Pietro Militello
Pietro Militello (1963) is full professor of Prehistory and Protohistory (formerly Aegean Archaeology) at the University of Catania, as well as coordinator of the Doctorate in Science for Heritage and Cultural Production at the same university. He is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Italian Archaeological School of Athens and of the Regional Council for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the Region of Sicily.
Research topics
His research interests include:
A) Archaeology of Minoan Crete, with particular reference to scripts, iconography and craft activities;
B) Archaeology of Sicily and its relations with the Aegean during the 2nd millennium.
C) Fieldwork.
D) History of archaeology.
E) Archaeology as Cultural Heritage (management and conservation of archaeological monuments and communication).
Scientific Activity
His publications (ca. 160 articles and 6 monographs) have mainly concerned the edition of materials (frescoes and weaving tools from Haghia Triada and Festos), the edition of excavations, articles on Cretan and Sicilian archaeology from the 2nd millennium BC, and the history of archaeological research, seen also from a cultural historical perspective.
He directs or has directed excavation activities in Sicily (Calicantone, Calaforno, Pantalica, Monte San Paolillo) and in Greece (Archaeological Mission of Festòs).
He has directed several projects, both national and international, and has been a member of international research groups with a more purely scientific character and a focus on the enhancement of cultural heritage.
Current Projects
In Festòs, as director of the Italian archaeological mission, he is coordinating the excavation (and editing) of the areas to the west of the Palace and the North-West Quarter, and the publication of material from the old excavations in Festòs and Haghia Triada.
He collaborates with the TIMMA (Université Paris XII) and DAIDALOS (University of Ghent) projects to study the architecture of the two sites.
In Sicily she has two active research projects on the sites of Pantalica (SR), with topographical investigations on the plateau, and Calaforno (RG), with excavation activities in the area in front of the Hypogeum. He is also preparing the publication of the necropolis of Calicantone (RG).
He is the coordinator of Spoke 6, History, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, of the Changes project, funded under the PNRR Extended Partnerships programme.
Academic activity
He has been a member of several commissions at the University of Catania, responsible for the photographic archive of the former Institute of Archaeology. He has also served on numerous evaluation commissions for positions as researcher, professor and full professor in Italy and abroad. He is listed in the Apella database in Greece.
Teaching Activities
Since 2001 he has taught Prehistory and Protohistory and Aegean Archaeology at the University of Catania; in 2016 he was substitute lecturer in Classical Archaeology for one semester at the University of Heidelberg, and since 2017 he has been lecturer in Aegean Archaeology at the Italian Archaeological School in Athens. He has delivered lectures and conferences in Italy and abroad for Master's, graduate and doctoral schools, and has participated as an examiner in Italian and foreign doctorates.
For his work he has received the following awards:
2013 - Margot Tytus Visiting Fellowship Research University of Cincinnaty
2008 Fellowship University of Copenhagen - Center for Textile Research
1993 Corpus der minoischen und mykenischen Siegel Scholarship - Marburg
Phone: 00393473735308
Address: Home address: Via Grotte Bianche 148, 95128 Catania, Italy
Office: Piazza Dante 32, 95124 Catania, Italy
Research topics
His research interests include:
A) Archaeology of Minoan Crete, with particular reference to scripts, iconography and craft activities;
B) Archaeology of Sicily and its relations with the Aegean during the 2nd millennium.
C) Fieldwork.
D) History of archaeology.
E) Archaeology as Cultural Heritage (management and conservation of archaeological monuments and communication).
Scientific Activity
His publications (ca. 160 articles and 6 monographs) have mainly concerned the edition of materials (frescoes and weaving tools from Haghia Triada and Festos), the edition of excavations, articles on Cretan and Sicilian archaeology from the 2nd millennium BC, and the history of archaeological research, seen also from a cultural historical perspective.
He directs or has directed excavation activities in Sicily (Calicantone, Calaforno, Pantalica, Monte San Paolillo) and in Greece (Archaeological Mission of Festòs).
He has directed several projects, both national and international, and has been a member of international research groups with a more purely scientific character and a focus on the enhancement of cultural heritage.
Current Projects
In Festòs, as director of the Italian archaeological mission, he is coordinating the excavation (and editing) of the areas to the west of the Palace and the North-West Quarter, and the publication of material from the old excavations in Festòs and Haghia Triada.
He collaborates with the TIMMA (Université Paris XII) and DAIDALOS (University of Ghent) projects to study the architecture of the two sites.
In Sicily she has two active research projects on the sites of Pantalica (SR), with topographical investigations on the plateau, and Calaforno (RG), with excavation activities in the area in front of the Hypogeum. He is also preparing the publication of the necropolis of Calicantone (RG).
He is the coordinator of Spoke 6, History, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, of the Changes project, funded under the PNRR Extended Partnerships programme.
