- Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Biblisch-Archaeologisches Institut, Department Memberadd
- Near Eastern Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Phoenicians, Pottery (Archaeology), Punic Language, Cultural contact between Greeks and Phoenicians, and 843 moreVotive offerings, The archaeology and ethnography of human-animal social relationships, Ritual and Social Use of Animals, Environmental Archaeology, Anthrozoology, Animal Symbolism, Social zooarchaeology, Border Studies, Aegean Egyptian Interrelatlations, Cooking pots, Bayesian Radiocarbon Dating, Landscape Urbanism, Sacrifice, Human Sacrifice, Animal Sacrifice, Punic Child Sacrifice, Sacrifice and Ritual Theory, Animal Sacrifices, Death & Dying (Thanatology), North Africa Studies, History of Malta, Cultural Exchange, Climate Change, Archeologia dell'architettura, Ancient borders and borderlands (Archaeology), Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna, Archaeological Ethics, Cultural Heritage Management, Archaeological Heritage Management, Heritage Studies, Cultural Resource Management (Archaeology), Aegyptiaca in the Mediterranean, Iron Age Greece (Archaeology), Pottery studies, Aegean Archaeology, Prehistoric Mediterranean Archaeology, Anthropology of space, Anthropology Of Art, Physical Anthropology, Paleopathology, Paleoanthropology, Human Anatomy (Biological Anthropology), Mortuary archaeology, Memory and materiality, Illicit Antiquities Trade, Digital reconstruction (Archaeology), Craft production (Archaeology), Clay Technology (Archaeology), Archaeology of Kinship and the Family, Archaeological Fieldwork, Ancient trade (Archaeology), Ancient Craftmanship (Archaeology), GRASS GIS, Digital Humanities, Anatolian Archaeology, Remote sensing and GIS, Geo-spatial analysis with GIS and GPS, Eastern Anatolian and İranian Iron Age, Archeologie, Media Archaeology, Public Archaeology, Trade and Cultural Contact between East and West Ancient Mediterranean Sea, Pottery consumption, Ancient Ceramic Technology, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, Social Sciences, Petrographic Analysis of Ceramics, Instrumental Neutron Activaation Analysis (INAA), Metodologia Della Ricerca Archeologia; Study of Ceramic Assemblage; Ancient Architecture, Art History, Administration (Archaeology), Impasto ware (Orientalising Period), Ancient myth and religion, Archeologia dei paesaggi, Archaeology of Beer and Cereal Fermentation, Copper extraction and production, Pottery and Fabrics, Greek sanctuaries, British Archaeological Reports, Early/Middle Iron Age Anatolia, Iconography, Cultural Change and Political Dominance (Hellenization, Romanization), Colonial Archaeology, Ethnography of ancient Italy and Sicily, Greek Sicily, 3D GIS, Spatial Analysis, Archaeological Methodology, Semitic languages, North-West Semitic Epigraphy, Mediterranean Studies, Comparative Semitics, Archaeology of Societal Collapse, Ancient Astronomy, Archaeoastronomy, Political and cultural history of Ancient Egypt, the contacts between the Mycenaean world and Egypt, history of religions of the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean, Near Eastern Archaeology, Bronze Age Aegean, Classical Archaeology, Infant burials, Mycenaean pottery, Anthropology, Immigration theory, Sea Peoples, Mythology, Creation Myths, Hebrew Bible, Geometric and archaic Greece, Ancient Greek Iconography, Etruscan and Corinthian Pottery, Greek Pottery, Ancient economy, Archaeology of Mining, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, History, Gender and Sexuality, Subsistance Strategies (Archaeology), Sacred Landscape (Archaeology), Method and Theory in the Study of Religion, Gender and identity (Archaeology), Ancient Religion, Casa del Obispo, Teatro Cómico, Social Anthropology, Ceramics (Archaeology), Zooarchaeology, Mediterranean prehistory, Archaezoology, Archaeology of salt, Geoarchaeology, Archaeological Prospection, Aerial Archaeology, Stable Isotope Analysis, History of archaeological documentation, History of Archaeological Praxis, Ethnoarchaeology, Commercial/ Contract Archaeology, Ceramic Technology, Building Materials (Archaeology), Archaeological Stratigraphy, Archaeological documentation, Applied Archaeology, Fishing in antiquity, Archaeology, Classical archaeology, Greek and Roman history, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Material Culture Studies, Funerary Archaeology, Preistoria E Protostoria Sardegna, Academic Publishing, Archaeological GIS, Computational Statistics, Commercial Routes, Pottery Typology, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Music and Ritual, Ritual Theory, Ritual, Miniature vessels, Cross-cultural interaction (Archaeology), Astarte, Cult of Demeter and Kore, Greek colonies in Magna Graecia, Phoenicians in Crete, Phoenicians in Spain, Phoenicians in Italy, Phoenicians and Punic, Phoenicians in Cyprus, cultural crossing and post colonialism in archaeology (Phoenician period), Phoenician Punic Malta; Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician sanctuary, Persian Period, Phoenician influence in the Western Mediterranean, Phoenicia, Phoenician Ships, Navigation and Commerce, Phoenician art and iconography, Northwest Semitic, Phoenician, scribal techniques, Phoenician cultural and archaeological heritage in Calabria, Phoenician Punic Archaeology Epigraphy, Phoenician and egyptian amulets, Phoenician Maritime Religion, Phoenician-Punic language and Epigraphy, Ancient Near East & Phoenician Language, Malaca, phoenician necropolis, Phoenician and Punic Amphorae, Phoenician Rites and Burials, Phoenician Inscriptions, Phoenician Archaeology, Metropolitan Phoenician Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Pottery, Phoenician glyptics, Phoenician history, Phoenician-Punic Archaeology, Phoenician Deities, Phoenician Religion, Phoenician ivories, Phoenician Art, Phoenician and Punic Archeology, Phoenician Women, Cypro-Phoenician Bowls, Phoenician world, Phoenician people, Phoenician pottery, Phoenician trade, Phoenician Architecture, Motya Phoenician Punic Whitaker, Phoenician ceramics, Phoenician Punic Fortifications, Phoenician Language, Phoenician Punic Religion, Sicilian-Greek Interaction, Mundo ibérico, Settlement Patterns, Paleoclimate, Landscape Archaeology, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, Materiality, Archaeology of Colonialisms, Ancient Agriculture & Farming (Archaeology), Ritual Practices, Actor Network Theory, Book Review, Nutrition (Anthropology), Gender (Anthropology), Cultural Anthropology, Ritual (Anthropology), Foodways (Anthropology), Food (Anthropology), Death (Anthropology), Migration (Anthropology), Anthropology, The archaeology of state formation, Textile Archaeology, Statistical Methods in Archaeology, Spatial analysis (Archaeology), Seriation, Relative-Absolute dating, Metal Finds (Archaeology), Late Bronze Age archaeology, Evolutionary Archaeology, Evolutionary Theory (Archaeology), Cypriot Bronze Age, Cultural Evolution, Classification (Archaeology), Archaeology of Buildings, Archaeology of States, Archaeological theory and practice, Archaeological Theory, Archaeological Informatics, Archaeological Decipherment, Archaeoanthropology, Ancient construction (Archaeology), Ancient Topography (Archaeology), Ancient Technology (Archaeology), Ancient Civilization (Archaeology), Underwater Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Maritime Archaeology, Archaeology in the Levant, Cyprus and Greece, Aegean-Near Eastern exchange in the Iron Age and Persian period, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Religious architecture, Archaeology of Architecture, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Hellenistic and roman Phoenicia archaeology, Funerary Archaeology, Aegean Prehistory. Anatolian Prehistory. Cypriot Prehistory. Archaeology of the Near East. Chalcolithic. Early Bronze Age. Inter- and intra-site organization in Prehistory. Policy, economy and society in Prehistory., Ancient Near Eastern social and economic history, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, State Formation, Archaeology of Empires, Archaeological Method & Theory, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Ancient economies (Archaeology), Animal Sacrifice (Anthropology), Sacrifice (Anthropology Of Religion), Phoenician Culture, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Burial Practices (Archaeology), ancient Israelite religion, Archeology Israel, Cultural Transmission (Evolutionary Biology), 14C dating (Archaeology), Loom Weights, Handmade burnished ware, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, Archaeology of Religion/divine Iconography, Ancient Near East, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Archaeology of Ancestors, Food and Nutrition, a) Archaeology, History and Historiography in the Iron Age, Persian and Hellenistic periods., Terracotta Figurines, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Popular religion, Phoenician, Persian Period, Israel/Palestine, Household Archaeology, History of Cyprus, Hellenistic History, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Gender Archaeology, Gender Studies, Archeology of Death, Archaeology of Religion, Archaeolgy of cult, Anthropology of Gender, Anthropology of Food, Aniconism, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Hellenistic and roman Phoenicia, Archaeology of cult, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Nuragic Archaeology, Punic African archaeology, archaeology of Sardinia in phoenician age, Ancient Mining and Metallurgy, Beirut Urban Archaeology, archaic Greek Pottery, Ancient Metallurgy, Material culture of religion, Orientalizing Period (art & archaeology), Echanges à longues distances, Trade and Exchange, Archaeology of Identity, Egyptian interconnections in the 1st millennium BC, Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Tell Tweini, Early Iron Age, Cultural interrelations in the eastern Mediterranean from the BA to the EIA, Philistines, Syria (Archaeology), Iron Age Levant, Biblical Archaeology, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Ancient Networks, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Archaeometry, Anfore fenicio-puniche, Archeologia della produzione e del commercio, Ancient Pottery Analysis, Pottery technology and function, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Nuragici e fenici, Archeology of Ritual, Biblical Studies, Punic terracottas, Mozia, Neopunic, Punic Stelae, Punic Sanctuary, Phoenician Punic Sanctuary, Human sacrifice (Anthropology Of Religion), Red slip ware, Archaeology of Ritual, Sardinia (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Phoenician Punic World, Carthage, Punic Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Punic world and Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, archaeology of Sardinia in phoenician age, western Phoenician archaeology, Archeologia Siciliana, Punic world and Punic Archaeology, Carthage and the Western Mediterranean, Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age, Phoenician and punic archaeology in Iberian Peninsula, Tophets, Tofet, Anthropomorphic Figurines, zoomorphic Figurines, Coroplastic Studies, Material Culture Studies, Iberia punica, Network Analysis, Maritime Routes, Archaeological Site Formation Processes, GIS and Landscape Archaeology, Funerary Customs, Digital Archaeology, Acculturation and interaction processes, Archaeomusicology, Archeologia pre-protostorica, Nautical Archaeology, Archeologia Navale, Archeologia, Early Iron Age Greece and Greek communities overseas, Early Iron Age Aegean and Anatolia, Amphorae (Archaeology), Malta (Archaeology), Purple dye production, Punic trade, Punic rural world, Reception, interpretation of Attic ceramics in Phoenician cultural context, Punic Pottery, Pottery kilns, Monde Punique, Ancient Near Eastern Economy, Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology, Computer Applications & Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA), Archaeological Science, Archaeobotany, Residue and Use-Wear Analysis, Residue Analysis (Archaeology), Human Behavioral Ecology, Experimental Archaeology, Cooking Residue Analysis, Ancient Warfare, Ancient Seafaring, Anthropology of Mobility, Ancient Weapons and Warfare, Rivista di Studi Fenici, Glyptics, Archeologia Subacquea, ANE Cylinder Seals, Ancient Glass, Arms and Armor Studies, Ancient Egyptian Iconography, Scarabs, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Archaeometallurgy, Ugaritic Studies, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Archaeology of the Funeral Ritual, Ritual and Religion, Ritual Animal Sacrifice, Ritual Feasting, Ritual (Religion), Ceremony, Ritual and Performance, Ritual theory and practice (Archaeology), Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Seals and Sealings, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), Cypriot Archaeology, Carthage (History), Ancient Carthage, Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Quaderni di Vicino Oriente, Quaderni di Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Phoenician sanctuary, Carthage (Archaeology), Reception of Attic pottery in non-Greek culture, Ceramics (Ceramics), Trade and Exchange, Archaeometry, Commerce and Market Exchange, Conflict, warfare, and relief, Archaeology of ethnicity, Fasti Online, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Mediterranean archaeology, Protohistory of Sicily, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Garum and salsamenta, Archaeo-Metallurgy, Ancient Textiles, Coroplastica, Stratigraphic theory, Textiles, West Semitic Epigraphy, Magical Practices, Anthropology of Death, Ancient magic and divination, Body (Religion), Cultural Astronomy, Death Studies, Demonology, Funeral Practices, Intellectual and cultural history, Magic and Divination in the Ancient World, Mortuary studies, Mythical and Monstrous, Oriental Influence on Greek Civilization, Transport History, Coastal and Island Archaeology, Etnography, Ancient Near Eastern foods and food practices, History, Science, Astronomy, Ancient Chronological Systems, Calendars, Arameans, Infant burial (Archaeology), History of Drinking, Perfume, Ancient History, Research Methodology, Ancient Graffiti (Archaeology), Ancient naval warfare, Ancient saltworks, Fish Remains (Zooarchaeology), Antropología de la alimentación, Archaeology - Food ways, Archeologia Della Sardegna, Cooking and Food Preparation (archaeology), Food Consumption (Anthropology), Punic mercenaries, Ceramic Petrography, Punic Archaeology, Social Archaeology, Settlement Abandonment, Performing Arts, Music Archaeology, Typology, Cult, Art Theory, Art and Archaeology Ancient Near East, Old Assyrian Karu/Colony Period in Anatolia, Ancient Mesopotamian Religions, Remote Sensing, Religious Studies, Rural Settlement, History of Religions, Phoenician & Punic Epigraphy, Urbanism (Archaeology), Ivory Carving, Ougarit, Ancient jewellery, faience, The International Style, vitreous materials, Bones Ivory Artefacts, Meat and meat consumption, Arqueología de la infancia, Tophet, Moloch, Euboeans, Pithekoussai, Craftsmanship, Craft Knowledge, Craft Theory, Pastoralism (Archaeology), Sicilia Ellenistica, Architettura Navale, Archaeometric analysis of pottery, Mediterranean Protohistory, Mediterráneo oriental, Navegación fenicia, Malacology, Malacofauna Continental, Middle East & North Africa, Iron Age South East Arabia and Oman, Inter-cultural contacts in colonisation, The anthropology of colonisation, Symbolism, and cognitive archaeology, Stone Vessels, Stone artefacts (Archaeology), Mortuary prestige, the Sea Peoples, XIX - XX Dynasty in Egypt, the Hittites, the Late Bronze Age in the Eastern Medittaranean, Natural and Cultural Heritage, Ancient Fishing, Archaeozoology, Archaeology of Childhood, Journal of Archaeological Science, Radiocarbon, Melkart, Tartessos, Gorham's Cave, Strait of Gibraltar, Phoenician, sanctuary, Italian Pre- and Protohistory, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Architecture, Tell Afis entre les Hittites et les Araméens, Sea Peoples, Mystery cult, Mediterranean and North Africa, Ancient Urban Planning, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Archeologia Funeraria, Demetra e Kore, culto e rito, Extraurban Sanctuaries, Aegyptiaca in Italy, Orientalizing Italy, Biological Anthropology, Iconology, Consumption and Material Culture, Culture and Consumption, Ancient History of Cyprus, Ceramic, Cyprus Archaeology, Archaeology of children, Funerary Practices, Maltese & Central Mediterranean Prehistory, Numidia, Punic North Africa, Ancient