Emerg Infect Dis

The present work is devoted to the study of stone beads and pendants from Bronze Age sites in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Macroscopic geological examination made it possible to identify the rock types and in some cases their probable provenance. A chronological and typological analysis of the objects as well as graphic and photographic documentation completes the study of the stone artifacts. Comparative research throughout the Mediterranean allows the distinction between local groups of beads and pendants (i.e. of local production and distribution) and groups of Near Eastern objects (mainly in carnelian) that arrived in Italy through Aegean contacts. This work enables a chronological classification of these objects, some of which arrived in Sicily via Mediterranean sea routes. As a result, it is possible to discuss in depth some issues regarding Aegean imports in Italy and the changing socio-economic role that ornaments played in the indigenous communities during the Bronze Age

La cultura materiale di Murgia Timone (Matera): proposta di analisi alla luce delle influenze dalle aree adriatica e tirrenica

In the chamber tombs of Murgia Timone (Matera), a considerable amount of Middle Bronze Age 3 pottery came to light that largely fall within the typological panorama of the traditional Apennine facies. However, the study of these finds, through a comparative analysis, made it possible to highlight the presence of other specific pottery types, belonging to the so-called “Punta Le Terrare” facies, recently defined by G. Recchia and C. Ruggini. This paper discusses the material culture of the site of Murgia Timone and analyses how it relates to these two already defined facies. One example is a drinking cup from tomb 2 of Murgia Timone with a handle characterized by a depression at the centre and lateral apexes. For this type, we can find very precise comparisons at Monopoli-Piazza Palmieri, Rissieddi, Le Pazze, Roca and Punta Le Terrare. In the same tomb some bowls with a very recessed rim were also found, two of which have some small vertical segments underneath the rim. This type, attested at Murgia Timone in four examples, is also present in Civita di Paterno (Potenza), but has also comparisons in Puglia, in the sites classified within the “facies of Punta Le Terrare”: Rissieddi, Roca, Egnazia - level IV and at Punta Le Terrare. A pot with a nozzle-handle, found into tombs 1 and 2, is significant for its similarity with artefacts from the upper layer of the Cardini Cave, Cave1 of Latronico and tombs 17 and 22 of the Podere Caravello necropolis. This vessel shape is mainly attested in central and south-western Italy during the Middle Bronze Age, but has been also found at Punta Le Terrare. These data show a distribution of types that does not always coincide with the areas where usually the facies is attested. Murgia Timone is in a key geographical position between the diffusion area of the “facies Punta Le Terrare”, from which it partially takes the pottery models, and the diffusion area of the Apennine facies in northern Puglia, Campania and Calabria. The pottery from Murgia Timone displays moreover numerous similarities with sites in the Tyrrhenian area (for example the Cardini Cave). This paper therefore focuses on a critical point related to the concept of facies: the definition of rigid boundaries does not apparently reflect the real distribution of pottery types, which often go beyond the canonical limits of defined facies. This observation points out that models widely circulate between different geographical and “cultural” areas.I corredi delle tombe a camera di Murgia Timone (Matera) hanno restituito una considerevole quantità di reperti ceramici del Bronzo Medio 3, in gran parte rientranti nel panorama tipologico della facies appenninica. Tuttavia lo studio di questi reperti, attraverso un'analisi comparativa, ha permesso di evidenziare la presenza di alcuni tipi specifici, appartenenti alla cosiddetta facies di “Punta Le Terrare”, recentemente definita da G. Recchia e C. Ruggini. Il presente contributo si propone l’obiettivo di discutere la cultura materiale del sito di Murgia Timone e analizzare il modo in cui si collega a queste due facies già definite. Murgia Timone si trova in una posizione geografica chiave tra l'area di diffusione della facies “Punta Le Terrare” e l’areale di attestazione della facies appenninica. Il contributo si concentra quindi su un punto critico relativo al concetto di facies: la definizione di confini rigidi non sempre riflette la reale distribuzione dei tipi ceramici, i quali spesso travalicano i limiti canonici delle facies definite circolando ampiamente tra diverse aree geografiche e culturali

Ornamenti in materiale vetroso dell’età del bronzo dall’Italia meridionale e dall’area siciliano-eoliana: un inquadramento d’insieme alla luce di nuovi dati

Questo documento presenta i risultati di un ampio studio sui vaghi di collana in materiale vetroso dell'età del bronzo rinvenuti nell'Italia meridionale e nell'area siciliano-eoliana. La ricerca si basa su una ricognizione globale dei vaghi (diversi dei quali inediti, come nel caso di decine di esemplari dallo scavo di Punta di Zambrone), sulla loro classificazione tipologica e su nuove analisi archeometriche, effettuate su 36 campioni provenienti da: S. Abbondio (Pompei-NA), Grotta Cardini (Praia a Mare-CS), Vivara-Punta D’Alaca (Procida-NA), Murgia Timone (Matera-MT), Punta di Zambrone (Zambrone-VV), Torre Castelluccia (Pulsano-TA), Broglio (Trebisacce-CS), Roca (Melendugno-LE) e Lipari-Piazza Monfalcone (Lipari-ME). La gamma cronologica degli esemplari esaminati - molto più ampia di quella considerata finora - comprende l'intera età del bronzo, dalla fase antica (S. Abbondio) a quella fase finale (Lipari, Torre Castelluccia, Roca). Anche l'area geografica indagata è maggiore rispetto a quella finora studiata analiticamente. Lo studio archeologico e la classificazione tipologica hanno portato a una migliore definizione dei tipi e della loro distribuzione cronologica e geografica. Le analisi archeometriche hanno fornito informazioni sui metodi di produzione e sull'area geografica di origine dei materiali vetrosi. Dalla combinazione delle due serie di dati emergono nuove rilevanti prospettive sulla circolazione delle diverse produzioni

