contributo, attraverso la lettura sinottica dei dati archeologici ed archivistici, offre un quadro della vita quotidiana al castello tra il XIV ed il XVI secolo, quando Sciacca con il suo caricatore riveste un ruolo di primo piano nel commercio mediterraneo.The history of Sciacca and Castello Nuovo documented by archival sources and further enriched by the researches conducted by Soprintendenza of Agrigento is in the dump of the castle, which has yielded important evidence for its material culture. The paper proceeds through the synoptic reading of the archaeological and archive data, offers a pattern of daily life at the castle from the 14th to the 16th century, when Sciacca with its port plays a leading role in Mediterranean trade

The epigraphy of Agrigento in context

This paper offers a very brief overview of the epigraphy (principally on stone) of ancient Akragas/Agrigentum, within the wider Sicilian epigraphic context

Physicochemical Analysis of Medieval Glass from 14th-16th Centuries AD found in the Sciacca Castle site (Sicily) by LA-ICP-MS and UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy

The results of physico-chemical analysis performed by ICP-MS with laser ablation solid sampling and UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy on several glass fragments from drinking vessels and lamps, found during the 2008 excavation campaign at the archaeological site of Castello Nuovo of Sciacca (Sicily, Italy) are presented and discussed. The findings were dated from the end of 14th until the early 16th century. The glass chromophores were identified by UV-VIS spectra. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses of elemental data indicated some main compositional groups of glass samples based on the used sands and fluxes. These data were compared with the ones found in the literature for samples from the same age. All the glass samples are soda-silica-lime and at least two different types of silica sources and two kinds of sodic vegetal ashes used as fluxing agents were identified. These differences could be related to the use of different glassmaker recipes, to the trading of different raw materials for glass making and/or to import of glass artifacts from other countries, like Venice, Tuscany and North Europe

Physicochemical Analysis of Medieval Glass from 14th-16th Centuries AD found in the Sciacca Castle site (Sicily) by LA-ICP-MS and UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy

The results of physico-chemical analysis performed by ICP-MS with laser ablation solid sampling and UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy on several glass fragments from drinking vessels and lamps, found during the 2008 excavation campaign at the archaeological site of Castello Nuovo of Sciacca (Sicily, Italy) are presented and discussed. The findings were dated from the end of 14th until the early 16th century. The glass chromophores were identified by UV-VIS spectra. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses of elemental data indicated some main compositional groups of glass samples based on the used sands and fluxes. These data were compared with the ones found in the literature for samples from the same age. All the glass samples are soda-silica-lime and at least two different types of silica sources and two kinds of sodic vegetal ashes used as fluxing agents were identified. These differences could be related to the use of different glassmaker recipes, to the trading of different raw materials for glass making and/or to import of glass artifacts from other countries, like Venice, Tuscany and North Europe

Physicochemical Analysis of Medieval Glass from 14th-16th Centuries AD found in the Sciacca Castle site (Sicily) by LA-ICP-MS and UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy

The results of physico-chemical analysis performed by ICP-MS with laser ablation solid sampling and UV-VIS Reflectance Spectroscopy on several glass fragments from drinking vessels and lamps, found during the 2008 excavation campaign at the archaeological site of Castello Nuovo of Sciacca (Sicily, Italy) are presented and discussed. The findings were dated from the end of 14th until the early 16th century. The glass chromophores were identified by UV-VIS spectra. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses of elemental data indicated some main compositional groups of glass samples based on the used sands and fluxes. These data were compared with the ones found in the literature for samples from the same age. All the glass samples are soda-silica-lime and at least two different types of silica sources and two kinds of sodic vegetal ashes used as fluxing agents were identified. These differences could be related to the use of different glassmaker recipes, to the trading of different raw materials for glass making and/or to import of glass artifacts from other countries, like Venice, Tuscany and North Europe