Numidia, Shell Artifacts, Malacology (Archaeology), Histoire et archéologie de Carthage, céramique punique, Postcolonial Archaeology, Identity, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Metalurgia, Socio economic history, culture and archeology, Near Eastern Studies, Cultural Heritage, Food in antiquity, Archaeology of death, Colonization, cultures in contact, Orientalizing Period in the Mediterranean, Life aboard ancient merchant ships, Ancient Ports and Shipping, Sails and Rigging in the Ancient World, Maritime trade shipbuilding in the bronze age, Cosmetics and Perfumes in Antiquity, Ancient Sicily, Himera, Classical Archaeology, History of Games, Archaeology of death and burial, Jeux Antiques, Locri Epizefiri, Carthage and Numidia, North African Archaeology, Roman North Africa (Archaeology), Cultural Theory, Visual Anthropology, Visual Culture, Visual Studies, Social Interaction, Ideology and historiography, Diaspora Studies, Migration Studies, Interdisciplinarity, Identity (Culture), Greek Colonisation, Religious Syncretism, Hybridity, Multiethnic societies, Deviant burial (Archaeology), Economic History, Ancient Near Eastern Glyptic, Archeologia Del Sacro, Ancient chronology, Study of chronological anchors of Near Eastern Archaeology, Incense Stand, Greek transport amphorae, Archeologia classica Topografia Urbanistica Magna Grecia Sicilia antica, Archaeology of Magna Graecia and Sicily, Sicilia Antica, Indian Ocean Trade, Chaîne Opératoire, Ancient Mediterranean ports, Ancient Shipwrecks, Archaeology of the Contemporary Past, Amber, Engraved gems, East Greek Pottery, Corinthian pottery, Colonialism, Imperialism, Empire, Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Commensality, Burial Customs, Culture, Tradition, Supposed Oriental Burial Customs, Iron Age Crete (Aphratì), iron Age Crete, Iron Age Inteconnections, La culture grecque à la rencontre de l’altérité : hellénisme, Interactions Et Acculturation Dans L'Orient Gréco romain (Iconographie, Langue, Littérature, Productions Intellectuelles, Formes Rituelles, Répertoire Mythologique, Carthage, Magna Graecia, Cross Cultural Interactions, Collection, Pierres Gravées, Archaic Italy, Geometric Greece, Pottery, Landscape Studies, The Use of Geological Materials In Antiquity, Religion, Roman Africa, Punic, Scarabs Seals, Gems, Spacers, Necklaces, Necklaces’ Plaques, Orientalizating, Fenician World, Sardinian Nuragic, Community Archaeology, Heritage interpretation, Greek and Roman History, Colonization studies, Maritime Studies, Iron Age pottery, Mediterranean Arcaeology, Iron Age Fortress, Iron Age Amphora, Phoenician Pottery of the 7th Century BCE, Western Galilee, Goods of Prestige, Arsenical Brass, Elbow Fibulae, Delaying Metallurgy, Metalurgist Workshop, Bronzetti Nuragigi, Armi, Guerra, Sardegna Antica, Tradition (Archaeology) X Death and Burial (Archaeology) X Burial Practices (Archaeology) X Burial (Ritual) X Archaeology of Burials X Archaeology of Death and Burial X Burial Customs (Ancient World), Anthropology: Economic Anthropology, Consumption, Contact Between Cultures, Syria, Cilicia, Chronology, Animal Paleopathology, Cremations, Sacrifices, Draught Use of Animals, Minery, Metalurgic, Relation Between Neighbours, Native World, Semitization, Phoenician Graffiti, Tutorial, Sig, Open Source, Quantum Gis, Ancient Iron Metallurgy, Semitics, Semitic Epigraphy, Preclassical Seafaring, Seafaring, Maritime Communications, Archaeology of Music, Ethnomusicology, Archaeoacoustics, Sidon, Tell Arqa, Kamid El Loz, Al Hourriyeh: (Lebanon), Cyprus Studies, Mediterranean Studies (Area Studies), Prehistoric Archaeology, Cerámica fenicia, Cooking Pots Iberica Fenician, Maritime History, Trade Routes, Mediterranean, Ports, Port cities, Islands, Insularity, Seafarers, Oil Bottles, Ceramica Indigena, Bruciaprofumi Fenicio, Greek Archaeology, Human Palaeoecology, Theory In Field Methods, History of Archaeology and Anthropology, Classics, Metallurgy protohistorical, Ground Stone Technology, Ground stone tools, Ancient Quarrying, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Sicily (History), Motya, Food History, Epigraphy (Archaeology), Immigrant Potters, Crete and Cyprus, Geometric and Classical Greece, Archaeology of Crete, Organology, Music, Instrument, Art, Ethnology, Science, Acoustics, Excavations, Culti, Miti, Infancy, Archaeology and Anthropology, Religion and ritual in prehistory, Post-Colonialism, Carthaginian Army, Battlefield Archaeology, Ancient Warships, Naval Warfare, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Humanities, Tell Kazel, History of Religion, Kuntillet Ajrud, Graeco-Roman Religion, Greek and Roman Epigraphy, Ancient magic, Greek and Roman Social History, Archaeology of Colonialism, Historical Archaeology, Architecture and Public Spaces, History of Archaeology, Catastrophes, Subsistence systems (Archaeology), North Syrian archaeology, Anatolian and the Near Eastern Archaeology, Attic pottery, Attic black-figured vases, Athenian Potters and Painters, Postcolonial Theory, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy (Archaeology), Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Etruscan Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Ancient Water Technology, Archaeology of Jordan, Call for Papers, Masks, Anthropologie biologique et les pratiques funéraires, Anthropology of Religion, Roman Archaeology, Archéologie funéraire, Mobility and networks in Mediterranean, Greek Orientalizing Period, Dwelling Practices and Built Environments, Archaeology of the Levant, Facial expression, Ancient DNA (Archaeology), Deepwater Archaeology, Cretan Early Iron Age, Cretulae, Archeologia del Mediterraneo e delle isole, Instrumentum domesticum, Ancient Syracuse, Sabratha, Neopunic Inscription, Punic Fishing and Fish Processing, Iron Age animal economy, Jordan, 25th Dynasty (Egyptology), Nubian-Egyptian Relations, Bronze Age Amber Trade, Amber Road, athienou-Malloura, Ancient Near Eastern, Central Asian Archaeology, Literature, Myth, Metaphor, Sensorial Archaeology, Archaeology of children and childhood, Organic Residues Analysis of Pottery, Iron Age Cyprus, Wine and Olive Oil Production, Amphorae, Trade, and Antic Technologyedit
This volume intends to pay tribute to Professor Maria Giulia Amadasi Guzzo, who is one of the leading experts in Semitic epigraphy and North-West Semitic philology. This Festschrift mirrors her multifaceted intellectual interests by... more
This volume intends to pay tribute to Professor Maria Giulia Amadasi Guzzo, who is one of the leading experts in Semitic epigraphy and North-West Semitic philology. This Festschrift mirrors her multifaceted intellectual interests by gathering together eighteen original contributions of students, friends and colleagues. Although with a focus mainly on the Phoenician-Punic Mediterranean of the 1st millennium BC, this volume also addresses other neighbouring regions and extends up to the Roman imperial period. In doing so, it encompasses the publication of new inscriptions and epigraphic corpora, provides a fresh look at remarkable finds, groups of artefacts and specific sites, but also shows a variety of new approaches and issues in historical and religious studies.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Levantine Archaeology, Greek Archaeology, and 15 moreAncient Near East, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Aegean Archaeology, Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, Early Christian Archaeology, Epigraphy, Phoenician & Punic Epigraphy, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Cyprus Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, and Roman Archaeology
This paper offers a diachronic and updated overview on the Levantine-type transport amphorae currently attested in Cyprus. The survey begins with a brief review of the evidence from the Middle Cypriot III, Late Cypriot and Cypro-Geometric... more
This paper offers a diachronic and updated overview on the Levantine-type transport amphorae currently attested in Cyprus. The survey begins with a brief review of the evidence from the Middle Cypriot III, Late Cypriot and Cypro-Geometric periods. The amphorae of the ninth to third centuries BCE are organised into a new classification, which may represent a useful tool and a starting point for further consideration. The typological variants, spatial distribution, find-contexts, chronologies and main parallels in the Levant and the western Mediterranean are analysed for each of the 12 identified types.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 15 moreCypriot Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, Carthage (Archaeology), Cypriot Bronze Age, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Amphorae (Archaeology), Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
This article examines three cave-sanctuaries in the Iron Age western Mediterranean: Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar, Es Culleram in Ibiza and Grotta Regina in western Sicily. Notwithstanding some gaps in the archaeological record resulting... more
This article examines three cave-sanctuaries in the Iron Age western Mediterranean: Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar, Es Culleram in Ibiza and Grotta Regina in western Sicily. Notwithstanding some gaps in the archaeological record resulting from the history of their investigation, they are compared by considering parameters such as their landscape, position, visibility, physical features, provenance/type of finds, titular deities, ritual activities and sensorial experiences. The complexity of their data and the type of ritual activities performed inside these spaces show the variety of religious responses to cavescapes. Their location between land and sea and in a border position emphasises the connection of these three sanctuaries and their deities to liminality and physical and spiritual journeys, although specific facets of the deities worshipped in these caves emerge particularly at Es Culleram and Grotta Regina, which also show a strong connection to the territory and the local people.
Research Interests: Religion, Phoenicians, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), and 13 moreArchaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Archaeology of Caves and Caverns (Archaeospeleology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Iron Age, Fenicios, Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Phoenician Punic Religion, and Sanctuaries in Ancient Rome and Italy
Agricultural practices in Iron Age Phoenicia are an understudied field of research. The most recently excavated faunal evidence from Tell el-Burak, a coastal agricultural domain linked to either Sidon or Sarepta, will increase our... more
Agricultural practices in Iron Age Phoenicia are an understudied field of research. The most recently excavated faunal evidence from Tell el-Burak, a coastal agricultural domain linked to either Sidon or Sarepta, will increase our understanding of this topic. This paper provides the first diachronic and detailed analysis of the Late Iron Age and Persian period faunal data from Tell el-Burak, and investigates the subsistence practices of its people during the late 8th to mid-4th centuries BCE. The diet of its inhabitants mainly consists of caprines, while a high percentage of donkeys and cattle remains coincide with the peak of winemaking activities at the site. The results from Tell el-Burak are then compared with faunal data from other sites in the territory traditionally known as Phoenicia, as well as with faunal data from the neighbouring regions of the Levant. The comparisons show differences between the northern and southern Levant and similarities between southern Phoenicia and the southern Levant.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Archaeozoology, and 11 moreAgriculture, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Animal Husbandry, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Animal Husbandary, and Archaeology of the Levant
“Sailing east. Networks, mobility, trade and cultural exchanges between Cyprus and the central Levant during the Iron Age”, G. Bourogiannis (ed.) Beyond Cyprus: Investigating Cypriot connectivity in the Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Classical period, Athens 2022, 305-321.more
The proximity of the Levantine coast to Cyprus is at the origin of the multiple connections between these two regions and their polities over millennia. Their relationship during the Iron Age (ca 12th–6th century BC) is usually analysed... more
The proximity of the Levantine coast to Cyprus is at the origin of the multiple connections between these two regions and their polities over millennia. Their relationship during the Iron Age (ca 12th–6th century BC) is usually analysed from the perspective of the central Levant, a region conventionally identified with ancient Phoenicia, and under the premise that the Phoenicians played a major role in the island. Conversely, this paper attempts to reverse the perspective by analysing the Iron Age Cypriot decorated wares that were imported in Phoenicia, which represent the main marker of the relations between these two regions, and providing their first diachronic overview. Although their provenance can currently only tentatively be suggested on stylistic grounds, a major role for Salamis and Amathus emerges in these maritime connections.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Cypriot Archaeology, and 12 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Cypriot Bronze Age, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Phoenician, and 11 moreCarthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Archeologia, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Masks, Fenicios, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna, and Archaeology of the Levant
Far from being two distinct and distant spheres, play and ritual had blurred boundaries in antiquity, when they may have sometimes overlapped. In light of recent attention to toys in the ancient Mediterranean, this article reconsiders a... more
Far from being two distinct and distant spheres, play and ritual had blurred boundaries in antiquity, when they may have sometimes overlapped. In light of recent attention to toys in the ancient Mediterranean, this article reconsiders a remarkable yet fragmentary nude standing female figure with articulated arms from the excavations by the German Archaeological Institute in the so-called Magon Quarter at Carthage. It provides a detailed analysis of this terracotta figurine and its find-context, but it also assesses various hypotheses on its original use by considering similar artefacts in ancient and contemporary societies. Through this investigation, dolls emerge as objects whose use was not merely limited to children and play, but it could have been extended to adults and ritual, especially in those cases when a possible divine iconography was portrayed.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ritual, and 15 moreHistory of Toys and Play, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Spanish archaeology, Phoenician, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Children's Play, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna
This paper provides a re-examination of a duck-shaped “offering spoon” that was originally found in the so-called Chapelle Cintas within the Tophet sanctuary of Carthage, but that has remained unpublished until very recently. It is argued... more
This paper provides a re-examination of a duck-shaped “offering spoon” that was originally found in the so-called Chapelle Cintas within the Tophet sanctuary of Carthage, but that has remained unpublished until very recently. It is argued that, given its Egyptian prototypes, it enriches the variety of Mediterranean connections already shown by the other artefacts that were retrieved in the same find-context. In addition, it shows that the early ivories found in the North African metropolis can be related to various ivory carving traditions and confirms the special and direct relationship that Carthage had with Egypt/Nubia, but also the connection between its ivories and those from the Iberian Peninsula, where the closest parallel for this spoon is currently known. Moreover, the use of an object that in the Egyptian tradition was associated with wellbeing, prosperity, fertility, birth and regeneration fits very well with the current understanding of Tophets and would imply a clear awareness of its original meaning and that it was not deposited by chance in the Carthaginian sanctuary.