Academic activity
He has been a member of several commissions at the University of Catania, responsible for the photographic archive of the former Institute of Archaeology. He has also served on numerous evaluation commissions for positions as researcher, professor and full professor in Italy and abroad. He is listed in the Apella database in Greece.
Teaching Activities
Since 2001 he has taught Prehistory and Protohistory and Aegean Archaeology at the University of Catania; in 2016 he was substitute lecturer in Classical Archaeology for one semester at the University of Heidelberg, and since 2017 he has been lecturer in Aegean Archaeology at the Italian Archaeological School in Athens. He has delivered lectures and conferences in Italy and abroad for Master's, graduate and doctoral schools, and has participated as an examiner in Italian and foreign doctorates.
For his work he has received the following awards:
2013 - Margot Tytus Visiting Fellowship Research University of Cincinnaty
2008 Fellowship University of Copenhagen - Center for Textile Research
1993 Corpus der minoischen und mykenischen Siegel Scholarship - Marburg
Phone: 00393473735308
Address: Home address: Via Grotte Bianche 148, 95128 Catania, Italy
Office: Piazza Dante 32, 95124 Catania, Italy
less
Related Authors
InterestsView All (14)
Uploads
Books by Pietro Militello
In the first section, a description of the hypogaeum is given. Through an architectural, functional and energetics analysis of the inner part of the hypogaeum and the results of archaeological soundings, a complex history of use, reuse, abandonment and changes in function (funerary, religious, residential, industrial) is reconstructed, spanning almost three millennia of history. At the same time, the publication of other multichamber underground structures, until now unknown, removes the Hypogaeum from its isolation in Sicilian prehistory.
In the second section, the geology of the area is described, and the publication is presented of the material recovered during the excavations (prehistoric, protohistoric and medieval pottery, architectural elements, faunal and anthropological remains), together with the results of archaeometric analyses. Two final chapters are included, with preliminary reports of the activity of the archaeological service of Ragusa in the outdoor area of the structure (megalithic entrance) and in the wider territory.
Access to pictures is restricted to students only.
The volume is divided into three sections. The first one collects papers on various topics, written by professors of the course, dealing with the relation between nomadism and neolithization in Uzbekistan (A. Lasota-Moskalewska, K. Szymczak), the problem of space in Aegean art and Egyptian architecture (F. Blakolmer, G. Hölbl), the problem of cave occupation in the Sicilian Copper Age (O. Palio), the relationship between Greeks and indigenous people in Sicily in the archaic period (M. Frasca, M. Camera), aspects of artistic production in Syracuse and Sicily in the Greek and Roman periods (C. Portale), a reflection on the concept of Romanization (F. Buscemi), research on the cemeteries and topography of Syracuse and its territory (M. Sgarlata, F. Buscemi) and an iconographic analysis of an ostotheke from Çumra Turkey (A. Baldiran). The second section includes reports on excavations and activities carried out within the course, at ancient Kyme, Turkey (M. Frasca), Predio Maltese, Syracuse (M. Sgarlata et alii), Museo di Centuripe (R. Patané), and the results of a course on “Textile production in the Mediterranean” at the University of Warsaw (A. Ulanowska). The third section, finally, contains the results of some of the master theses written for the course, on Minoan archaeology (A. Catania, M. Figuera, A. Licciardello) and Sicilian funerary architecture (K. Zebrowska).
Phaistos and Ayia Triada by Pietro Militello
Phaistos between the Neolithic and the Late Roman Period (2021-2025). The activities included both excavation campaigns (2022-
2023) and study campaigns (2021-2023), of which the preliminary results are presented here. The excavation campaigns investigated
the area to the W and NW of the archaeological area, clarifying various aspects left open by previous excavations. The
soundings brought to light the continuation of the Neolithic wall already identified in 2002 (Sounding 3), a sequence of floor
levels dating back to between the EM III and the MM IIB period (Sounding 7), an enchytrismos burial of the MM III (Sounding
1 West), and a series of stratigraphic sequences dating between LM IIIC and the archaic period (Soundings 1, 3, 8). Noteworthy
is the discovery of a bronze panoply in Room OO (Sounding 5). For the most recent phases, a complex of Hellenistic rooms was
re-excavated whose position was not certain (Sounding 2, Rooms n1-3), and Hellenistic levels were brought to light in Soundings
4 and 7. Among the finds a fragment of vase with possible dedication to Hermes, datable to 450-425 BC. The research activities
concerned in particular the application of quantitative methods to LM IIIC-PG architectures (W.A.L(L) project), the survey
with georeferencing of kernoi and mason’s marks and the epigraphic analysis of Linear A texts. The latter, conducted with RTI
and HDR techniques, allowed the identification of a new sign in the epigraphic corpus of Phaistos and suggested the existence of
possible papyrus, leather or parchment supports on which some of the documents had been placed.
