Maria Turco

RIASSUNTO - Le ricerche condotte negli ultimi anni nel territorio di Bronte (Catania) hanno rilevato, nelle località di Cunta-rati e Balze Soprane, l’esistenza di resti assai ben conservati di strutture megalitiche, costruite su terrazzi in posizione emi-nente su corsi d’acqua (rispettivamente il fiume Simeto e il torrente Saracena). Si tratta di costruzioni, probabilmente ad uso funerario, che per tipologia e funzione si datano tra la fine dell’età del Rame e l’inizio dell’età del Bronzo e si collegano a di-versi siti coevi della Sicilia sud-orientale e centro-meridionale e, fuori dall’isola, dell’Italia meridionale (Puglia soprattutto), di Malta (le aree dolmeniche della facies di Tarxien Cemetery), e dell’Africa nord-occidentale (Marocco, Algeria, Tunisia). La po-sizione dei due siti, elevata, ben visibile e lungo corsi d’acqua, suggerisce la loro importanza come luogo simbolico per riu-nioni comunitarie dei gruppi che abitavano questo territorio.
SUMMARY - MEGALITHISM IN THE ETNA REGION AND ITS RELATIONS WITH THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN AND EUROPE - Archaeological research carried out in recent years in the Bronte area (Catania), has revealed the existence of well-preserved remains of megalithic structures in the Cuntarati and Balze Soprane localities, built on terraces in a prominent po-sition on watercourses (the Simeto river and the Saracena stream respectively). These constructions, which probably had a funerary use, are dated, on the basis of typological characteristics, between the end of the Copper Age and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age and are linked to various contemporary sites in south-eastern and central-southern Sicily and, outside the island, in southern Italy (especially Apulia), Malta (the dolmen areas of the Tarxien Cemetery facies), and north-western Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). The position of the two sites, which are elevated, clearly visible and along watercourses, suggests their important function as symbolic places for community gatherings of the groups living in the area.

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.

L’alimentazione nella preistoria tra l’Etna e la Piana di Catania – In questa comunicazione presentiamo i dati pertinenti alle attività di produzione e consumo del cibo forniti dalle ricerche degli ultimi due decenni in numerosi siti del territorio di Catania e, a sud di esso, fino ai margini meridionali della Piana, per un periodo di tempo che va dal Neolitico all’età del Bronzo. In modo più specifico, i territori presi in considerazione corrispondono all’area urbana di Catania, alle pendici sud-orientali dell’Etna (i numerosi siti presenti nei territori di Belpasso, Paternò, Biancavilla, Adrano) fino ai margini della Piana di Catania (Ramacca, Mineo, Palagonia e Militello). Si è cercato di definire le attività legate alla sussistenza dei gruppi umani che agirono in ambienti diversi. La documentazione è costituita, oltre che dai reperti faunistici e botanici, anche dagli strumenti ceramici e litici specializzati per la trasformazione dei prodotti alimentari e dalle analisi paleo-nutrizionali effettuate su alcuni inumati. Sulla base dei dati disponibili si è potuto ricostruire un quadro, se non ancora completo, piuttosto articolato e differenziato della natura delle specie (vegetali ed animali) utilizzate dai gruppi umani che vivevano nei diversi ambienti ecologici considerati in un ampio arco cronologico.

Prehistoric food supply between the the Etna region and the plain of Catania – This article presents the findings of two decades of research into the activities of food production and consumption carried out in and around Catania in a period stretching from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. More specifically, the areas covered by the present research include the city itself, the south-eastern slopes of Mount Etna (territories of Belpasso, Paternò, Biancavilla, Adrano) and the territories bordering the Plain of Catania (in particular Ramacca, Mineo, Palagonia e Militello). Aim of the research was to identify the subsistence activities of groups living in different environments, from the plain to the mountain slopes of Mount Etna. The evidence consists of fauna and flora finds, as well as of tools in ceramics or stone specifically made for the transformation of food products. From the data available, a detailed though not complete picture was drawn of the plants and animals on which people fed in different environments throughout the wide time-span considered.