Research Interests: Egyptology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Archaeology of Religion, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and 15 moreAncient Near East, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern Art, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Ivory Carving, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna, and Archaeology of the Levant
This article re-examines a circular ivory pyxis lid from Tharros, which-despite its fine craftsmanship-has been little studied and remains almost unknown. After a short history of studies on the Near Eastern ivories of the 1st millennium... more
This article re-examines a circular ivory pyxis lid from Tharros, which-despite its fine craftsmanship-has been little studied and remains almost unknown. After a short history of studies on the Near Eastern ivories of the 1st millennium bc and their problematic association with the Phoenicians, this find is thoroughly investigated and is compared to some fragmentary examples from Nimrud and a circular pyxis from Tell Halaf dating to around the 10th-8th century bc. Among the various hypotheses that have been formulated to explain the function of these pyxides, the more compelling argument is that they originally contained expensive spices and condiments to be used as drink or food additives, as their association with the banquet is supported by the few available iconographic sources. Finally, the question remains open whether this lid should be considered a Near Eastern ivory heirloom or -as some discrepancies with the Levantine examples would indicate-a later artefact manufactured in a western Mediterranean centre, with Tharros itself and Carthage being the most likely candidates.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and 12 moreIron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy (Archaeology), Fenicios, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Ivory Carving, and Archaeology of the Levant
Studying disguised activities in antiquity implies asking what could have been a mask in a specific society and how it could have been used. As the number of currently known masks from pre-theatrical societies is still very low, new... more
Studying disguised activities in antiquity implies asking what could have been a mask in a specific society and how it could have been used. As the number of currently known masks from pre-theatrical societies is still very low, new examples are especially important, particularly those from sites or regions where they were previously unattested. This paper presents an unpublished finely-made mask from Tell Mardikh/Ebla (Syria). The detailed analysis of its find-context supports its dating to the Late Bronze Age and its provenance from a house. Both these factors make it possible to connect this mask to coeval examples from the Middle Euphrates River Valley, but it differs from them in the practice of inlaying the eye cavities. The use of red slip hints at a comparison with similar metal finds, while the profile of the mask and its size suggest that it could not have been originally worn. Instead, it is argued that this mask could have covered the face of a life-size statue or could have been applied to a mannequin or a pole that was made of wood or other perishable material. Its discovery in a house makes it plausible to suggest that – following what has already been proposed for the examples from the Middle Euphrates region – it might have been used in domestic cults devoted to the ancestors or the clan/family deities. As the house from which the mask comes was built on the area previously occupied by the Sacred Area of Ishtar, a connection between the goddess and this terracotta could be an intriguing working hypothesis.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Eblaite (Languages and Linguistics), Late Bronze Age archaeology, and 13 moreArchaeology of Ancestors, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Archeologia, Syria (Archaeology), Pottery, Masks, Archéologie, Levant, Archaeology of cult, Archaeology of the Levant, Ishtar, and Early Bronze Age Temples
This article first addresses the issue of defining ancient masks and briefly explores masking cultures in the Iron Age Mediterranean, then emphasizes the role that Carthage appears to have played in both maintaining and renewing the... more
This article first addresses the issue of defining ancient masks and briefly explores masking cultures in the Iron Age Mediterranean, then emphasizes the role that Carthage appears to have played in both maintaining and renewing the Levantine disguised traditions. Among the newly invented masks of Carthage, it focuses on and reviews a small group of masks and amulets portraying black African twisted faces and dating to between the seventh and mid-sixth century BC. These masks support the existence of wooden prototypes and currently provide the earliest evidence of black African imagery used for ritual purposes. Based on their features and compelling parallels, it is argued that their iconography was inspired by facial paralysis and they should be interpreted as images of a demon used in curing rituals.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 12 morePhoenician, Ancient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Carthage (History), Masks, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
This paper explores the relationship between divine names, iconographies and gender within the framework of Phoenician and Punic religious beliefs and rituals. After an introduction to gender studies in this field, it briefly outlines the... more
This paper explores the relationship between divine names, iconographies and gender within the framework of Phoenician and Punic religious beliefs and rituals. After an introduction to gender studies in this field, it briefly outlines the strategies for representing deities in the Levant and acknowledges some difficulties in distinguishing divine imagery, determining the type of deities and identifying their name. The analysis then considers engendering characterisation, gender ambiguity and gender in ritual practices, with a special focus on a mask apparently embodying female and male elements, and on the shrine of Sarepta, where a double reality – textual and visual – emerges. This article argues that a certain iconographic fluidity characterising Phoenician and Punic divine images occurred around the time of the “Phoenician expansion” and it may have helped in establishing a “middle ground” for cultural contacts and trade relations.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Iconography, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, and 12 moreAncient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Arts And Iconography, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Cyprus Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
In this paper, I focus on the archaeological record at Motya between the two battles of Himera, which was a short but significant period of peace in the history of western Sicily. Such a diachronic analysis provides insights into the ways... more
In this paper, I focus on the archaeological record at Motya between the two battles of Himera, which was a short but significant period of peace in the history of western Sicily. Such a diachronic analysis provides insights into the ways in which the cityscape, as well as the materiality of social and ritual practices in Motya changed during the 5th century BC. Hybridisation, here intended as juxtaposition and mixing of various styles and cultural habits, appears to have been the most prominent feature of the city in these decades.
Research Interests: Phoenicians, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Archeologia, and 7 morePhoenician Punic Archaeology, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy (Archaeology), Archeologia Siciliana, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Sicilia, and Archeologia della Magna Grecia
Scholars have generally assumed that Selinunte’s position as the westernmost Greek colony in Sicily and its proximity to North Africa favoured this city’s relations with Carthage and the Phoenician and Punic settlements on the island.... more
Scholars have generally assumed that Selinunte’s position as the westernmost Greek colony in Sicily and its proximity to North Africa favoured this city’s relations with Carthage and the Phoenician and Punic settlements on the island. Based on the analysis of the Phoenician and Punic pottery from the Institute of Fine Arts–NYU and University of Milan excavations in the main urban sanctuary, this article shows the extent of these trade networks in comparison with the data available from other Greek cities in Sicily and suggests the possible use of some ceramic containers in ritual activities performed in this sacred area. In addition, a few pottery fragments suggest the occasional consumption of wine and food according to Phoenician and Punic practices.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Levantine Archaeology, and 11 moreCeramic Analysis (Archaeology), Greek Archaeology, Phoenician, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, Pottery, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, and Selinunte
Despite the importance of wine in the Iron Age Mediterranean, known structures associated with its production are rare. Recent excavations at Phoenician Tell el-Burak have now revealed the first Iron Age wine press in Lebanon. Its... more
Despite the importance of wine in the Iron Age Mediterranean, known structures associated with its production are rare. Recent excavations at Phoenician Tell el-Burak have now revealed the first Iron Age wine press in Lebanon. Its remarkable state of preservation enables a systematic study of its plaster to be made as well as a comparison with two other plastered installations at the site. Archaeometric analyses offer new data concerning the composition and technology of Iron Age lime-plaster production, confirming the existence of a local and innovative tradition of plaster production in southern Phoenicia. These results contribute to the wider discussion of Phoenician technology in the broader Iron Age Mediterranean.
Research Interests: Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Lebanon, Phoenician, Ancient Technology (Archaeology), and 15 moreLate Iron Age (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Cultural interrelations in the eastern Mediterranean from the BA to the EIA, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Fenicios, Wine and Olive Oil Production, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, History of wine, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician trade
This paper reconsiders the cave sanctuary at Grotta Regina, to the north of Palermo, where a cult was established between the 5th and the 2nd/1st century BC. After a brief description of the cave, I outline the history of the research,... more
This paper reconsiders the cave sanctuary at Grotta Regina, to the north of Palermo, where a cult was established between the 5th and the 2nd/1st century BC. After a brief description of the cave, I outline the history of the research, and then point out what the new research perspectives might be. In particular, I emphasize a connection between the cave and war, which seems emblematic of a phase when Sicily was the stage of numerous clashes that saw Carthage play a leading role in the island’s events. There seem to be many links between this sanctuary and the North African metropolis, enough to suggest the involvement of Carthage in the use of this sacred place.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, History of Religions, and 12 moreMediterranean, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Archaeology of Caves and Caverns (Archaeospeleology), Archeologia, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Greek Sicily, Religious Studies, Carthage (History), Sicily, and Archeologia Fenicio-Punica
“Praising the rising sun. On a baboon-shaped vessel from Tharros”, in M. Guirguis, S. Muscuso, R. Pla Orquín (eds.), Cartagine, il Mediterraneo centro-occidentale e la Sardegna. Società, economia e cultura materiale tra Fenici e autoctoni. Studi in onore di Piero Bartoloni, Sassari 2020, 147-163.more
Research Interests: Egyptology, Egyptian Art and Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, and 15 morePhoenician, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Pottery, Pottery technology and function, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Middle East & North Africa, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 12 moreAncient Mediterranean Religions, Carthage (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Carthage (History), Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 8 moreIron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests: Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Funerary Archaeology, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Bronze Age (Archaeology), and 6 moreIron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, and Archaeology of Cyprus
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Egyptology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 8 moreCarthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests: Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, and 10 moreHistory of the Mediterranean, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant
L’uso di maschere ha una lunga tradizione nel Mediterraneo orientale, dove gli esemplari più antichi risalgono al Neolitico e un loro impiego senza soluzione di continuità è documentato dalla fine del Bronzo Medio all’età Persiana.... more
L’uso di maschere ha una lunga tradizione nel Mediterraneo orientale, dove gli esemplari più antichi risalgono al Neolitico e un loro impiego senza soluzione di continuità è documentato dalla fine del Bronzo Medio all’età Persiana. Durante l’età del Ferro, questa tradizione viene proseguita dai Fenici, che rinnovano il repertorio delle maschere, creando nuove tipologie e giungendo ad una resa più naturalistica del volto umano e delle sue espressioni. Nel corso dei loro spostamenti e stanziamenti attraverso il Mediterraneo, i Fenici mantennero questa pratica fino all’emergere delle maschere teatrali e al declino di Cartagine intorno alla metà del II sec. a.C. Questo articolo offre una panoramica sintetica e diacronica del corpus di maschere fenicie e puniche e dei loro antecedenti, illustrando la varietà di tipi, contesti e possibili usi, a testimonianza del ruolo centrale assolto dai Fenici nello sviluppo delle maschere e dei rituali ad esse intimamente connessi.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Theatre Studies, Historical Archaeology, and 15 morePottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Archaeology of Religion, History of the Mediterranean, Ancient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, and Mediterrranean Archaeology
Tophet narratives have monopolised the study of infants and children in Phoenician communities, overshadowing fresh approaches to this topic that developed during the last decades. Notwithstanding the lack of textual and epigraphic data,... more
Tophet narratives have monopolised the study of infants and children in Phoenician communities, overshadowing fresh approaches to this topic that developed during the last decades. Notwithstanding the lack of textual and epigraphic data, Motya provides a wide range of resources for examining this theme: alleged child-specific artefacts, iconographic sources and skeletal remains. This chapter offers an overall review of the published evidence from Motya connected to infancy and childhood and represents a first attempt to introduce a fresh anthropology-based perspective.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, and 15 moreLevantine Archaeology, Anthropology of Children and Childhood, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Funerary Archaeology, Greek Archaeology, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Infancy, Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), and Archeologia Fenicio-Punica
One of the most interesting contexts investigated so far at Carthage is the so-called Chapelle Cintas, located within the area of the Tophet sanctuary, which comprises some scant architectural remains and two mostly ceramic assemblages.... more
One of the most interesting contexts investigated so far at Carthage is the so-called Chapelle Cintas, located within the area of the Tophet sanctuary, which comprises some scant architectural remains and two mostly ceramic assemblages. However, the relationship between this evidence and the sacred area has often been questioned , along with other issues such as the chronology and interpretation of the architecture and the finds. After exploring the archaeological data, I argue that the newcomers to Carthage deliberately chose to found this sanctuary in an area where previous architectural remains and other evidence were still visible, according to a pattern also known from the Tophets at Sulky, Motya and Tharros. On this occasion, and again later, special rituals were performed in this part of the sanctuary, where some cult instruments were also buried. This low mound not only emerges as an appropriate space to emphasize a connection with the ancestors and the homeland , but also to negotiate and build the identity of the community and its newcomers.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, and 13 moreLevantine Archaeology, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Greek Archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Pottery, Chronology, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests: Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Archaeology of Religion, and 10 moreCarthage (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Archeologia, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Sicily, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Motya
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, and 14 morePhoenician, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, North African prehistory (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Masks, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Sardinia (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), and 9 moreMediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Sardegna, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna
For a PDF please contact adriano.orsingher@gmail.com
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 11 moreCypriot Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Funerary Archaeology, Cyprus, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, and Archaeology of the Levant
Although known from the early 1870s and its uniqueness remarked upon, a mask from Carthage has been only marginally considered in Phoenician and Punic studies. This masterpiece is usually interpreted as a male portrait of the 4th century... more
Although known from the early 1870s and its uniqueness remarked upon, a mask from Carthage has been only marginally considered in Phoenician and Punic studies. This masterpiece is usually interpreted as a male portrait of the 4th century BC. However, on the basis of a personal examination and after an in-depth analysis, I suggest a revised reading of the mask. I argue for a dating between the mid-7th and the early 6th century BC and, conversely, suggest the mask represents a female character, which shares many features with Astarte-type images. Although the identity of this character cannot be established beyond any doubt, a discussion of the main possibilities is provided.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, and 19 morePhoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, History of the Mediterranean, Cyprus, Ancient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Carthage (History), Masks, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, and 19 moreLevantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, History of the Mediterranean, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Phoenician, Ancient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Greek Sicily, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician trade
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 11 moreCyprus Studies, Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archaeology of the Levant, Phoenician trade, and Archaeology of Cyprus
Within the archaeological framework of the so-called Tophet sanctuaries, a relevant role could be assigned to the vessels used in ritual activities, especially during the earliest phases, when the other sources were rare or even absent.... more
Within the archaeological framework of the so-called Tophet sanctuaries, a relevant role could be assigned to the vessels used in ritual activities, especially during the earliest phases, when the other sources were rare or even absent. Currently, according to the pottery analysis, all the archaic Tophets (Carthage, Sulky and Motya) seem to have been established independently around the mid-8th century BC. Their ceramic corpora include vessels derived from or inspired by Levantine prototypes, together with new shapes, sometimes assimilated or reworked from other repertoires. Patterns of distribution, function, religious and cultural significance of these ceramic hallmarks are here discussed.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), and 15 morePhoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Ritual, Mediterranean Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, History of the Mediterranean, Carthage (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Ritual, Religious Studies, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), and Archaeology of the Levant
Le maschere occupano una posizione di rilievo all’interno degli studi sulla coroplastica fenicia e punica, testimoniando dapprima il reiterarsi di modelli ispirati al repertorio siro-palestinese, poi una rielaborazione autonoma di... more
Le maschere occupano una posizione di rilievo all’interno degli studi sulla coroplastica fenicia e punica, testimoniando dapprima il reiterarsi di modelli ispirati al repertorio siro-palestinese, poi una rielaborazione autonoma di Cartagine, in seguito adottata e in parte modificata in alcune produzioni
locali, infine il sopraggiungere di stilemi e iconografie legate alla tradizione greca. Il recente rinvenimento di un frammento di maschera punica a Mozia costituisce l’occasione per un riesame di alcuni temi connessi a questa classe, agevolando l’inquadramento della nuova attestazione.
locali, infine il sopraggiungere di stilemi e iconografie legate alla tradizione greca. Il recente rinvenimento di un frammento di maschera punica a Mozia costituisce l’occasione per un riesame di alcuni temi connessi a questa classe, agevolando l’inquadramento della nuova attestazione.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Egyptology, Near Eastern Archaeology, and 24 moreAnthropology, Iconography, Historical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Funerary Archaeology, Facial expression, Carthage (Archaeology), Iconology, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Coroplastic Studies, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Iconography and Iconology, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Iconografia, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Tophets, Archaeology of the Levant, Anthropology of Religion, and Roman Archaeology
Starting from the second half of the 6th century BC, the influence of Greek culture over the Punic world became increasingly prevalent. Sicily was the favoured setting for this process, marked by the alternating defeats and victories... more
Starting from the second half of the 6th century BC, the
influence of Greek culture over the Punic world became
increasingly prevalent. Sicily was the favoured setting for
this process, marked by the alternating defeats and
victories in battles that featured the history of the island
throughout the 5th and 4th centuries BC. This
phenomenon spread – through Carthage – from Sicily to
the rest of the Punic world, in successive periods and in
different ways. This was a complex, progressive, but not
always constant process, in which we also find examples
of the surviving and contemporary phenomena reflecting
the Punicisation of the Greek and Elymian cities (Selinus,
Mount Adranone, Eryx), brought about, once again, as a
result of wars.