The researches, which included also 5 years excavations (2000-2004) are still in progress, but the first results show clearly that it is no more possible to read the development of Phaistos on the base of a dichotomy between a prepalatial and a protopalatial phases divided by the rise of the palace. Instead, the settlement and the palace had, during MM I-II, a more complex history than previous thought before they reach their final appearance in MM II.
The aim of our paper is twofold. After giving a brief summary of the results of current investigations (Speziale 1996, 2001; La Rosa ed. 2001; La Rosa 2002; La Rosa Carinci 2007-2008; Caloi 2007; Palio 2007) our paper will focus upon the major and better known phase of the “protopalatial” settlement, which can now be dated to a mature MM IIB period (the so called Fase Ib Levi). The distribution of architectural features and of different classes of finds (pottery, stone tools, textile related tools, stone vases, luxury objects, seals) within the settlement will be analysed in order to reconstruct patterns of use and consumption, and to distinguish, when possible, storage and working areas, public and domestic spaces. Already in a preliminary phase of study, it is possible to adfirm that architectural changes in the palace during MM II (Tomasello 2001), seem to be due to changes in the relations between palace and territory, following a progressive formalization of the leading role of the major building, partly under the influence of near eastern palatial models of lifestyle (controlling devices, iconographical motifs, luxury objects etc.). Conspicuous consumption probably during ritual actions seems also to be one of the main way of action inside the palace. At the same time, there seems to be no difference in the use and consumption of pottery and other goods between the palace and the surrounding “houses”, suggesting a strict connection between both and casting doubts about the roles traditionally attributed to them. This complex relationship can be perhaps explained as the result of a long history having its root in the communal origin of the palace (see e.g. observations made by M. Relaki). On the other hand, however, a pure evolutionary approach does not take into consideration the many elements pointing toward the existence, in MM II, of a true central authority (see e.g. tablets and sealings). Discontinuities must be admitted, in Foucaultian terms, and the data at our disposal seem to confirm that the one of the major gaps in the history of the settlement happened just during MM II with the probable emergence of one group at the expenses of the others. The detail of the process escape us, and possibly will be never recovered, but this belongs to the limits of the archaeological research.
Il ruolo chiave della festa nella costruzione della identità collettiva e di gruppo è indubbio, come è indubbia la connessione tra feste e consumo di cibo da una parte, feste e sacrificio dall’altra . Il rischio è però quello di pervenire ad un uso indifferenziato di questi concetti, inglobando nella medesima trattazione attività che facevano parte di sfere differenti. L'articolo affronta questo aspetto attraverso un esame comparato dei dati archeologici e testuali da Haghia Triada nel TM I.
In the first section, a description of the hypogaeum is given. Through an architectural, functional and energetics analysis of the inner part of the hypogaeum and the results of archaeological soundings, a complex history of use, reuse, abandonment and changes in function (funerary, religious, residential, industrial) is reconstructed, spanning almost three millennia of history. At the same time, the publication of other multichamber underground structures, until now unknown, removes the Hypogaeum from its isolation in Sicilian prehistory.
In the second section, the geology of the area is described, and the publication is presented of the material recovered during the excavations (prehistoric, protohistoric and medieval pottery, architectural elements, faunal and anthropological remains), together with the results of archaeometric analyses. Two final chapters are included, with preliminary reports of the activity of the archaeological service of Ragusa in the outdoor area of the structure (megalithic entrance) and in the wider territory.
Access to pictures is restricted to students only.
The volume is divided into three sections. The first one collects papers on various topics, written by professors of the course, dealing with the relation between nomadism and neolithization in Uzbekistan (A. Lasota-Moskalewska, K. Szymczak), the problem of space in Aegean art and Egyptian architecture (F. Blakolmer, G. Hölbl), the problem of cave occupation in the Sicilian Copper Age (O. Palio), the relationship between Greeks and indigenous people in Sicily in the archaic period (M. Frasca, M. Camera), aspects of artistic production in Syracuse and Sicily in the Greek and Roman periods (C. Portale), a reflection on the concept of Romanization (F. Buscemi), research on the cemeteries and topography of Syracuse and its territory (M. Sgarlata, F. Buscemi) and an iconographic analysis of an ostotheke from Çumra Turkey (A. Baldiran). The second section includes reports on excavations and activities carried out within the course, at ancient Kyme, Turkey (M. Frasca), Predio Maltese, Syracuse (M. Sgarlata et alii), Museo di Centuripe (R. Patané), and the results of a course on “Textile production in the Mediterranean” at the University of Warsaw (A. Ulanowska). The third section, finally, contains the results of some of the master theses written for the course, on Minoan archaeology (A. Catania, M. Figuera, A. Licciardello) and Sicilian funerary architecture (K. Zebrowska).