Studi di provenienza su anfore da trasporto da alcuni siti indigeni della provincia di Catania (VI-IV sec. a.C.): primi dati Introduzione Questo contributo non costituisce l'esito di uno studio sistematico, ma vuol essere piuttosto stimolo ed incentivo per un filone di ricerca da sviluppare in futuro. L'articolo si inserisce nella problematica più ampia dell'identificazione di provenienza delle anfore greco-occidentali 1 attestate in Sicilia, che costituisce l'argomento principale dell'ottava edizione di FACEM. Il seguente lavoro congiunto fra l'Università di Vienna e la Soprintendenza di Catania è basato sull'esame di alcune piccole selezioni di anfore rinvenute in diversi insediamenti indigeni della provincia di Catania, e cioè nei siti di Edera di Bronte, Poggio Cocalo e l'Acropoli di Paternò, il Santuario dei Palici-Rocchicella, Monte Catalfaro, Treportelle nel territorio di Mineo, Monte Iudica e Monte Turcisi nel territorio di Castel di Judica (fig. 1). In questa prima fase, l'obiettivo principale è stato quello di distinguere, con metodi archeologici (vedi cap. 1), delle produzioni supra-regionali, intese come provenienti da regioni localizzate fuori dalla Sicilia orientale, dai manufatti di ipotetica origine regionale per fornire primi dati sulle provenienze di contenitori da trasporto documentati nell'entroterra di Catania e Leontinoi fra il VI-IV sec. a.C. B.B. 1. Metodologia e strategia di campionamento Il metodo archeologico scelto per questo studio segue i parametri standardizzati del fabric study implementati per FACEM 2 che prevedono l'analisi di campioni ceramici al microscopio binoculare, la loro fotografia in frattura fresca in triplice ingrandimento (x8, x16, x25) ed il confronto con il materiale edito ed inedito della stessa banca dati custodito nei locali dell'Università di Vienna. In questa fase della ricerca non sono state eseguite delle analisi archeometriche che rappresentano, invece, la conditio sine qua non per la pubblicazione su FACEM di un fabric riferito ad un sito, oppure ad una regione di produzione. La strategia di campionamento di questo studio ha interessato soprattutto la classe delle anfore da trasporto (vedi introduzione). In più, è stata campionata una piccola selezione di ceramiche comuni in quanto ritenute nella maggior parte dei casi di produzione regionale e quindi potenzialmente utili per un inquadramento preliminare delle caratteristiche macroscopiche di alcuni impasti fabbricati nell'ambito della Sicilia orientale 3. Complessivamente, sono stati prelevati 93 campioni di anfore, ceramiche comuni e tegole provenienti dagli insediamenti indigeni di Edera * Soprintendenza per i beni culturali ed ambientali-Catania, via L. Sturzo, 62, 95131 Catania. 1 Questa ricerca è stata finanziata dall'Austrian Science Fund nell'ambito del progetto "Trade of western Greek amphorae from Himera's perspective" (FWF: P 30030-G25) diretto da B. Bechtold e comprende lo studio delle 560 anfore greco-occidentali rinvenute nelle necropoli di Himera. Ad integrazione dei dati imeresi, la campionatura è stata estesa ad altri siti siciliani e di area cartaginese, arrivando attualmente ad un totale di ca. 950 anfore greco-occidentali. Per la classe delle anfore greco occidentali si vedano: Gassner, tutti con ampia bibliografia. Per il presente lavoro abbiamo privilegiato la classificazione di V. Gassner basata principalmente sullo studio dei soli orli che meglio si adattava al materiale frammentario qui preso in esame. 2 Cfr. http://facem.at/project/about.php#photography. 3 In questa sede ci limitiamo, tuttavia, a discutere la selezione di anfore da trasporto.

During recent Prehistory, the region of Mount Etna has been characterised by a series of differentiated cultural areas. Its strategic position between northern Sicily, traditionally linked to the southern Tyrrhenian region and to the Italian peninsula, and south-eastern Sicily, a focus of interest for those sailing from the East, fostered interconnections and exchange between these areas during the Early Bronze Age.
In this contribution, based on some recently investigated sites in the Catania area, we aim to focus attention on the existence of objects, or groups of objects, of probable external provenance and the activities that took place in different sites, connected with both domestic (craft products) and symbolic spheres, highlighting the elements to be linked with maritime relations.

Nel contributo sono presentati i dati relativi all’organizzazione territoriale e insediativa, in rapporto alle caratteristiche fisiche del territorio e alle possibilità di sussistenza dell’area compresa tra le pendici meridionali dell’Etna e la piana di Catania. Sono presi in considerazione l’organizzazione dei villaggi, sia a livello territoriale che interna, le caratteristiche architettoniche delle strutture abitative e gli aspetti funzionali legati alle attività insediative, cercando di dare un quadro dello sviluppo dell’area nel periodo compreso tra l’età del rame e l’antica età del bronzo.