This paper seeks to analyze the latest stages of the
Hellenisation process, when it also involved the Tophets,
the cremation sanctuaries typical of Phoenician sites in
the central Mediterranean. This process is manifested
through the adoption of locally produced Greek vessels
for ritual practices as well as in the introduction of new
iconographic subjects in stelae and clay figurines. Motya,
first, and Carthage, later, are the main Punic centres that
carried out the role of mediation with the Greek world,
whose influence does not determine changes in the
overall rites and ceremonies of the Tophet.
influence of Greek culture over the Punic world became
increasingly prevalent. Sicily was the favoured setting for
this process, marked by the alternating defeats and
victories in battles that featured the history of the island
throughout the 5th and 4th centuries BC. This
phenomenon spread – through Carthage – from Sicily to
the rest of the Punic world, in successive periods and in
different ways. This was a complex, progressive, but not
always constant process, in which we also find examples
of the surviving and contemporary phenomena reflecting
the Punicisation of the Greek and Elymian cities (Selinus,
Mount Adranone, Eryx), brought about, once again, as a
result of wars.
This paper seeks to analyze the latest stages of the
Hellenisation process, when it also involved the Tophets,
the cremation sanctuaries typical of Phoenician sites in
the central Mediterranean. This process is manifested
through the adoption of locally produced Greek vessels
for ritual practices as well as in the introduction of new
iconographic subjects in stelae and clay figurines. Motya,
first, and Carthage, later, are the main Punic centres that
carried out the role of mediation with the Greek world,
whose influence does not determine changes in the
overall rites and ceremonies of the Tophet.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Material Culture Studies, and 26 morePhoenicians, Sardinia (Archaeology), Identity (Culture), Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Archaeology of Religion, Ancient Religion, Mediterranean, Ancient Near East, Acculturation, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Material Culture, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Greek Sicily, Iron Age, Terracotta Figurines, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Sicilian-Greek Interaction, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Religious Cults, and Mediterrranean Archaeology
In the last decade the investigation of handmade pottery (“impasto”) in the Phoenician sites of Western and Central Mediterranean received a noteworthy impulse. Despite the frequently incomplete state of preservation of vessels, the... more
In the last decade the investigation of handmade pottery (“impasto”) in the Phoenician
sites of Western and Central Mediterranean received a noteworthy impulse. Despite the
frequently incomplete state of preservation of vessels, the analysis of this class of
materials is retained to be suitable for ascertaining the influence of local populations on
the dietary habits of Phoenician settlements.
Motya, a Phoenician colony in Western Sicily, offers an exceptional set of data, made up
by the finds from the necropolis and in the Tophet, to which further materials found in
recent investigations of “Rome Sapienza University” Expedition must be added. The aim
of this contribution is focusing on the analysis of the archaeological record of this site, in
order to insert Motya in the Sicilian panorama and in the wider context of Phoenician
colonies.
sites of Western and Central Mediterranean received a noteworthy impulse. Despite the
frequently incomplete state of preservation of vessels, the analysis of this class of
materials is retained to be suitable for ascertaining the influence of local populations on
the dietary habits of Phoenician settlements.
Motya, a Phoenician colony in Western Sicily, offers an exceptional set of data, made up
by the finds from the necropolis and in the Tophet, to which further materials found in
recent investigations of “Rome Sapienza University” Expedition must be added. The aim
of this contribution is focusing on the analysis of the archaeological record of this site, in
order to insert Motya in the Sicilian panorama and in the wider context of Phoenician
colonies.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Material Culture Studies, Phoenicians, and 41 moreLevantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Phoenician, Acculturation, Ceramics (Archaeology), Consumption and Material Culture, Cross-cultural interaction (Archaeology), Cultural Exchange, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Material Culture, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Cooking and Food Preparation (archaeology), Iron Age, Pottery consumption, Archaeology of food, Archaeology - Food ways, Pottery technology and function, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Archeologia Siciliana, Cooking pots, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Protohistory of Sicily, western Phoenician archaeology, Inter-cultural contacts in colonisation, Pottery studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Mozia, Phoenicians in Spain, Ancient Near Eastern foods and food practices, Antropología de la alimentación, Motya, Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age, Ceramica fenicio-punica, Handmade Pottery, Phoenician influence in the Western Mediterranean, Acculturation and interaction processes, Phoenician Punic Pottery, and Cultural contact between Greeks and Phoenicians
Research Interests:
“La ceramica punica del IV secolo a.C. dalla Fortezza Occidentale”, in L. Nigro (a cura di), Mozia - XIII. Zona F. La Porta Ovest e la Fortezza Occidentale. Rapporto preliminare delle campagne di scavi XXIII-XXVII (2003-2007) condotte congiuntamente con il Servizio Beni Archeologici della Soprintendenza Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Trapani (Quaderni di Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, VI), Roma 2011, pp. 112-131.more
Research Interests: Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Anthropology of Food, Identity (Culture), Mediterranean Studies, and 32 moreCommercial Routes, Food and Nutrition, Phoenician, Ceramics (Archaeology), Cross-cultural interaction (Archaeology), Greek Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Archaeology of Identity, Greek Sicily, Magna Graecia, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Sicilian-Greek Interaction, Carthage, Pottery technology and function, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Archeologia Siciliana, western Phoenician archaeology, Punic Pottery, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Motya Phoenician Punic Whitaker, Carthage and the Western Mediterranean, Mozia, Anfore fenicio-puniche, Punic world and Punic Archaeology, Monde Punique, Quaderni di Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Phoenician ceramics, Ceramica fenicio-punica, Acculturation and interaction processes, and Cross Cultural Interactions
L’oil bottle è una delle forme del repertorio vascolare della madrepatria che i Fenici mantengono durante i loro spostamenti nel Mediterraneo. È prodotta dalla metà dell’VIII al terzo quarto del VI sec. a.C. Data l’ampia distribuzione... more
L’oil bottle è una delle forme del repertorio vascolare della madrepatria che i Fenici mantengono durante i loro spostamenti nel Mediterraneo. È prodotta dalla metà dell’VIII al terzo quarto del VI sec. a.C. Data l’ampia distribuzione geografica e la varietà tipologica delle attestazioni è considerata un valido indicatore cronologico, utile anche alla definizione dei circuiti commerciali. In questo contributo si analizzano – sulla base di un aggiornato spoglio bibliografico e alla luce degli studi più recenti – i contesti in cui tale forma è documentata. Viene quindi presentato un elenco degli esemplari provenienti da contesti riconosciuti come stratigraficamente affidabili, al fine di tracciare le linee guida dello sviluppo crono-tipologico di questa forma.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, and 24 moreMediterranean Studies, Maritime Routes, Commercial Routes, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Phoenician, Trade, Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, Amphorae, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), Late Bronze Age, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Wine and Olive Oil Production, Wine and Olive Oil Production, Commensality, Phoenician trade, Ritual Practices, and Antic Technology
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 17 moreCyprus Studies, Mediterranean Studies, Archaeology of Religion, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Mediterranean Studies (Area Studies), Phoenician, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Ritual, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Phoenician sanctuary, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age, Ceramica fenicio-punica, and Phoenician Punic Religion
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Ancient Near East, and 6 moreHebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Archaeology, Egyptology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 12 moreArchaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Greek Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Cyprus Archaeology, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests:
Research Interests: North Africa Studies, Mediterranean prehistory, Phoenicians, Sardinia (Archaeology), Mediterranean Studies, and 13 moreHistory of the Mediterranean, Phoenician, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Phoenician and Punic Studies, and Phoenician trade
During the last decade or so, the investigation of games and playthings in the ancient Mediterranean has attracted special attention. Several studies have shown that games were a daily activity as common in antiquity as it is nowadays.... more
During the last decade or so, the investigation of games and playthings in the ancient Mediterranean has attracted special attention. Several studies have shown that games were a daily activity as common in antiquity as it is nowadays. Play and playthings were present at every stage of life – from childhood to adulthood – and in all everyday spaces. Accordingly, one would expect that the functions and meanings of the game and the objects used to play would have varied based on the age, gender roles and social status of the individuals, but also according to the circumstances and space – public or private – where this activity would have taken place. At the same time, play was not limited to the playful dimension, but had an important educational, sociocultural, political, and religious role in ancient daily life.
Despite this renewed interest, play, games, and playthings in the Phoenician/Punic Mediterranean still constitute a relatively unexplored field of study. Accordingly, this paper will first introduce the Phoenician/Punic repertoire of playthings and play activities, and – consequently – set dolls into a wider framework. Secondly, it will assemble the dataset of articulated dolls from the Phoenician/Punic Mediterranean by addressing their specific biographies. Given the current paucity of examples, a comparative and long-term approach will be adopted to fill present-day gaps in the archaeological record by considering coeval evidence from nearby regions such as the Levant and Cyprus, as well as possible ethnographic parallels. In doing so, this paper will attempt at answering questions about the articulated dolls’ users, audience and context of use, as well as how different play traditions and types of dolls could have interacted and, at times, coexisted in such a wide geographical and chronological arena.
Despite this renewed interest, play, games, and playthings in the Phoenician/Punic Mediterranean still constitute a relatively unexplored field of study. Accordingly, this paper will first introduce the Phoenician/Punic repertoire of playthings and play activities, and – consequently – set dolls into a wider framework. Secondly, it will assemble the dataset of articulated dolls from the Phoenician/Punic Mediterranean by addressing their specific biographies. Given the current paucity of examples, a comparative and long-term approach will be adopted to fill present-day gaps in the archaeological record by considering coeval evidence from nearby regions such as the Levant and Cyprus, as well as possible ethnographic parallels. In doing so, this paper will attempt at answering questions about the articulated dolls’ users, audience and context of use, as well as how different play traditions and types of dolls could have interacted and, at times, coexisted in such a wide geographical and chronological arena.
Research Interests: Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, History of Toys and Play, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), and 10 moreIron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Fenicios, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Cyprus Archaeology, and Archaeology of the Levant
3/12/2022: “Darstellungen von Göttinnen und Göttern in Palästina”, Mainz, Erbacher Hof
Research Interests: Religion, Iconography, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, and 12 more1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), World Religions, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iconography and Iconology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, Phoenician Punic Religion, and Anthropology of Religion
29/11/2022: Il Mediterraneo antico e gli studio fenicio-punici. A cento anni dalla nascita di Sabatino Moscati, Roma, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, and 13 moreLevantine Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, Cyprus, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), History of Archaeology, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Archaeology of Colonialism
20/10/2022: "X Congreso Internacional de Estudios Fenicios y Púnicos", Palacio de Congresos de Ibiza
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Iron Age (Archaeology), and 7 moreAncient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Terracotta Figurines, and Phoenician and Punic Studies
1/10/2022: International Conference: Kition and the Phoenicians in the Mediterranean Sea, 2nd International Conference of Ancient History, Larnaca, Multispace of Creativity and Culture.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 7 moreCypriot Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, Mediterranean archaeology, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Phoenician and Punic Studies, and Archaeology of the Levant
25/05/2022: Getty Villa Spring Scholar Workshop “The Levant and the Classical World: Phoenicians, Philistines, and Canaanites”, Getty Villa Auditorium.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Anthropology of the Body, Levantine Archaeology, and 9 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Phoenician, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Masks, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
14/03/2022: 18th ICAS – EMME 3 conference at the Cyprus Institute (Nicosia)
Research Interests: Technology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Lebanon, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and 9 moreAncient Near East, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Lime mortars and plasters, and Archaeology of the Levant
30/03/2022: Workshop “Respuestas rituales a situaciones de crisis Gadir cartaginesa como caso de estudio”, Montelibretti-Roma.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Ritual, Archaeology of Religion, and 11 moreLiminality, Phoenician, Ritual (Anthropology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Archaeology of Caves and Caverns (Archaeospeleology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Cave Archaeology, and Anthropology of Religion
8/12/2021: “Un siècle de recherche sur les sanctuaires dits ‘tophets’ de la Méditerranée centrale des époques punique et romaine”, Gammarth.
Research Interests:
4/5/2021: AGEMO III - La construcción del gusto cultural en las sociedades fenicia y púnica Che cos’è il gusto? È possibile definirlo solo attraverso la documentazione archeologica? Quale ruolo può aver svolto il gusto nelle comunità... more
4/5/2021: AGEMO III - La construcción del gusto cultural en las sociedades fenicia y púnica
Che cos’è il gusto? È possibile definirlo solo attraverso la documentazione archeologica? Quale ruolo può aver svolto il gusto nelle comunità fenicie del Mediterraneo occidentale? Si può presumere che i meccanismi che abbiano portato alla sua costruzione nei contesti coloniali possano essere stati ovunque gli stessi? Oppure devono essere ipotizzate delle differenze in relazione ad esempio alla composizione di ciascuna comunità, al grado di commistione e compenetrazione tra le diverse componenti culturali? Nell’amalgama di abitudini, tradizioni ed esperienze che si andò formando in questi luoghi in relazione al gusto quale ruolo ebbero le distinzioni sociali?
Nel tentativo di provare a rispondere a simili quesiti e comprendere quanto dei risultati e delle riflessioni di Pierre Bourdieu possa essere preso in considerazione in un’indagine archeologica sul gusto, questo contributo si concentra sul caso di Mozia, che – per la qualità e quantità dei dati raccolti in oltre un secolo di ricerche – consente di adottare una prospettiva diacronica ed osservare il gusto nella comunità locale – da declinare nelle sue accezioni alimentare, estetica e di stile di vita – in un percorso lungo quattro secoli.
Che cos’è il gusto? È possibile definirlo solo attraverso la documentazione archeologica? Quale ruolo può aver svolto il gusto nelle comunità fenicie del Mediterraneo occidentale? Si può presumere che i meccanismi che abbiano portato alla sua costruzione nei contesti coloniali possano essere stati ovunque gli stessi? Oppure devono essere ipotizzate delle differenze in relazione ad esempio alla composizione di ciascuna comunità, al grado di commistione e compenetrazione tra le diverse componenti culturali? Nell’amalgama di abitudini, tradizioni ed esperienze che si andò formando in questi luoghi in relazione al gusto quale ruolo ebbero le distinzioni sociali?
