Research, protection and evaluation of Sicilian and Mediterranean marine cultural heritage

Underwater archaeology in the Mediterranean should be based on a comprehensive, deep knowledge of a wide context of cultural environment. It is impossible to carry out an in-depth study of a specific wreck or site without having an overall cultural as well as historical perspective. It is, in fact, quite clear to everybody that even the most faraway shores of the Mediterranean were connected by means of a dense network of sea routes based on a rich trade throughout the centuries. But underwater archaeology also means the chance to understand the past environment due to the possibility of detecting ancient sea shores which nowadays are found below sea level. Today underwater archaeology also means deep sea research in extraterritorial waters. This aspect of underwater archaeological research is deeply connected with legal aspects that, in the framework of the recently approved UNESCO draft regarding the protection of underwater cultural heritage, should be planned according to international cooperation. 109 Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage Sicily has a great role in Mediterranean underwater archaeology because of its history and heritage, but also because Regional Government plays an important role in international debate in this field and because in Sicily a great impulse has been given to underwater archaeology research and cultural evaluation through the Soprintendenza del Mar

Nueva contribución a la cronología absoluta del foso-trinchera monumental de Stretto- Partanna (Trapani, Sicilia)

This article presents a decisive contribution to the absolute chronology of one of the most spectacular constructions of the Neolithic societies of the Central Mediterranean, the ditch-trench of Stretto di Partanna (Trapani, Sicily). This structure, excavated in a calcareous bedrock to a depth of 13 m was, according to some authors, part of a complex hydraulic system, where cultural and symbolic features could have played an important role. The five radiocarbon dates presented in this article correspond to the last 2 m of stratification and indicate that the ditch-trench began to be filled in the early centuries of the 5th millennium cal BC, between 4950 and 4800 cal BC. Consequently, we infer it was excavated and used immediately before this time.Este trabajo constituye una contribución decisiva a la cronología absoluta del foso-trinchera de Contrada Stretto, en Partanna (Trapani, Sicilia), una de las más espectaculares construcciones realizadas por sociedades neolíticas del Mediterráneo Central. Esta estructura, excavada en el banco natural calcáreo hasta alcanzar una profundidad de 13 m, a juicio de algunos autores, formó parte de un complejo sistema hidráulico en el cual pudieron desempeñar un papel importante ciertos aspectos simbólicos o cultuales. Las cinco dataciones radiocarbónicas presentadas en este trabajo corresponden a los últimos 2 m de estratificación. Éstas apuntan a un inicio del proceso de colmatación a comienzos del V milenio cal AC, entre el 4950 y el 4800 cal AC. Defendemos como probable su construcción en un momento inmediatamente anterior, considerando el periodo de uso previo a su condena definitiva

Hypoxia up-regulates SERPINB3 through HIF-2\u3b1 in human liver cancer cells.

SERPINB3 is a cysteine-proteases inhibitor up-regulated in a significant number of cirrhotic patients carrying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and recently proposed as a prognostic marker for HCC early recurrence. SERPINB3 has been reported to stimulate proliferation, inhibit apoptosis and, similar to what reported for hypoxia, to trigger epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increased invasiveness in liver cancer cells. This study has investigated whether SERPINB3 expression is regulated by hypoxia-related mechanisms in liver cancer cells. Exposure of HepG2 and Huh7 cells to hypoxia up-regulated SERPINB3 transcription, protein synthesis and release in the extracellular medium. Hypoxia-dependent SERPINB3 up-regulation was selective (no change detected for SERPINB4) and operated through hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-2\u3b1 (not HIF-1\u3b1) binding to SERPINB3 promoter, as confirmed by chromatin immuno-precipitation assay and silencing experiments employing specific siRNAs. HIF-2\u3b1-mediated SERPINB3 up-regulation under hypoxic conditions required intracellular generation of ROS. Immuno-histochemistry (IHC) and transcript analysis, performed in human HCC specimens, revealed co-localization of the two proteins in liver cancer cells and the existence of a positive correlation between HIF-2\u3b1 and SERPINB3 transcript levels, respectively. Hypoxia, through HIF-2\u3b1-dependent and redox-sensitive mechanisms, up-regulates the transcription, synthesis and release of SERPINB3, a molecule with a high oncogenic potential

Genomic and dietary discontinuities during the Mesolithic and Neolithic in Sicily

Sicily is a key region for understanding the agricultural transition in the Mediterranean because of its central position. Here, we present genomic and stable isotopic data for 19 prehistoric Sicilians covering the Mesolithic to Bronze Age periods (10,700-4,100 yBP). We find that Early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (HGs) from Sicily are a highly drifted lineage of the Early Holocene western European HGs, whereas Late Mesolithic HGs carry ∼20% ancestry related to northern and (south) eastern European HGs, indicating substantial gene flow. Early Neolithic farmers are genetically most similar to farmers from the Balkans and Greece, with only ∼7% of ancestry from local Mesolithic HGs. The genetic discontinuities during the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic match the changes in material culture and diet. Three outlying individuals dated to ∼8,000 yBP; however, suggest that hunter-gatherers interacted with incoming farmers at Grotta dell'Uzzo, resulting in a mixed economy and diet for a brief interlude at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition.Funding. The Max Planck Society financed the genetic, isotopic, and radiocarbon analyses. S. Talamo has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant agreement No. 803147 RESOLUTION, https://site.unibo.it/resolution-erc/en).Peer reviewe

The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe

From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries

Préface

L’ottimo approfondimento su una delle classi di materiali selinuntini tra le più significative ed «appariscenti» ci offre lo spunto per ripensare al ruolo di questa città importantissima nell’ambito non soltanto dell’ecumene greca, ma dell’intero Mediterraneo antico. Andando subito alle conclusioni del presente studio che, è bene ricordarlo, scaturiscono da un’analisi ineccepibile delle protomi femminili, su cui ritorneremo, vediamo come questo assunto iniziale riceve forza e consistenza anch..

Notes on the Tell Abu Husaini excavation

The Italian excavations at Tell Abu Husaini in the Hamrin region have revealed an occupation of the late Ubaid Period with three building phases. Only children burials, below the house floors, were found. The resources of the settlement were mainly derived from agriculture, with some hunting, fishing and gathering.Les fouilles italiennes de Tell Abu Husaini dans la région de Hamrin ont livré des restes d'une occupation de la fin de la période d'Obeid. Trois phases de construction ont été mises en évidence. Des sépultures d'enfants inhumés sous le sol des maisons, sont les seuls vestiges funéraires. Les ressources de l'établissement provenaient essentiellement de l'agriculture, avec les apports de la chasse, de la pèche et de la cueillette.Tusa Sebastiano. Notes on the Tell Abu Husaini excavation. In: Paléorient, 1980, vol. 6. pp. 225-227

Il progetto di restauro della Villa del Casale

Il testo descrive il percorso progettuale di F. Minissi per la progettazione delle coperture dei pavimenti musivi della villa romana di Piazza Armerina, e la vicenda che ha portato alla loro sostituzione con nuove strutture ch tradiscono il progetto originale