Sebastiano Muratore

Dieser Sammelband gibt Einblicke in aktuelle Forschungen zu den vielschichtigen und wechselseitigen kulturellen Austauschbeziehungen im zentralen Mittelmeerraum des 1. Jahrtausends v. Chr. Ausgehend von der punischen Metropole Karthago untersuchen die Autoren anhand archäologischer und historischer Quellen Kulturkontakte und Kulturtransfers in den punischen Siedlungsgebieten. Im Fokus stehen die vielfältigen Dynamiken und Prozesse des Austauschs zwischen Puniern und ihren Nachbarn in Tunesien, auf Sizilien und Sardinien sowie dem phönizischen Mutterland. Die hier gesammelten Aufsätze präsentieren die Ergebnisse des internationalen Workshops „Karthago Dialoge“, der im November 2013 am Institut für Klassische Archäologie der Eberhard-Karls-Universität in Tübingen stattfand.

This paper focus on the preliminary results of a survey, conducted over a wide area between the Villa del Casale and Statio Sophianae carried out with intensive and systematic techniques and procedures and aims to define the changes, transformations and settlement dynamics of the ancient population of this area. The main goal was to verify the distribution of sites along the ancient roads, derived from the network of the Regie Trazzere and "secondary" paths connecting the settlements. A great presence of settlements is attested in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages (IV - IX A.D.) confirming what has already been established by similar studies  on the area, such as Gela, Morgantina and Sophiana.

The first archaeological investigation concerning the site of “Castellazzo” was undertaken in the spring of 2011, in the context of an agreement between the “Parco Archeologico di San Guseppe Jato e dei comuni limitrofi” and the “Gruppo Archeologico Valle dello Jato”. The stronghold, built upon a plateau located in front of the East Gate of the antique city of Jato, is linked to the last siege of Federico the 2nd against the rebel Muslims in Sicily, during the first half of the13 C. The excavation revealed a surrounding wall characterized by outward towers at regular intervals. An entrance was found on the north side. Moreover, it is possible to conjecture a further doorway to the southwest. The archaeological layers lay immediately under topsoil which, since antiquity, has undergone few activities, mainly related to the installation of vineyards. Furthermore, a rectangular room leaning against the surrounding wall was entirely excavated. Adjacent to it was found a burial relating to a single soldier. In parallel, a field survey was carried out onto the valley areas of “Iato” and “Belìce Destro”. The research identified and documented more than 200 sites with archaeological or structural evidence.