Nel tentativo di provare a rispondere a simili quesiti e comprendere quanto dei risultati e delle riflessioni di Pierre Bourdieu possa essere preso in considerazione in un’indagine archeologica sul gusto, questo contributo si concentra sul caso di Mozia, che – per la qualità e quantità dei dati raccolti in oltre un secolo di ricerche – consente di adottare una prospettiva diacronica ed osservare il gusto nella comunità locale – da declinare nelle sue accezioni alimentare, estetica e di stile di vita – in un percorso lungo quattro secoli.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Phoenicians, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Greek Sicily, and 8 moreIron Age, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Bronze and Iron Ages in Italy (Archaeology), Fenicios, Sicily, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Archeologia Siciliana, and Archeologia Fenicio-Punica
11/02/2021: “Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean. Spaces, Mobilities, Imaginaries” Sanctuaries were at times established near a natural feature such as a spring, river, pond, lake, woods, outcrop, mountain or cave.... more
11/02/2021: “Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean. Spaces, Mobilities, Imaginaries”
Sanctuaries were at times established near a natural feature such as a spring, river, pond, lake, woods, outcrop, mountain or cave. Although these natural places can become sacralized spaces without any need of construction activities, they have sometimes developed into built sacred areas, where these elements may even have been monumentalized. This rarely occurred in the case of cave-sanctuaries, which often preserved their original (and sometimes already monumental) aspect, especially when these caves were in remote locations or accessible only by sea. Whatever their position, caves are liminal spaces, zones marked off from the world, but their boundaries are nonetheless permeable. Going into a cave means crossing a threshold, which represents the border between the worlds of the familiar and the unknown. Why was such liminality required? What type of deities inhabited these spaces? What rites were performed there?
This paper aims at carefully exploring the historical, social and topographical context which influenced the establishment of certain cave-sanctuaries in the ancient Mediterranean. Three case studies will be considered: 1) Gorham’s cave (c. 8th-2nd century BC) in Gibraltar; 2) es Culleram (c. 5th-2nd century BC) in Ibiza, and 3) Grotta Regina (c. 5th-2nd/1st centuries BC) near Palermo. These three caves show different characteristics with regard to their position, landscape, sensescape, provenance and type of finds, presence/absence of inscriptions and clear evidence for a titular deity. All of them are located within Phoenician/Punic territories and were probably established by Phoenician/Punic speaking groups. The goal is to determine why, by whom and for what purpose these sanctuaries were established, by whom they were frequented, what cultic activities may have been performed inside these caves and to what types of deities they were dedicated. By comparing their features, it will be possible to identify common elements and peculiarities, and, consequently, determine their possible association with certain types of deity.
Sanctuaries were at times established near a natural feature such as a spring, river, pond, lake, woods, outcrop, mountain or cave. Although these natural places can become sacralized spaces without any need of construction activities, they have sometimes developed into built sacred areas, where these elements may even have been monumentalized. This rarely occurred in the case of cave-sanctuaries, which often preserved their original (and sometimes already monumental) aspect, especially when these caves were in remote locations or accessible only by sea. Whatever their position, caves are liminal spaces, zones marked off from the world, but their boundaries are nonetheless permeable. Going into a cave means crossing a threshold, which represents the border between the worlds of the familiar and the unknown. Why was such liminality required? What type of deities inhabited these spaces? What rites were performed there?
This paper aims at carefully exploring the historical, social and topographical context which influenced the establishment of certain cave-sanctuaries in the ancient Mediterranean. Three case studies will be considered: 1) Gorham’s cave (c. 8th-2nd century BC) in Gibraltar; 2) es Culleram (c. 5th-2nd century BC) in Ibiza, and 3) Grotta Regina (c. 5th-2nd/1st centuries BC) near Palermo. These three caves show different characteristics with regard to their position, landscape, sensescape, provenance and type of finds, presence/absence of inscriptions and clear evidence for a titular deity. All of them are located within Phoenician/Punic territories and were probably established by Phoenician/Punic speaking groups. The goal is to determine why, by whom and for what purpose these sanctuaries were established, by whom they were frequented, what cultic activities may have been performed inside these caves and to what types of deities they were dedicated. By comparing their features, it will be possible to identify common elements and peculiarities, and, consequently, determine their possible association with certain types of deity.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Phoenicians, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), and 10 more1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Archaeology of Caves and Caverns (Archaeospeleology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology, Iron Age, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
10/12/2020: “Beyond Cyprus: Investigating Cypriot Connectivity in the Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Classical period” The proximity of the Levantine coast to Cyprus is at the origin of the multiple... more
10/12/2020: “Beyond Cyprus: Investigating Cypriot Connectivity in the Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Classical period”
The proximity of the Levantine coast to Cyprus is at the origin of the multiple connections between these two regions and their polities over millennia. Their relationship during the Iron Age is usually analyzed from the perspective of the central Levant, a region conventionally identified with ancient Phoenicia, and under the premise that the Phoenicians played a major role in the island. What happens if we consider the question from the opposite perspective, that is by looking at Cypriot materials in the Levant? Some of the challenges that archaeologists must face are the same, such as the difficulties in identifying Cypriot resources and products exported abroad (except for pottery and the very few and late Cypriot-syllabic inscribed artefacts) and in assessing their provenance from a specific Cypriot city/territory. This paper aims at assembling and interpreting the scattered Cypriot evidence currently attested in the central Levant during the Iron Age (c. 12th-4th centuries BC), in order to identify routes, carriers, middlemen, harbors, stopovers and distribution centers of these resources and products. Along with the finds that certainly come from Cyprus, those of uncertain provenance that are attested in both these regions will be also considered, because they may provide evidence of a connection between Cyprus and the central Levant or at least of their inclusion in the same trade network.
The proximity of the Levantine coast to Cyprus is at the origin of the multiple connections between these two regions and their polities over millennia. Their relationship during the Iron Age is usually analyzed from the perspective of the central Levant, a region conventionally identified with ancient Phoenicia, and under the premise that the Phoenicians played a major role in the island. What happens if we consider the question from the opposite perspective, that is by looking at Cypriot materials in the Levant? Some of the challenges that archaeologists must face are the same, such as the difficulties in identifying Cypriot resources and products exported abroad (except for pottery and the very few and late Cypriot-syllabic inscribed artefacts) and in assessing their provenance from a specific Cypriot city/territory. This paper aims at assembling and interpreting the scattered Cypriot evidence currently attested in the central Levant during the Iron Age (c. 12th-4th centuries BC), in order to identify routes, carriers, middlemen, harbors, stopovers and distribution centers of these resources and products. Along with the finds that certainly come from Cyprus, those of uncertain provenance that are attested in both these regions will be also considered, because they may provide evidence of a connection between Cyprus and the central Levant or at least of their inclusion in the same trade network.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 10 moreCypriot Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Aegean Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Iron Age, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician trade
1/04/2019: Sive Deus Sive Dea. Dénominations divines dans les mondes grec et sémitique : une approche par le genre, Toulouse. This paper will address the relationship between divine names, iconographies and gender within the framework... more
1/04/2019: Sive Deus Sive Dea. Dénominations divines dans les mondes grec et sémitique : une approche par le genre, Toulouse.
This paper will address the relationship between divine names, iconographies and gender within the framework of Phoenician and Punic religion. The first millennium BC marked a shift in the way(s) gods were represented in the coastal Levant. Along with a tradition going back to the Bronze Age, when deities were depicted and differentiated by means of gestures, emblems and accompanying animals, new strategies of representing deities emerged during the Iron Age, such as -sometimes- limiting their images to facial portraits. Why did this change occur? More importantly, could a divine image refer to a specific feature or an epiclesis of the divinity and, if this is the case, how? The general lack of Phoenician and Punic religious and mythical texts accounts for the difficulties in dealing with such topics, making it necessary to further theoretical approaches and methodologies, and make use of the corpora of evidence from neighbouring regions.
This paper will address the relationship between divine names, iconographies and gender within the framework of Phoenician and Punic religion. The first millennium BC marked a shift in the way(s) gods were represented in the coastal Levant. Along with a tradition going back to the Bronze Age, when deities were depicted and differentiated by means of gestures, emblems and accompanying animals, new strategies of representing deities emerged during the Iron Age, such as -sometimes- limiting their images to facial portraits. Why did this change occur? More importantly, could a divine image refer to a specific feature or an epiclesis of the divinity and, if this is the case, how? The general lack of Phoenician and Punic religious and mythical texts accounts for the difficulties in dealing with such topics, making it necessary to further theoretical approaches and methodologies, and make use of the corpora of evidence from neighbouring regions.
Research Interests: Religion, Gender Studies, Iconography, Archaeology of Gender, Phoenicians, and 14 moreLevantine Archaeology, Gender, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, History of the Mediterranean, Gender Archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Phoenician & Punic Epigraphy, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
13/12/2018: International Workshop "Between foreign hegemony and expansion to the West: Phoenician society and economy from 10th until the 5th c. BCE", Mainz, Erbacher Hof.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Ancient economies (Archaeology), and 10 moreHistory of the Mediterranean, Ancient Near East, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Archaeology of the Levant, and Ancient Mediterranean Society
22/11/2018: Sacra artificilia. Liturgia y objetos litúrgicos en las religiones antiguas, Universidad de Sevilla
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Theatre Studies, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 15 moreCypriot Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Syro-Palestinian archaeology, History of the Mediterranean, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Masks, Sicily, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
22/10/2018: 9th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies. A Journey Between the East and the West of the Mediterranean and its Peripheries, Mérida, Palacio del Congresos. Grotta Regina è il nome di una caverna posizionata... more
22/10/2018: 9th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies. A Journey Between the East and the West of the Mediterranean and its Peripheries, Mérida, Palacio del Congresos.
Grotta Regina è il nome di una caverna posizionata sulle pendici nord-orientali del monte Gallo, vicino Mondello, ad ovest di Palermo. Questa regione è ricca di cavità naturali frequentate fin da epoca preistorica. Ugualmente la Grotta Regina – un unico grande ambiente lungo 50 m, largo 20 m e alto 15 m che si restringe verso il fondo – ha restituito frammenti ceramici risalenti al Neolitico, al Calcolitico e all’età del Bronzo. Tuttavia le testimonianze più celebri si datano ad epoca tardo-punica e neo-punica (c. V-II/I secolo a.C.), quando si ipotizza l’esistenza di un santuario in grotta. Due tipi di evidenze – iscrizioni e disegni tracciati con una sostanza nera sulle pareti della caverna – caratterizzano il luogo sacro in questa fase. Sebbene la lettura delle dediche votive sia spesso incerta, l’identificazione sicura e multipla del teonimo Shadrafa suggerisce l’esistenza di un culto salutifero e probabilmente – data la natura e la fisionomia del luogo – ctonio. Le immagini di navi militari dimostrano invece un legame di alcuni frequentatori con la navigazione e forse una connotazione bellica del dio, che sembrerebbe testimoniata già nella celebre stele di Amrit (c. VI-V secolo a.C.) e più tardi in un bassorilievo di Palmira (c. I-III secolo d.C.). La cronologia di questa fase d’uso della grotta si basa su sporadici frammenti di vasi e sulla forma dei segni alfabetici.
L’obiettivo di questo contributo è quello di riesaminare i dati raccolti durante le indagini condotte a cavallo tra gli anni Sessanta e Settanta del secolo scorso (1969, 1972, 1975) al fine di mettere a fuoco le caratteristiche di questo luogo sacro rispetto ad altri culti in grotta attestati nel Mediterraneo durante il I millennio a.C. ed inserire Grotta Regina nel quadro storico della Sicilia coeva, dove al crescente impegno militare di Cartagine nell’isola si accompagna una contaminazione riconoscibile anche nelle pratiche religiose.
Grotta Regina è il nome di una caverna posizionata sulle pendici nord-orientali del monte Gallo, vicino Mondello, ad ovest di Palermo. Questa regione è ricca di cavità naturali frequentate fin da epoca preistorica. Ugualmente la Grotta Regina – un unico grande ambiente lungo 50 m, largo 20 m e alto 15 m che si restringe verso il fondo – ha restituito frammenti ceramici risalenti al Neolitico, al Calcolitico e all’età del Bronzo. Tuttavia le testimonianze più celebri si datano ad epoca tardo-punica e neo-punica (c. V-II/I secolo a.C.), quando si ipotizza l’esistenza di un santuario in grotta. Due tipi di evidenze – iscrizioni e disegni tracciati con una sostanza nera sulle pareti della caverna – caratterizzano il luogo sacro in questa fase. Sebbene la lettura delle dediche votive sia spesso incerta, l’identificazione sicura e multipla del teonimo Shadrafa suggerisce l’esistenza di un culto salutifero e probabilmente – data la natura e la fisionomia del luogo – ctonio. Le immagini di navi militari dimostrano invece un legame di alcuni frequentatori con la navigazione e forse una connotazione bellica del dio, che sembrerebbe testimoniata già nella celebre stele di Amrit (c. VI-V secolo a.C.) e più tardi in un bassorilievo di Palmira (c. I-III secolo d.C.). La cronologia di questa fase d’uso della grotta si basa su sporadici frammenti di vasi e sulla forma dei segni alfabetici.
L’obiettivo di questo contributo è quello di riesaminare i dati raccolti durante le indagini condotte a cavallo tra gli anni Sessanta e Settanta del secolo scorso (1969, 1972, 1975) al fine di mettere a fuoco le caratteristiche di questo luogo sacro rispetto ad altri culti in grotta attestati nel Mediterraneo durante il I millennio a.C. ed inserire Grotta Regina nel quadro storico della Sicilia coeva, dove al crescente impegno militare di Cartagine nell’isola si accompagna una contaminazione riconoscibile anche nelle pratiche religiose.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 10 moreArchaeology of Religion, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Archaeology of Caves and Caverns (Archaeospeleology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Religious Studies, Sicily, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician Punic Religion
24/04/2018: Mittagskolloquium, Tuebingen, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), and 11 moreIron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Masks, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
14/12/2017: X Coloquio Internacional del CEFYP: “MARE SACRVM. Religión, cultos y rituales fenicios en el Mediterráneo”. En Homenaje al Prof. José Mª Blázquez, Cádiz-San Fernando.
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iconography, Theatre Studies, Phoenicians, and 17 moreMediterranean Studies, Greek Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), Ancient Greek Iconography, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Masks, Sicily, Iconography and Iconology, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Phoenician and Punic Studies, and Anthropology of Religion
17/11/2017: «La medesima cosa sono Ade e Dionisio». Maschere, Teatro e Rituali Funerari nel Mondo Antico. Convegno Internazionale, Sapienza Università di Roma
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Anthropology, Phoenicians, Social and Cultural Anthropology, and 18 moreLevantine Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Near East, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), Aegean Archaeology, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Masks, Sicily, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
27/06/2017: "Von Kanaan nach Gibraltar und zurück - die Phönizier im Mittelmeerraum”, I was invited to give a lecture on “Cyprus vs. Phoenician archaeology: issues, ongoing research and perspectives”, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut... more
27/06/2017: "Von Kanaan nach Gibraltar und zurück - die Phönizier im Mittelmeerraum”, I was invited to give a lecture on “Cyprus vs. Phoenician archaeology: issues, ongoing research and perspectives”, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Rom, Villino Amelung.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, History of the Mediterranean, and 8 moreAncient Near East, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
20/06/2017: Interdisziplinäres Kolloquium zur Griechischen Antike im Sommersemester 2017, University of Bochum.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Social and Cultural Anthropology, and 15 moreLevantine Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Ancient Near East, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Sicily, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
24/04/2017: From Invisible to Visible: New Data and Methods for the Archaeology of Infant and Child Burials in pre-Roman Italy, Trinity College Dublin Contrary to the elusive record of infant and child burials in pre-Roman Italy, some... more
24/04/2017: From Invisible to Visible: New Data and Methods for the Archaeology of Infant and Child Burials in pre-Roman Italy, Trinity College Dublin
Contrary to the elusive record of infant and child burials in pre-Roman Italy, some Phoenician settlements of the central Mediterranean (e.g. Carthage, Sulky, Motya, Tharros, etc.) stand out due to the archaeological visibility of infant and child skeletal remains buried in the so-called Tophet sanctuaries between the 8th and the 2nd centuries BC. In the characteristic ritual of these sacred areas cremated human and/or animal (usually sheep and goat) remains were collected in urns, these were then buried in an open space in the sanctuary, which sometimes includes service areas for additional ritual activities. Although the study of the Tophet has long been polarised on the discussion between affirming and denying the practice of child sacrifice, the variety of rituals performed in these sanctuaries is also relevant to our understanding of the role played by infancy and childhood in specific Phoenician communities. Among these sites, Motya – a small island off the western tip of Sicily – emerges as a case study for the analysis of infancy and childhood based on the mortuary record. Here, in addition to more than 1000 depositions brought to light so far in the Tophet (c. mid-8th-4th centuries BC), a limited number of child burials have been identified together with scattered finds from various areas of the settlement.