In this paper, we will discuss the data relating to the territorial and settlement organization, taking into account the physical characteristics of the territory and the subsistence possibilities of the area between the southern slopes of Mount Etna and the Catania Plain. The organization of the villages, both at a territorial and internal level, the architectural characteristics of the housing structures and the functional aspects linked to the settlement activities are taken into consideration, trying to give a picture of the development of the area in the period between the Copper Age and the Early Bronze Age.

The archaeological excavation in Contrada Franchetto, near Castel di Judica (province of Catania) has been conducted in 2011 by the Superintendency of Catania and has unearthed the remains of a rural settlement evident by repeated previous surveys in the area. This settlement seems to be in life between 3rd -2nd centuries BC and 3rd century AD, with a higher concentration and homogeneity of findings between 2nd BC and 2nd AD. A new phase of life would be around 5th and 6th centuries AD. Archaeological investigations come to fill an important gap in the knowledge of settlements’ dynamics in this area in the Republican Age and Roman settlement of Contrada Franchetto confirms, according to the dynamics of agricultural practice and social evolution, the transition from free hellenistic epauleis to the extended fundi dominici that developed during the Imperial age.

The archaeological survey, carried out by the Superintendence of Catania in 2007, has unearthed a Roman farm, characterized by multiple life stages (3rd-7th centuries AD), in the area of a previous Hellenistic settlement (4th-2nd centuries BC).
A basilica with three aisles and a narthex was built, in late-Byzantine ages (8th-first half of 9th century AD), partially destroying the farm’s remains and those one of a later frequentation of the area (8th century AD). The basilica was modified several times, then transformed into an amorphous deposit of stones. The plan (21.90 m E/W x 16.60 m N/S) is framed in a 5x4 squares arithmetic form that includes the narthex and the apse, with a 2:1 ratio for the width of the nave from the aisles, and a metric base dimensioned according to a foot of m. 0.2964, with a base module of m. 4.15 corresponding to 14 ft. This plant is similar to Sicilian religious buildings traditionally dated between 5th and 6th century AD. and thus proves to be anchored to the building tradition of Late Antiquity.
The centrality of the settlement (not far from the Roman aqueduct that crossed this area and beside a long-distance road network in use from Roman to Late Middle ages) explains the continuity of life of a settlement which was clearly the junction of this area.

In SOMA 2011, roceedings of the 15th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, held at the University of Catania 3-5 March 2011, edited by P.M. Militello & H. Öniz, British Archeological Reports, BAR International Series, 2695 (II), Archeopress, Oxford 2015, pp. 1001-1010, ISBN 978-1-4073-1343-6

RECENT SURVEYS ON THE SOUTH-WEST SIDE OF MOUNT ETNA: BELPASSO AND BIANCAVILLA. - The results of recent surveys in the sites of Biancavilla and Belpasso, on the south-west side of Mount Etna, are being presented here. They have provided us with new data concerning the settlement of this area in the period of time between the Middle Neolithic and the transition from Copper Age to Early Bronze Age. In the district of Scalonazzo near Biancavilla, the remains of the bottom part of a hut has been unearthed; under the floor there was a second level which can be referred to the Late Copper Age. Traces of a
structure dating back to the period between the end of the Copper Age and the beginning of the Bronze Age have also been found near Belpasso, in the district of Valcorrente. It is a curvilinear wall to which are connected a floor, another
wall and a small circle of stones. Unlike the situation revealed by the excavations at Biancavilla, where the final period of the Copper Age is clearly defined, in Belpasso phases of Middle and Late Neolithic and Early Copper Age are widely represented.

The archeological site of Monte Iudica (CT) is an indigenous-hellenized settlement, discovered by Paolo Orsi, which stands in the hinterland of Catania, on the top of a mountain (Monte Iudica). It was under the influence of greek colonies of the eastern coast of Sicily, between the late VIth and the Vth century B.C.  Two different necropolises were found on the slopes of the mountain. On the western ones, a little chamber tombs’necropolis was established, according to the traditional customs of the local people (facies of Licodia Eubea). On the eastern ones, it was layed a more extendend necropolis of the greek typology, with more than 60 graves (cist and pit burials, enchytrismoi). This paper aims to provide some detailed analysis of a chamber tomb and its burial practices. It will be presented a typological study of the grave goods (pottery, metals) and the results of the osteological analysis of the human bones. In 2011, the Superintendence of Catania blocked a clandestine excavation, which was being conducted in the area of the chamber tombs’ necropolis. Two benches with the rests of a funerary ritual, probably a libation, were found outside of the tomb here discussed. Another goal of the paper would be the analysis of the new evidences, expecially through the identification of the different chronological phases of the chamber tomb, which could be update the chronology on the whole necropolis.