Bronze Age vitreous materials from Punta di Zambrone (southern Italy)

International audienceThis study presents the results of an archaeometrical investigation of Bronze Age vitreous materials from the archaeological site of Punta di Zambrone (Calabria, southern Italy). The analyses of a set of samples (9 faience beads, 1 glassy bead) from approximately 1200 BCE (Recent Bronze Age) were carried out with an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and LA-ICPMS (for the glassy bead) following a non-destructive protocol. Only very small chips of faience were sampled for X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and preparation of thin sections for ESEM analysis. The glassy bead is an opaque light-blue silica-soda-lime type with an uncommon chemical composition, comparable to some coeval Italian and Mycenaean glassy faience artefacts. These are called LMLK (low magnesium low potassium) glassy faience, but the flux used for their production has not yet been identified. The trace-element analysis allows exclusion of a Mesopotamian or Egyptian provenance for this sample, suggesting it was produced with rather impure raw materials. The nine faience beads have suffered from extensive weathering. The microstructural examinations carried out with the ESEM enabled definition of three different groups: (1) light beads consisting almost entirely of quartz crystals without any original interparticle glass, which could be due to the heavy weathering; (2) dark beads with a high content of manganese and iron oxide and scarce presence of interparticle glass in the body, suggesting the original presence of Mn/Fe-rich interparticle glass; this presence indicates that a glazing mixture containing alkalis and colorants was mixed with quartz, therefore the efflorescence method could have been used for glazing, in combination with either cementation or application glazing (hybrid glazing methods); and (3) one green sample exhibiting an heterogeneous body rich in Mg, K, Ti, and Fe but not containing Mn. The XRPD analysis of a faience bead of group 1 confirmed the exclusive presence of quartz, whereas for group 2, an additional small peak compatible with Mn oxide (Possibly hausmannite) was observed. Considering the colorant used for the dark beads, the Zambrone faience beads can be compared to Mesopotamian and Minoan faience beads. They belong to a type widespread in north-central Italy between the Middle and Late Bronze Age, and in southern Italy between the Early and Late Bronze Age. The same type of faience is found in the Aegean from the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE to the 12th century BCE

How much do we know about glassy materials in Bronze and Iron Ages Italy? New data and general overview

Knowledge of glass trading in protohistoric Southern Italy has been limited by a lack of archeometrical data available to date, preventing comparison with the well-known Northern Italian context. The aim of the present work is to help fill the data gap for Southern Bronze-Iron Age vitreous items and enable a general overview of protohistoric Italian glass supply routes. The paper presents physical-chemical data for 61 vitreous items from 11 Southern Italian sites, dated from the beginning of the Bronze Age up to the Archaic period (22nd–6th century BC), ensuring a complete diachronic analysis. SEM-EDS, EMPA, LA-ICPMS, and XRD analyses permitted definition of the raw materials and manufacturing techniques employed, as well as determination of item provenance. The sample set exhibits great variability of glass chemical types, including plant ash glass, mixed alkali, and natron samples. A complex picture emerges, mostly as regards the different natron glass typologies (High-Zr, Low-Zr, Black, etc.) and their rapid technological evolution in the early 1st millennium BC. Taking into account the data reported in this study and those available in literature for both Northern and Southern Italian Bronze-Iron Ages items, this work demonstrates the existence of different trade routes for the first time. This is especially true for the Early/Middle Bronze Age periods, with Northern Italy involved in trade with Central Europe, and South already involved in Mediterranean trade circuits

Gluten consumption and inflammation affect the development of celiac disease in at-risk children

: Gene expression, lipidomic and growth impairment findings suggest that the natural history of celiac disease (CD) starts before the gluten-induced immune response. Gluten intake in the first years of life is a controversial risk factor. We aimed to estimate the risk of developing CD associated with the amount of gluten intake and the serum inflammatory profile in genetically predisposed infants. From an Italian cohort of children at risk for CD, we enrolled 27 children who developed CD (cases) and 56 controls matched by sex and age. A dietary interview at 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months was performed. Serum cytokines (INFγ, IL1β, IL2, IL4, IL6, IL10 IL12p70, IL17, and TNFα) were analysed at 4 and 36 months. Infants who developed CD by 6 years showed an increase in serum cytokines (INFγ, IL1β, IL2, IL6, IL10, IL12p70 and TNFα) at 4 months of age before gluten introduction. CD cases ate significantly more gluten in the second year of life than controls, and gluten intake in the second year of life was strongly correlated with serum cytokines (INFγ, IL2, IL4, IL12p70, IL17) at 36 months only in CD cases. The dietary pattern of infants who developed CD was characterized by high consumption of biscuits and fruit juices and low intake of milk products, legumes, vegetables and fruits. Genetically predisposed infants who developed CD showed a unique serum cytokine profile at 4 months before gluten consumption. The amount of gluten was strongly correlated with an inflammatory profile in serum cytokines at 36 months only in infants who developed CD