This paper offers a diachronic, long-term, and updated overview of the archaeological evidence related to infancy and childhood at Motya. Starting from the depositions of the Tophet sanctuary, which offer statistically significant evidence, this paper will identify markers, patterns, and ritual behaviours recognisable through the entire corpus and how these evolve over time. In addition, this paper will analyse contemporary cases from the cemetery and other areas of the settlement, in order to identify distinctive features in the treatment of
infants and children at Motya. Finally, the resulting picture will be compared with those known from some settlements in western Sicily and other Phoenician communities in the Central Mediterranean.
Contrary to the elusive record of infant and child burials in pre-Roman Italy, some Phoenician settlements of the central Mediterranean (e.g. Carthage, Sulky, Motya, Tharros, etc.) stand out due to the archaeological visibility of infant and child skeletal remains buried in the so-called Tophet sanctuaries between the 8th and the 2nd centuries BC. In the characteristic ritual of these sacred areas cremated human and/or animal (usually sheep and goat) remains were collected in urns, these were then buried in an open space in the sanctuary, which sometimes includes service areas for additional ritual activities. Although the study of the Tophet has long been polarised on the discussion between affirming and denying the practice of child sacrifice, the variety of rituals performed in these sanctuaries is also relevant to our understanding of the role played by infancy and childhood in specific Phoenician communities. Among these sites, Motya – a small island off the western tip of Sicily – emerges as a case study for the analysis of infancy and childhood based on the mortuary record. Here, in addition to more than 1000 depositions brought to light so far in the Tophet (c. mid-8th-4th centuries BC), a limited number of child burials have been identified together with scattered finds from various areas of the settlement.
This paper offers a diachronic, long-term, and updated overview of the archaeological evidence related to infancy and childhood at Motya. Starting from the depositions of the Tophet sanctuary, which offer statistically significant evidence, this paper will identify markers, patterns, and ritual behaviours recognisable through the entire corpus and how these evolve over time. In addition, this paper will analyse contemporary cases from the cemetery and other areas of the settlement, in order to identify distinctive features in the treatment of
infants and children at Motya. Finally, the resulting picture will be compared with those known from some settlements in western Sicily and other Phoenician communities in the Central Mediterranean.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iconography, Historical Archaeology, and 18 moreNear Eastern Studies, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Anthropology of Children and Childhood, History of the Mediterranean, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Sicily, Iconography and Iconology, Burial Customs, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
23/02/2017: Workshop Women in Phoenician Society, Tübingen, Institute for Classical Archaeology.
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Gender Studies, Iconography, Archaeology of Gender, and 12 morePhoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Religion, Ancient Near East, Gender Archaeology, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
15/12/2016: 1st Amphoras in the Phoenician-Punic World Congress. The Start of the Art, University of Gent. The arrival of Levantine transport containers in Cyprus started as early as the Middle-Late Cypriot transition and continued... more
15/12/2016: 1st Amphoras in the Phoenician-Punic World Congress. The Start of the Art, University of Gent.
The arrival of Levantine transport containers in Cyprus started as early as the Middle-Late Cypriot transition and continued without interruption over the 1st millennium BC, attesting to the long-lasting trade of some precious commodities (e.g. oil, wine, resin and honey). After the work by A. Sagona in 1982 on the examples of the 13th to 4th century BC, analysis of Levantine-type transport jars in the Eastern Mediterranean have mainly concerned shorter periods of time and assemblages from single settlements. Despite the often-used expressions “Canaanite jars” for Late Bronze Age examples and “Phoenician amphorae” for Iron Age ones, the scenario is highly fragmented and various regions of the Eastern Mediterranean were involved in the production of these containers during this time-span. The aim of this paper is to offer a diachronic, long-term, and updated overview of the Levantinetype transport amphorae currently attested in the island, analysing their typologies, spatial distribution, contexts, chronologies and main parallels in the Levant and the Western Mediterranean. The survey will follow a diachronic perspective, starting with a brief review of the evidence from the Middle Cypriot III and Late Cypriot periods. According to the goals of this conference, the focus will be mainly on the Iron Age evidence and its related issues. Assembling and investigating such an inventory will also allow us to point out perspectives and the next stages of the research.
The arrival of Levantine transport containers in Cyprus started as early as the Middle-Late Cypriot transition and continued without interruption over the 1st millennium BC, attesting to the long-lasting trade of some precious commodities (e.g. oil, wine, resin and honey). After the work by A. Sagona in 1982 on the examples of the 13th to 4th century BC, analysis of Levantine-type transport jars in the Eastern Mediterranean have mainly concerned shorter periods of time and assemblages from single settlements. Despite the often-used expressions “Canaanite jars” for Late Bronze Age examples and “Phoenician amphorae” for Iron Age ones, the scenario is highly fragmented and various regions of the Eastern Mediterranean were involved in the production of these containers during this time-span. The aim of this paper is to offer a diachronic, long-term, and updated overview of the Levantinetype transport amphorae currently attested in the island, analysing their typologies, spatial distribution, contexts, chronologies and main parallels in the Levant and the Western Mediterranean. The survey will follow a diachronic perspective, starting with a brief review of the evidence from the Middle Cypriot III and Late Cypriot periods. According to the goals of this conference, the focus will be mainly on the Iron Age evidence and its related issues. Assembling and investigating such an inventory will also allow us to point out perspectives and the next stages of the research.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 14 moreCypriot Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, Mediterranean Studies, History of the Mediterranean, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician trade
21/07/2016: X Summer School Fenicio-Punica 2016, Sant’Antioco, Museo Archeologico Ferruccio Barreca.
Research Interests: Religion, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Ancient Religion, and 12 moreGreek Archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Masks, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
23/06/2016: Religious Convergence in the Ancient Mediterranean Conference, Palermo, Villa Whitaker. At least as early as the late 8th century B.C., different masks were used in the Phoenician West. In Carthage, in particular, both new... more
23/06/2016: Religious Convergence in the Ancient Mediterranean Conference, Palermo, Villa Whitaker.
At least as early as the late 8th century B.C., different masks were used in the Phoenician West. In Carthage, in particular, both new and Levantine-inspired typologies stood out.
However, these new models also included Near Eastern features, testifying to the strength of renewal within the tradition. Despite this early connection with the Eastern Mediterranean, any further developments and later typologies quickly displayed a link with other traditions. As cultic instruments and religious insignia, masks are an invaluable means for investigating the religious beliefs and rituals performed in the different contexts of Phoenician daily life. Furthermore, they can also be useful markers for detecting religious and political agendas. Indeed, the Mediterranean distribution of Carthaginian masks highlights the area that was later to fall under the authority of this North African metropolis, thus demonstrating that such economic, cultural and/or religious influences preceded political and military control.
On the basis of a thorough analysis of the various contexts, this paper seeks to present a diachronic overview of the main Carthaginian masks, for example grinning, negroid and Silenic types, investigating both their iconographic and iconological features, as well as any patterns or changes that occurred, until they ceased to be produced in the second half of the 2nd century B.C.
At least as early as the late 8th century B.C., different masks were used in the Phoenician West. In Carthage, in particular, both new and Levantine-inspired typologies stood out.
However, these new models also included Near Eastern features, testifying to the strength of renewal within the tradition. Despite this early connection with the Eastern Mediterranean, any further developments and later typologies quickly displayed a link with other traditions. As cultic instruments and religious insignia, masks are an invaluable means for investigating the religious beliefs and rituals performed in the different contexts of Phoenician daily life. Furthermore, they can also be useful markers for detecting religious and political agendas. Indeed, the Mediterranean distribution of Carthaginian masks highlights the area that was later to fall under the authority of this North African metropolis, thus demonstrating that such economic, cultural and/or religious influences preceded political and military control.
On the basis of a thorough analysis of the various contexts, this paper seeks to present a diachronic overview of the main Carthaginian masks, for example grinning, negroid and Silenic types, investigating both their iconographic and iconological features, as well as any patterns or changes that occurred, until they ceased to be produced in the second half of the 2nd century B.C.
Research Interests: Religion, Neuroscience, Archaeology, Mediterranean prehistory, Phoenicians, and 15 moreSocial and Cultural Anthropology, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Performance, Ancient Religion, Carthage (Archaeology), Cultural Anthropology, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Religious Studies, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
18/02/2016: Cycle of conferences “A. Ciasca”, Rome, Sapienza University of Rome, Museo del Vicino Oriente, Egitto e Mediterraneo. Tra i prodotti più caratteristici dell’artigianato dei Fenici si annoverano da tempo le maschere in... more
18/02/2016: Cycle of conferences “A. Ciasca”, Rome, Sapienza University of Rome, Museo del Vicino Oriente, Egitto e Mediterraneo.
Tra i prodotti più caratteristici dell’artigianato dei Fenici si annoverano da tempo le maschere in terracotta, le cui testimonianze si distribuiscono, lungo un notevole arco di tempo (c. XI-II secolo a.C.), tra la madrepatria fenicia e le diverse regioni del Mediterraneo dove i Fenici si stabilirono a partire dai decenni finali del IX secolo a.C.
Le maschere – probabili riproduzioni di prototipi in pelle, legno e tessuto indossati in occasione di cerimonie – ritraggono il volto di personaggi legati alla sfera divina. Il loro esame consentirà di indagare identità religiose e paesaggi rituali dei Fenici.
The clay masks are usually considered one of the features of the Phoenician craftwork: they are attested – over a long time span (c. 11th-2nd centuries BC) – in the Phoenician Homeland and across the different regions of the Mediterranean where the Phoenicians settled since the final decades of the 9th century BC.
The masks – reproducing perishable prototypes made of leather, wood and cloth and worn for ceremonies – represent the faces of characters related to the divine sphere. Their study will shed new light on religious identities and ritual landscapes of the Phoenicians.
Tra i prodotti più caratteristici dell’artigianato dei Fenici si annoverano da tempo le maschere in terracotta, le cui testimonianze si distribuiscono, lungo un notevole arco di tempo (c. XI-II secolo a.C.), tra la madrepatria fenicia e le diverse regioni del Mediterraneo dove i Fenici si stabilirono a partire dai decenni finali del IX secolo a.C.
Le maschere – probabili riproduzioni di prototipi in pelle, legno e tessuto indossati in occasione di cerimonie – ritraggono il volto di personaggi legati alla sfera divina. Il loro esame consentirà di indagare identità religiose e paesaggi rituali dei Fenici.
The clay masks are usually considered one of the features of the Phoenician craftwork: they are attested – over a long time span (c. 11th-2nd centuries BC) – in the Phoenician Homeland and across the different regions of the Mediterranean where the Phoenicians settled since the final decades of the 9th century BC.
The masks – reproducing perishable prototypes made of leather, wood and cloth and worn for ceremonies – represent the faces of characters related to the divine sphere. Their study will shed new light on religious identities and ritual landscapes of the Phoenicians.
Research Interests:
27/11/2015: “Von Kanaan nach Gibraltar und zurück - die Phönizier im Mittelmeerraum”, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institut für Archäologische Wissenschaften.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, History of the Mediterranean, Ancient Near East, and 8 moreIron Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
27/10/2015: “I tempi del rito e oltre… chiacchierando di archeologia”, Polo Culturale of Mazzano Romano, Biblioteca comunale.
Research Interests:
05/12/2016: Study Day Seminar “Le monde Phénico-Punique”, Lattes, Musée archéologique Henri-Prades.
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Visual Anthropology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 11 moreMediterranean Studies, Phoenician, Ancient Near East, Cultural Anthropology, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Religious Studies, Masks, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
27/04/2015: Ancient Cyprus today: Museum Collections and New Research Approaches to the Archaeology of Cyprus, Stockholm. The settlement of Ayia Irini in the Morphou Bay was established on the north-western coast of Cyprus, towards the... more
27/04/2015: Ancient Cyprus today: Museum Collections and New Research Approaches to the Archaeology of Cyprus, Stockholm.
The settlement of Ayia Irini in the Morphou Bay was established on the north-western coast of Cyprus, towards the end of the Middle Cypriot III Period. In this region – during the Late Bronze Age – luxury goods arrived from the Aegean, the Syro-Palestinian coast and Egypt. All of this points to the existence of at least one harbour involved in international trade networks, possibly indicating a northern route (westwards?) along the south Anatolian coast. Apparently, the imports among the grave goods attest to the continuation (or the resumption) of this layout into the Iron Age.
Nowadays, since the archaeological investigations were interrupted in 1974, only the review of the data from previous expeditions permits us to update the historical framework of the Morphou region according to current research trends (such as regional and long-term perspectives). The aim of this paper is to analyse the documentation of the excavations by the Italian mission at the necropolis of Ayia Irini (1970-1972), in order to present a revised periodization of the tombs, therefore illustrating the relationships evidenced by material culture, comparing this framework with other Cypriot areas, and – finally – clarifying the regional features.
The settlement of Ayia Irini in the Morphou Bay was established on the north-western coast of Cyprus, towards the end of the Middle Cypriot III Period. In this region – during the Late Bronze Age – luxury goods arrived from the Aegean, the Syro-Palestinian coast and Egypt. All of this points to the existence of at least one harbour involved in international trade networks, possibly indicating a northern route (westwards?) along the south Anatolian coast. Apparently, the imports among the grave goods attest to the continuation (or the resumption) of this layout into the Iron Age.
Nowadays, since the archaeological investigations were interrupted in 1974, only the review of the data from previous expeditions permits us to update the historical framework of the Morphou region according to current research trends (such as regional and long-term perspectives). The aim of this paper is to analyse the documentation of the excavations by the Italian mission at the necropolis of Ayia Irini (1970-1972), in order to present a revised periodization of the tombs, therefore illustrating the relationships evidenced by material culture, comparing this framework with other Cypriot areas, and – finally – clarifying the regional features.
Research Interests:
15/11/2014: 14th Meeting of Postgraduate Cypriot Archaeology (POCA) - The Many Face(t)s of Cyprus, Bochum, Institute for Archaeological Studies. According to Giustino (XVIII, 4-6), Elissa, princess of Tyre, and her companions stopped –... more
15/11/2014: 14th Meeting of Postgraduate Cypriot Archaeology (POCA) - The Many Face(t)s of Cyprus, Bochum, Institute for Archaeological Studies.
