VASI IN PIETRA DAI LIVELLI MM II DAL «SETTORE NORD-EST» DI HAGHIA TRIADA

A small group of fourteen stone vases was found at Haghia Triada during the excavations 1991 and 1992 in the area of the Complesso della Mazza di Breccia. These stone vases are four big hemispherical cups, five lids, a bird’s nest bowl, a jag with concave side, a libation table, a fragment block vase, a one-handle troncoconical cup. All have the same typological characteristics of those found at Phaistos, especially those from the Palace, and confirm the presence in this area, during the MM II, of an important cult place. Three of the vases were found incomplete, and are, probably, the indicators of the existence of a stone vase workshop, controlled directly by the priests active in this area

OSSERVAZIONI SULLA CRONOLOGIA DEL SECONDO PALAZZO DI FESTÒS

This article examines some assemblages that are almost certainly associated with the construction of the Second Palace, with a special focus on the one uncovered under room 18 of this Palace. Examination of the relevant contexts has allowed D. Levi’s hypothesis that there were two phases in the life of the Second Palace, documented by two floor levels in the rooms located along the west façade, to be dismissed. Comparison with the ceramic sequences identified at Kommos and Ayia Triada, has allowed the assemblages from Phaistos (and therefore the construction of the Second Palace) to be dated to a ripe phase of LM IB

Prehistoric human presence on Mount Etna (Sicily), in relation to the geological evolution

This study analyses the relationship between the pre- and protohistoric sites on the slopes of Etna and the volcanic products, as well as the diverse settlement strategies in the different periods of prehistory. New C14 dating from significant excavations, in addition to those known from other Etnean sites, were performed with the aim of validating the chronology of the sequence of the different phases. A substantial concordance of the archaeological data with the volcanological ones has been found. It has been observed that a consistent human presence on Etna appears from the Middle Neolithic (5500 BC), after the sequence of eruptive events that marked the end of the Ellittico volcano (13550 - 13050 BC) and the formation of the Valle del Bove, and the subsequent debris and alluvial events on the eastern flanks of the volcano (7250 - 3350 BC). Human presence intensifies between the Late-Final Copper Age and the Early Bronze Age (2800 - 1450 BC), due to improvement in subsistence techniques and to the large presence of soils on lava flows suitable for sheep farming. The most recent phases of the Bronze Age are poorly represented, probably because of the concentration of the population in larger agglomerations (Montevergine and S. Paolillo at Catania, the Historical Hill at Paternò). The explosive eruptions taking place in this period seem to have had less impact on the settlement choices and have not affected the development of the sites over time

Malta in the Hybleans, the Hybleans in Malta : Malta negli Iblei, gli Iblei a Malta

Le relazioni tra Sicilia e Malta sono state al centro del dibattito relativo all’antica età del Bronzo (Bernabò Brea 1976-77; Trump 1976-1977), da quando sono state evidenziate le connessioni tra l’architettura funeraria di Castelluccio (le tombe a pilastri) e quella templare di Malta (Terranova, in questo volume, e Bruno 2003). D’altra parte, tali relazioni hanno ben presto posto il problema della cronologia del tombe castellucciane (apparentemente, almeno a giudicare dagli oggetti deposti nelle celle, appartenenti ad un momento già avanzato del Bronzo Antico) e quella dei templi maltesi, la cui vita finisce con la fine dell’età del Rame, attorno alla metà del III millennio a.C., malgrado recentemente siano state messe in luce evidenti tracce del loro uso come luoghi di culto ancora durante il Bronzo Antico (Cazzella & Recchia c.d.s.). Un riferimento cronologico parallelo è quello tra l’ipogeo di Calaforno e quello maltese di Hal Saflieni.peer-reviewe

Hagia Photinì and the “urban” development of Phaistos: an up-to-date survey. a project by “Progetto Festos” and “INSTAP”

Hagia Photinì and the "urban" development of Phaestos: an up-to-date survey The site of Hagia Photinì is located in the northern slope of the hill of the Palace at Phaistos. The archaeological area was discovered during the construction of the modern road Moires-Matala in 1954 and excavated by the Italians archaeologists between 1954 and 1959. In the western part of the site a small nucleus of little houses was excavated and identified as a "Minoan Quarter" by the Excavator, Doro Levi. The excavation was soon published but it was very superficially documented. In the framework of the Italian-Greek synergasia, the "Phaistos Project", during the 2015 campaign a new effort has been conducted in order to clean the site and to prepare it for restoration. Stemming from the new data acquired during the cleaning and restoration campaigns of the site (2015-2016) and the data acquired from the seven-years survey on the site of Phaestos, the main aim of the first part of the communication (Alessandro Greco) represents an up-to-date and integrated analysis of the so-called "Quartiere" of H. Photinì during the two main periods of its Minoan flowering in the framework of the new knowledge of the urban territory of Phaestos. In the second part of the paper, Orazio Palio will present the first results of the study conducted on the LM IB pottery groups excavated by D. Levi. During this period, represented at Festòs by very few architectural structures, the small complex of rooms built on the ruins of the Protopalatial period holds particular importance, also considering its position along one of the main tracks of access to the hill of the Palace. The ceramic assemblages, connected with food preparation and consumption, perhaps in a ritual context, may be linked to host activities that precede the entrance to the palace

Strutture di combustione tra il Neolitico e l’età del Bronzo nella Sicilia orientale

The paper deals with the study of firing structures of different sites present in the territory between Etna and the Catania Plain. We have analyzed both sites with a prevalent ritual character and settlements and we have presented different types of structures: hearths, firing pits, burning plates, stone platforms and ovens. In the case of settlements, for each type of structure, we tried to define, where possible, the function and the relationship with the other structures of the settlement.Nel contributo sono presentate le strutture di combustione di diversi siti del territorio compreso tra l’Etna e la Piana di Catania. Sono stati presi in considerazione i siti con una prevalente valenza rituale e quelli con un carattere sicuramente insediativo. Sono state distinte diverse tipologie di strutture di combustione: i focolari, le fosse di combustione, le piastre di argilla concotta, le piattaforme in pietra e i forni. Per ciascun tipo si è cercato di definire, ove possibile, la funzione e la relazione con le altre strutture dell’insediamento

Le grandi necropoli dell’età di Pantalica: la Montagna di Caltagirone e Cassibile. Metodologie integrate per l’analisi topografica

Le grandi necropoli dell’età di Pantalica: la Montagna di Caltagirone e Cassibile. Metodologie integrate per l’analisi topografic