According to Giustino (XVIII, 4-6), Elissa, princess of Tyre, and her companions stopped – during their westward journey – in Cyprus, likely at Kition, where the Phoenicians were already established. This tradition has been used in the literature to stress the relevance of both Kition and Carthage in the transmission of Cypriot features to the Phoenician and Punic settlements in the Western and Central Mediterranean.
The aim of this paper is to present a synthetic survey of the archaeological evidence currently available from Kition (c. 9th-6th centuries BC), in order to outline – through some case studies – the Tyrian and Cypriot background, its distinctive features and the connection with the Phoenician and Punic West.
According to Giustino (XVIII, 4-6), Elissa, princess of Tyre, and her companions stopped – during their westward journey – in Cyprus, likely at Kition, where the Phoenicians were already established. This tradition has been used in the literature to stress the relevance of both Kition and Carthage in the transmission of Cypriot features to the Phoenician and Punic settlements in the Western and Central Mediterranean.
The aim of this paper is to present a synthetic survey of the archaeological evidence currently available from Kition (c. 9th-6th centuries BC), in order to outline – through some case studies – the Tyrian and Cypriot background, its distinctive features and the connection with the Phoenician and Punic West.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Cypriot Archaeology, and 11 moreCyprus Studies, Mediterranean Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, and Kition
21/03/2014: Workshop “The Tophet and Infant Sacrifice in the Phoenician Mediterranean”, held in Oxford, Faculty of Classics, Oxford University.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, and 36 morePottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Cyprus Studies, Ritual, Identity (Culture), Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Cultural Identity, Mediterranean, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Archaeology of ethnicity, Greek Archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Aegean Archaeology, Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Archaeology of Ritual, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Carthage (History), Archaeology of Crete, Ceramics, Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Aegean Archaeology, Mediterranean Archeology, the island of Crete, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Sacred Space, Pithekoussai, and Archaeology of the Levant
11/03/2014: Prehistoric and Early Greece Graduate Seminar (PEGGS), Oxford University, Institute of Archaeology,
Research Interests: Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), North Africa Studies, Ceramic Technology, and 14 morePhoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Greek Archaeology, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Carthage (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician trade
29/11/2013: Karthago Dialogue, University of Tübingen, Institut für Klassische Archäologie. Past archaeological research and renewed excavations by Sapienza University of Rome at Motya allows us to outline the development of the... more
29/11/2013: Karthago Dialogue, University of Tübingen, Institut für Klassische Archäologie.
Past archaeological research and renewed excavations by Sapienza University of Rome at Motya allows us to outline the development of the ceramic corpus of this site since its foundation in the 8th century BC until its abandonment in the second half of the 4th century BC, when Lilybaeum definitively took over the political, economic and religious role once played by Motya.
Diachronic transformations in the ceramic repertoire of a settlement – changes in decorative patterns, in vessels’ morphology and function, in surface treatments and manufacturing methods – may result either from internal evolution or external factors, such as commercial contacts and flows of migration. Thus they can be used as markers of new styles or processes of acculturation that sometimes reflect profound changes in the customs of a community. In the case of Motya, various factors affect the reconstruction of those dynamics and the distinction between the different kind of phenomena. One is the paucity of long ceramic sequences for the 1st millennium BC in Western Sicily, since most of the excavated sites are only occupied during the 6th-4th centuries BC. Secondly, little data from 9th and 8th centuries BC contexts permit us to define the local cultural horizon of indigenous settlements, and therefore documentation from sites founded later than Motya and from settlements located in Eastern Sicily is usually used for this purpose. Finally, a better knowledge of the landscape of Motya (starting from the small ancient town nowadays corresponding to Birgi) could allow us to reconstruct systems of exploitation of the hinterland at that time.
This paper – after a short preliminary methodological and theoretical discussion – provides a synthetic diachronic presentation of the changes that occurred in the pottery repertoire of Motya between the 8th and the 4th century BC. Then the analysis focuses on the earlier phases (ca. 8th-6th centuries BC) and I propose an interpretation of the complex historical background of the Phoenician settlements and of the commercial network of the central Mediterranean.
Past archaeological research and renewed excavations by Sapienza University of Rome at Motya allows us to outline the development of the ceramic corpus of this site since its foundation in the 8th century BC until its abandonment in the second half of the 4th century BC, when Lilybaeum definitively took over the political, economic and religious role once played by Motya.
Diachronic transformations in the ceramic repertoire of a settlement – changes in decorative patterns, in vessels’ morphology and function, in surface treatments and manufacturing methods – may result either from internal evolution or external factors, such as commercial contacts and flows of migration. Thus they can be used as markers of new styles or processes of acculturation that sometimes reflect profound changes in the customs of a community. In the case of Motya, various factors affect the reconstruction of those dynamics and the distinction between the different kind of phenomena. One is the paucity of long ceramic sequences for the 1st millennium BC in Western Sicily, since most of the excavated sites are only occupied during the 6th-4th centuries BC. Secondly, little data from 9th and 8th centuries BC contexts permit us to define the local cultural horizon of indigenous settlements, and therefore documentation from sites founded later than Motya and from settlements located in Eastern Sicily is usually used for this purpose. Finally, a better knowledge of the landscape of Motya (starting from the small ancient town nowadays corresponding to Birgi) could allow us to reconstruct systems of exploitation of the hinterland at that time.
This paper – after a short preliminary methodological and theoretical discussion – provides a synthetic diachronic presentation of the changes that occurred in the pottery repertoire of Motya between the 8th and the 4th century BC. Then the analysis focuses on the earlier phases (ca. 8th-6th centuries BC) and I propose an interpretation of the complex historical background of the Phoenician settlements and of the commercial network of the central Mediterranean.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Mediterranean prehistory, Phoenicians, and 38 moreInternational Trade, Levantine Archaeology, Cypriot Archaeology, Lebanon, Mediterranean Studies, Mediterranean, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Greek Archaeology, Phoenician, Carthage (Archaeology), Greek Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Greek Sicily, Iron Age, Pottery, Faience, Ceramics, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Pottery technology and function, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Tophets, archaic Greek Pottery, Mozia, Carthage, Punic Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Punic world and Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, archaeology of Sardinia in phoenician age, Cyprus Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, Phoenician trade, Ceramica fenicio-punica, Trade Routes, and Mediterrranean Archaeology
23/10/2013: 8th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, Carbonia-S. Antioco. Il ruolo centrale del santuario moziese nell’archeologia dei Tofet è riconosciuto da tempo, così come l’affidabilità della sequenza... more
23/10/2013: 8th International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, Carbonia-S. Antioco.
Il ruolo centrale del santuario moziese nell’archeologia dei Tofet è riconosciuto da tempo, così come l’affidabilità della sequenza stratigrafica del campo d’urne stabilita con acribia da Antonia Ciasca durante gli scavi condotti negli anni 1964-1973.
In questo contributo, alla luce del recente riesame del corpus vascolare del santuario, verrà presentata la sequenza ceramica del campo d’urne, ponendo l’attenzione sul repertorio in uso nelle fasi più antiche (strati VII-VI). Attraverso la ricostruzione di una griglia cronologica estesa dalla documentazione del Tofet agli altri contesti coevi di Mozia e del Mediterraneo, saranno analizzati i processi in corso nei momenti immediatamente successivi alla fondazione dell’insediamento. Sono queste le fasi – sollecitate dall’instaurarsi delle prime relazioni commerciali – in cui diverse componenti e tradizioni culturali si amalgamano, andando a formare quelli che saranno i caratteri distintivi di Mozia, una comunità aperta al centro del Mediterraneo.
Il ruolo centrale del santuario moziese nell’archeologia dei Tofet è riconosciuto da tempo, così come l’affidabilità della sequenza stratigrafica del campo d’urne stabilita con acribia da Antonia Ciasca durante gli scavi condotti negli anni 1964-1973.
In questo contributo, alla luce del recente riesame del corpus vascolare del santuario, verrà presentata la sequenza ceramica del campo d’urne, ponendo l’attenzione sul repertorio in uso nelle fasi più antiche (strati VII-VI). Attraverso la ricostruzione di una griglia cronologica estesa dalla documentazione del Tofet agli altri contesti coevi di Mozia e del Mediterraneo, saranno analizzati i processi in corso nei momenti immediatamente successivi alla fondazione dell’insediamento. Sono queste le fasi – sollecitate dall’instaurarsi delle prime relazioni commerciali – in cui diverse componenti e tradizioni culturali si amalgamano, andando a formare quelli che saranno i caratteri distintivi di Mozia, una comunità aperta al centro del Mediterraneo.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, and 36 morePhoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Cypriot Archaeology, Lebanon, Mediterranean Studies, Mediterranean, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Phoenician, Ancient Near East, Carthage (Archaeology), Ceramics (Archaeology), Archeologia, Greek Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Pottery, Ceramics, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), Cyprus and the East Mediterranean, Pottery technology and function, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Tophets, Sanctuaries, Ceramic, Mozia, Archeologia del Mediterraneo e delle isole, Aegean, Cypriot & East Mediterranean Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, Phoenician trade, Ceramica fenicio-punica, and Mediterrranean Archaeology
24/04/2013: Phoenician and Punic Studies Workshop IV, Oxford, Merton College. In the archaeology of Tophets, a leading role has long been given to the sanctuary of Motya in Sicily. In this Tophet, a continuous stratigraphic sequence... more
24/04/2013: Phoenician and Punic Studies Workshop IV, Oxford, Merton College.
In the archaeology of Tophets, a leading role has long been given to the sanctuary of Motya in Sicily. In this Tophet, a continuous stratigraphic sequence from about the mid-8th century to the second half of the 4th century BC has been identified and is considered to be clear and reliable in its general outlines. Therefore, along with the sanctuaries of Carthage and Sulky, it belongs amongst the earliest examples of these sacred areas. Because of this, its study is suitable for the analysis of various topics associated with the origin of Tophet sanctuaries, including relations with the Phoenician homeland (and the Levant in general), political, social and economic definitions of the first Phoenician communities in the central Mediterranean, and the historical and religious issues. This paper seeks to analyze the settlement pattern of a Phoenician community and its development and relations with the indigenous hinterland and with the main and coeval sites, using the pottery sequence from the Tophet of Motya.
In the archaeology of Tophets, a leading role has long been given to the sanctuary of Motya in Sicily. In this Tophet, a continuous stratigraphic sequence from about the mid-8th century to the second half of the 4th century BC has been identified and is considered to be clear and reliable in its general outlines. Therefore, along with the sanctuaries of Carthage and Sulky, it belongs amongst the earliest examples of these sacred areas. Because of this, its study is suitable for the analysis of various topics associated with the origin of Tophet sanctuaries, including relations with the Phoenician homeland (and the Levant in general), political, social and economic definitions of the first Phoenician communities in the central Mediterranean, and the historical and religious issues. This paper seeks to analyze the settlement pattern of a Phoenician community and its development and relations with the indigenous hinterland and with the main and coeval sites, using the pottery sequence from the Tophet of Motya.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, and 11 moreMediterranean Studies, Carthage (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, Ceramics, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Tophets, and Motya
20/06/2012: Migrationen und Gründungen im Mittelmeerraum (9.-6. Jh. v. Chr.), Madrid, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut - Abteilung Madrid, Casa de Velázquez.
Starting from the second half of the 6th century BC, the influence of Greek culture on the Punic world became increasingly prevalent. Sicily was the favoured setting for this process, marked by the alternating defeats and victories in... more
Starting from the second half of the 6th century BC, the influence of Greek culture on the Punic world became increasingly prevalent. Sicily was the favoured setting for this process, marked by the alternating defeats and victories in battles which were a feature of the history of the island throughout the 5th and 4th centuries BC. This phenomenon spread – through the filter of Carthage – from Sicily to the rest of the Punic world, in successive periods and different ways. This was a complex, progressive, but not always constant process, in which we also find examples of surviving and contemporary phenomena reflecting the Punicisation of the Greek and Elymian cities (Selinus, Monte Adranone, Eryx), brought about, once again, as a consequence of wars.
This paper seeks to analyze the latest stages of Hellenisation, when this process became relevant also in Tophets, cremation sanctuaries typical of Phoenician sites in the central Mediterranean, and was manifested in the adoption of Greek vessels, locally produced, for ritual practises and in the iconography of stelae and clay figurines. We focus our attention on two distinct cases: the Tophet sanctuaries of Motya, where the Hellenisation process was especially evident, and Tharros, where traces of Hellenisation were almost completely absent and we observe rather a North African influence.
This paper seeks to analyze the latest stages of Hellenisation, when this process became relevant also in Tophets, cremation sanctuaries typical of Phoenician sites in the central Mediterranean, and was manifested in the adoption of Greek vessels, locally produced, for ritual practises and in the iconography of stelae and clay figurines. We focus our attention on two distinct cases: the Tophet sanctuaries of Motya, where the Hellenisation process was especially evident, and Tharros, where traces of Hellenisation were almost completely absent and we observe rather a North African influence.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Phoenicians, Sardinia (Archaeology), Mediterranean Studies, and 17 morePhoenician, Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Greek Sicily, Cultural Change and Political Dominance (Hellenization, Romanization), Magna Graecia, Carthage, Punic African archaeology, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician sanctuary, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Tophets, Phoenician Punic Religion, Tharros, and Cross Cultural Interactions
25/02/2011: IX Giornata Romana di Studi Moziesi “Antonia Ciasca”, Roma, Università degli Studi di Roma «La Sapienza».
Research Interests:
5/11/2010: I Congreso Internacional sobre Estudios Cerámicos. Homenaje a la dra. Mercedes Vegas, Cádiz. In the last decade, the investigation of handmade pottery (“impasto”) in the Phoenician sites of the Western and Central... more
5/11/2010: I Congreso Internacional sobre Estudios Cerámicos. Homenaje a la dra. Mercedes Vegas, Cádiz.
In the last decade, the investigation of handmade pottery (“impasto”) in the Phoenician sites of the Western and Central Mediterranean received a noteworthy impulse. Despite the frequently incomplete state of preservation of vessels, the analysis of this class of materials is retained to be suitable for ascertaining the influence of local populations on the dietary habits of Phoenician settlements.
Motya, a Phoenician colony in Western Sicily, offers an exceptional set of data, made up of the retrievals from the necropolis and in the Tophet, to which further materials found in recent investigations of “Rome Sapienza University” Expedition must be added. The aim of this contribution is to focus on the analysis of the archaeological record of this site, in order to insert Motya in the Sicilian panorama and in the wider context of Phoenician colonies.
In the last decade, the investigation of handmade pottery (“impasto”) in the Phoenician sites of the Western and Central Mediterranean received a noteworthy impulse. Despite the frequently incomplete state of preservation of vessels, the analysis of this class of materials is retained to be suitable for ascertaining the influence of local populations on the dietary habits of Phoenician settlements.
Motya, a Phoenician colony in Western Sicily, offers an exceptional set of data, made up of the retrievals from the necropolis and in the Tophet, to which further materials found in recent investigations of “Rome Sapienza University” Expedition must be added. The aim of this contribution is to focus on the analysis of the archaeological record of this site, in order to insert Motya in the Sicilian panorama and in the wider context of Phoenician colonies.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, Mediterranean prehistory, and 37 morePhoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), Ceramics (Ceramics), Lebanon, Mediterranean Studies, Funerary Archaeology, Mediterranean, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Greek Archaeology, Phoenician, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), Iberian Prehistory (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Ethnicity, Ceramics (Archaeology), Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Greek Sicily, Iron Age, Pottery, Early Iron Age, Ceramics, Greek Colonization (Magna Graecia and Sicily), Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), Pottery technology and function, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Pottery studies, Archaeology of the Levant, Phoenician trade, and Handmade burnished ware
10/11/2009: VIIème Congrès International des Études Phéniciennes et Puniques, Hammamet. Among Phoenician vessels on the Mediterranean market, the Oil Bottle is one of the most important items for archaeological research, particularly... more
10/11/2009: VIIème Congrès International des Études Phéniciennes et Puniques, Hammamet.
Among Phoenician vessels on the Mediterranean market, the Oil Bottle is one of the most important items for archaeological research, particularly for chronology and function. Such a closed form, usually made in Plain Ware and in small size, is characterised by a bulging neck and with many different forms of the rim, of the body and of the base. It is attested to on the Syro-Palestinian coast, in Cyprus and in Central and Western Mediterranean during a short time span (from mid-8th until half 6th century BC). Afterwards, it disappears, probably as a consequence of the diffusion of other types of unguentaria. Several scholars (W. Culican, A.M. Bisi, J. Ramon) devoted to it a specific attention between the Seventies and the Eighties of the last century. Recent archaeological excavations increased the number of available samples to be examined, both in the East and in the West. This allows us to present an updated catalogue of this renowned diagnostic pottery shape, as a starting point for chronological observations and some hypotheses on its distribution.
Among Phoenician vessels on the Mediterranean market, the Oil Bottle is one of the most important items for archaeological research, particularly for chronology and function. Such a closed form, usually made in Plain Ware and in small size, is characterised by a bulging neck and with many different forms of the rim, of the body and of the base. It is attested to on the Syro-Palestinian coast, in Cyprus and in Central and Western Mediterranean during a short time span (from mid-8th until half 6th century BC). Afterwards, it disappears, probably as a consequence of the diffusion of other types of unguentaria. Several scholars (W. Culican, A.M. Bisi, J. Ramon) devoted to it a specific attention between the Seventies and the Eighties of the last century. Recent archaeological excavations increased the number of available samples to be examined, both in the East and in the West. This allows us to present an updated catalogue of this renowned diagnostic pottery shape, as a starting point for chronological observations and some hypotheses on its distribution.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Phoenicians, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Carthage (Archaeology), 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), and 13 moreArcheologia, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Iron Age, Terracotta Figurines, Masks, Coroplastic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Archeologia Classica, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica E Nuragica in Sardegna, Archaeology of the Levant, and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests: Archaeology, Egyptology, Maritime Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, and 14 moreLevantine Archaeology, Iron Age Ireland (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Mediterranean Underwater Archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, History of wine, Cyprus Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, and Phoenician trade
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, History of the Mediterranean, and 11 moreAncient Near East, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Masks, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, and Archaeology of the Levant
Research Interests: Religion, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Levantine Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), and 12 moreHuman sacrifice (Anthropology Of Religion), Ancient Near East, Sacrifice (Anthropology Of Religion), Carthage (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Carthage (History), Sicily, Archaeology of the Levant, and Anthropology of Religion
2/06/2013: La Sardegna nel Mediterraneo occidentale dalla fase fenicia all’egemonia cartaginese: il problema del V secolo” Convegno internazionale di studi, Santadi, Aula Consiliare. La disfatta cartaginese ad Himera nel 480 a.C. segna... more
2/06/2013: La Sardegna nel Mediterraneo occidentale dalla fase fenicia all’egemonia cartaginese: il problema del V secolo” Convegno internazionale di studi, Santadi, Aula Consiliare.
La disfatta cartaginese ad Himera nel 480 a.C. segna la momentanea fine degli interventi militari della metropoli nordafricana in Sicilia, inaugurando una fase di pace nelle vicende dell’isola, i cui centri conoscono ora una rinnovata prosperità economica e culturale. Nella cuspide occidentale questa temperie sembra esprimersi soprattutto a Mozia: è un periodo – inaugurato da un nuovo impegno edilizio – di grande creatività artigianale e artistica, durante il quale sono già evidenti gli esiti di processi – ancora in corso – di acculturazione, ibridazione e sperimentazione, che testimoniano l’avvento di nuovi usi e costumi.
Questo contributo si pone l’obiettivo di analizzare il panorama culturale di Mozia nel V secolo a.C. attraverso una disamina diacronica della documentazione oggi disponibile, arricchita dai risultati degli scavi che la Missione dell’Università degli Studi di Roma «La Sapienza» conduce annualmente, dal 2002, congiuntamente con il Servizio Beni Archeologici della Soprintendenza Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Trapani. L’orizzonte di questo periodo è caratteristico di un momento di transizione, nel quale sono visibili le trasformazioni in atto nella società moziese, dove si osserva ancora il persistere di radici levantine, insieme al manifestarsi dei legami e dell’influenza del mondo greco-siceliota, prodromi dell’avvento dell’Ellenizzazione.
"
La disfatta cartaginese ad Himera nel 480 a.C. segna la momentanea fine degli interventi militari della metropoli nordafricana in Sicilia, inaugurando una fase di pace nelle vicende dell’isola, i cui centri conoscono ora una rinnovata prosperità economica e culturale. Nella cuspide occidentale questa temperie sembra esprimersi soprattutto a Mozia: è un periodo – inaugurato da un nuovo impegno edilizio – di grande creatività artigianale e artistica, durante il quale sono già evidenti gli esiti di processi – ancora in corso – di acculturazione, ibridazione e sperimentazione, che testimoniano l’avvento di nuovi usi e costumi.
Questo contributo si pone l’obiettivo di analizzare il panorama culturale di Mozia nel V secolo a.C. attraverso una disamina diacronica della documentazione oggi disponibile, arricchita dai risultati degli scavi che la Missione dell’Università degli Studi di Roma «La Sapienza» conduce annualmente, dal 2002, congiuntamente con il Servizio Beni Archeologici della Soprintendenza Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Trapani. L’orizzonte di questo periodo è caratteristico di un momento di transizione, nel quale sono visibili le trasformazioni in atto nella società moziese, dove si osserva ancora il persistere di radici levantine, insieme al manifestarsi dei legami e dell’influenza del mondo greco-siceliota, prodromi dell’avvento dell’Ellenizzazione.
"
Research Interests: Archaeology, Phoenicians, Mediterranean Studies, Acculturation and 'Romanisation', Mediterranean archaeology, and 7 morePhoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Mozia, Carthage, Punic Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Punic world and Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, archaeology of Sardinia in phoenician age, and Phoenician Punic Religion
23/06/2012: Contextualising “Early Colonisation”: Archaeology, Sources, Chronology and interpretative models between Italy and the Mediterranean. In memory of David Ridgway (1938-2012), Rome, Valle Giulia, Accademia Belgica, Koninklijk... more
23/06/2012: Contextualising “Early Colonisation”: Archaeology, Sources, Chronology and interpretative models between Italy and the Mediterranean. In memory of David Ridgway (1938-2012), Rome, Valle Giulia, Accademia Belgica, Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut, British School at Rome.
Around the middle of the 11th century BC, commercial activities of the Levant harbour towns recovered. In the following decades, the Phoenicians were the vehicles of some consumer products and prestige goods: for example, wine (transported in amphorae with rounded shoulders, together with the equipment required for its consumption), oil and ointments (contained in juglets with painted concentric circles). The commercial network even in this period from the Syro-Palestinian region reached Cilicia, Egypt and Cyprus, as far as the Aegean Islands. In Cyprus, the economy was organized around temples, and institutions which controlled all the stages of metalworking (the main resource of the island), probably managing also its circulation. Phoenician merchants made use of this system to distribute their products on the island, perhaps even for craftsmanship commissioned by the local elites. Apparently, the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palaepaphos played a central role in the Cypriot economy of these stages, as evidenced by imports in tomb furnishings of the necropolis surrounding the settlement. The vitality of the Cypriot economy during these phases – due to its central location in the Eastern Mediterranean, which makes it almost an obligatory step in the sea routes – led to (or accelerated) important political and socio-economic changes. Therefore, between the end of the 9th and the early 8th century BC, some territorial monarchies emerged and a marked regionalization of material culture started. In the same years, the Phoenicians settled on the island, but the relationship between these events is uncertain. They are analyzed, presenting a brief, diachronic and stratigraphic summary of those processes – induced by the interaction between internal dynamics and external influences – which led to the emergence of Cypriot kingdoms and to the Phoenician presence on the island.
Around the middle of the 11th century BC, commercial activities of the Levant harbour towns recovered. In the following decades, the Phoenicians were the vehicles of some consumer products and prestige goods: for example, wine (transported in amphorae with rounded shoulders, together with the equipment required for its consumption), oil and ointments (contained in juglets with painted concentric circles). The commercial network even in this period from the Syro-Palestinian region reached Cilicia, Egypt and Cyprus, as far as the Aegean Islands. In Cyprus, the economy was organized around temples, and institutions which controlled all the stages of metalworking (the main resource of the island), probably managing also its circulation. Phoenician merchants made use of this system to distribute their products on the island, perhaps even for craftsmanship commissioned by the local elites. Apparently, the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Palaepaphos played a central role in the Cypriot economy of these stages, as evidenced by imports in tomb furnishings of the necropolis surrounding the settlement. The vitality of the Cypriot economy during these phases – due to its central location in the Eastern Mediterranean, which makes it almost an obligatory step in the sea routes – led to (or accelerated) important political and socio-economic changes. Therefore, between the end of the 9th and the early 8th century BC, some territorial monarchies emerged and a marked regionalization of material culture started. In the same years, the Phoenicians settled on the island, but the relationship between these events is uncertain. They are analyzed, presenting a brief, diachronic and stratigraphic summary of those processes – induced by the interaction between internal dynamics and external influences – which led to the emergence of Cypriot kingdoms and to the Phoenician presence on the island.
Research Interests:
The Research Group in Mediterranean Archaeology: Connections, Materialities and Writing (GRACME) at the Pompeu Fabra University is delighted to announce the GRACME Seminar of Social Archaeology 2022 “Excavating Emotions: Challenges and... more
The Research Group in Mediterranean Archaeology: Connections, Materialities and Writing (GRACME) at the Pompeu Fabra University is delighted to announce the GRACME Seminar of Social Archaeology 2022 “Excavating Emotions: Challenges and Perspectives in Archaeology”. The second meeting “Las Emociones Más Allá de la Arqueología: un Enfoque Interdisciplinar” will take place in a hybrid form on 6 July 2022. Participants will be able to join online or attend in person at the Ciutadella campus (Aula 40.113).
For further information please email Adriano Orsingher (adriano.orsingher@upf.edu), Ana Delgado Hervás (ana.delgado@upf.edu) or GRACME (gracme@upf.edu).
For further information please email Adriano Orsingher (adriano.orsingher@upf.edu), Ana Delgado Hervás (ana.delgado@upf.edu) or GRACME (gracme@upf.edu).
Research Interests:
The Research Group in Mediterranean Archaeology: Connections, Materialities and Writing (GRACME) at the Pompeu Fabra University is delighted to announce the GRACME Seminar of Social Archaeology 2022 “Excavating Emotions: Challenges and... more
The Research Group in Mediterranean Archaeology: Connections, Materialities and Writing (GRACME) at the Pompeu Fabra University is delighted to announce the GRACME Seminar of Social Archaeology 2022 “Excavating Emotions: Challenges and Perspectives in Archaeology”. The first meeting “The Emotional Turn: How to Study Emotions in Archaeology” will take place online on Zoom (CET) on 16 March 2022.
For further information please email Adriano Orsingher (adriano.orsingher@upf.edu), Ana Delgado Hervás (ana.delgado@upf.edu) or GRACME (gracme@upf.edu).
For further information please email Adriano Orsingher (adriano.orsingher@upf.edu), Ana Delgado Hervás (ana.delgado@upf.edu) or GRACME (gracme@upf.edu).
Research Interests: Emotion and Archaeology
The Department of Classics at Trinity College Dublin is pleased to announce the international conference ‘From invisible to visible: new data and methods for the archaeology of infant and child burials in pre-Roman Italy’ to be held at... more
The Department of Classics at Trinity College Dublin is pleased to announce the international conference ‘From invisible to visible: new data and methods for the archaeology of infant and child burials in pre-Roman Italy’ to be held at Trinity College Dublin on 24-25 April 2017, with the support of the Trinity Long Room Hub, the School of Histories and Humanities, the Italian Cultural Institute in Dublin and Fàilte Ireland, and in collaboration with the Centre for Gender and Women's Studies and the Trinity Research in Childhood Centre. This conference is part of the research project “Childhood and the Deathly Hallows: Investigating Infant and Child Burials in Pre-Roman Italy (c. 1000-500BC)”, funded by the Irish Research Council and carried out by Dr. Jacopo Tabolli.
On the basis that an infant and child tomb is itself an archaeological entity, whose analysis cuts across disciplines - mainly archaeology, bio-archaeology and anthropology, but also philology, ancient literature, gender studies, pedagogy, medical humanities and digital humanities - and in order to promote an interdisciplinary approach, the conference at Trinity College Dublin involves scholars from international institutions, experienced in interdisciplinary methods, in order to create a network specifically focused on the analysis of childhood in ancient societies. The role of this network is to function as an interdisciplinary incubator, offering a platform for dialogue between disciplines around infant and child burials.
We have invited scholars working on the archaeology of Italy from the Early Iron Age through the Archaic Period (c. 1000–500 BC) to present the results of their recent researches on the topic of infant and child burials.
We envision that this platform can be a model for other archaeological studies in the future as well as ideal for developing a new methodological approach to the excavation of infant and child tombs, following best practices in archaeology.
Publication plan
The prestigious series of Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology (SIMA) has already agreed to publish the proceedings of the conference.
For further information please email Jacopo Tabolli (tabollij@tcd.ie) or Hazel Dodge (hdodge@tcd.ie).
On the basis that an infant and child tomb is itself an archaeological entity, whose analysis cuts across disciplines - mainly archaeology, bio-archaeology and anthropology, but also philology, ancient literature, gender studies, pedagogy, medical humanities and digital humanities - and in order to promote an interdisciplinary approach, the conference at Trinity College Dublin involves scholars from international institutions, experienced in interdisciplinary methods, in order to create a network specifically focused on the analysis of childhood in ancient societies. The role of this network is to function as an interdisciplinary incubator, offering a platform for dialogue between disciplines around infant and child burials.
We have invited scholars working on the archaeology of Italy from the Early Iron Age through the Archaic Period (c. 1000–500 BC) to present the results of their recent researches on the topic of infant and child burials.
We envision that this platform can be a model for other archaeological studies in the future as well as ideal for developing a new methodological approach to the excavation of infant and child tombs, following best practices in archaeology.
Publication plan
The prestigious series of Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology (SIMA) has already agreed to publish the proceedings of the conference.
For further information please email Jacopo Tabolli (tabollij@tcd.ie) or Hazel Dodge (hdodge@tcd.ie).
Research Interests:
International symposium to be held at the Swedish Institute of Classical Studies in Rome, on 16-17 May 2023