Phaistos between the Neolithic and the Late Roman Period (2021-2025). The activities included both excavation campaigns (2022-
2023) and study campaigns (2021-2023), of which the preliminary results are presented here. The excavation campaigns investigated
the area to the W and NW of the archaeological area, clarifying various aspects left open by previous excavations. The
soundings brought to light the continuation of the Neolithic wall already identified in 2002 (Sounding 3), a sequence of floor
levels dating back to between the EM III and the MM IIB period (Sounding 7), an enchytrismos burial of the MM III (Sounding
1 West), and a series of stratigraphic sequences dating between LM IIIC and the archaic period (Soundings 1, 3, 8). Noteworthy
is the discovery of a bronze panoply in Room OO (Sounding 5). For the most recent phases, a complex of Hellenistic rooms was
re-excavated whose position was not certain (Sounding 2, Rooms n1-3), and Hellenistic levels were brought to light in Soundings
4 and 7. Among the finds a fragment of vase with possible dedication to Hermes, datable to 450-425 BC. The research activities
concerned in particular the application of quantitative methods to LM IIIC-PG architectures (W.A.L(L) project), the survey
with georeferencing of kernoi and mason’s marks and the epigraphic analysis of Linear A texts. The latter, conducted with RTI
and HDR techniques, allowed the identification of a new sign in the epigraphic corpus of Phaistos and suggested the existence of
possible papyrus, leather or parchment supports on which some of the documents had been placed.
The researches, which included also 5 years excavations (2000-2004) are still in progress, but the first results show clearly that it is no more possible to read the development of Phaistos on the base of a dichotomy between a prepalatial and a protopalatial phases divided by the rise of the palace. Instead, the settlement and the palace had, during MM I-II, a more complex history than previous thought before they reach their final appearance in MM II.
The aim of our paper is twofold. After giving a brief summary of the results of current investigations (Speziale 1996, 2001; La Rosa ed. 2001; La Rosa 2002; La Rosa Carinci 2007-2008; Caloi 2007; Palio 2007) our paper will focus upon the major and better known phase of the “protopalatial” settlement, which can now be dated to a mature MM IIB period (the so called Fase Ib Levi). The distribution of architectural features and of different classes of finds (pottery, stone tools, textile related tools, stone vases, luxury objects, seals) within the settlement will be analysed in order to reconstruct patterns of use and consumption, and to distinguish, when possible, storage and working areas, public and domestic spaces. Already in a preliminary phase of study, it is possible to adfirm that architectural changes in the palace during MM II (Tomasello 2001), seem to be due to changes in the relations between palace and territory, following a progressive formalization of the leading role of the major building, partly under the influence of near eastern palatial models of lifestyle (controlling devices, iconographical motifs, luxury objects etc.). Conspicuous consumption probably during ritual actions seems also to be one of the main way of action inside the palace. At the same time, there seems to be no difference in the use and consumption of pottery and other goods between the palace and the surrounding “houses”, suggesting a strict connection between both and casting doubts about the roles traditionally attributed to them. This complex relationship can be perhaps explained as the result of a long history having its root in the communal origin of the palace (see e.g. observations made by M. Relaki). On the other hand, however, a pure evolutionary approach does not take into consideration the many elements pointing toward the existence, in MM II, of a true central authority (see e.g. tablets and sealings). Discontinuities must be admitted, in Foucaultian terms, and the data at our disposal seem to confirm that the one of the major gaps in the history of the settlement happened just during MM II with the probable emergence of one group at the expenses of the others. The detail of the process escape us, and possibly will be never recovered, but this belongs to the limits of the archaeological research.
Il ruolo chiave della festa nella costruzione della identità collettiva e di gruppo è indubbio, come è indubbia la connessione tra feste e consumo di cibo da una parte, feste e sacrificio dall’altra . Il rischio è però quello di pervenire ad un uso indifferenziato di questi concetti, inglobando nella medesima trattazione attività che facevano parte di sfere differenti. L'articolo affronta questo aspetto attraverso un esame comparato dei dati archeologici e testuali da Haghia Triada nel TM I.
approach and starts from a comparison with the LM I formal repertoire which was actually used at Ayia Triada. The structural analysis of the tablet underlines the presence of two sections: the first is characterised by the ideogram of the tripod and by id1eograms of larger dimensions and by small quantities (maximum a few tents); the second is characterised by smaller ideograms and by large quantities (hundreds and thousands). The starting point for an adequate understanding are the vases of the second section, which are clearly identifiable as skoutelia and small bowls, with a ratio of 1:10. The vases of the first section are
certainly storage and pouring vases of medium dimension, probably stamnoi, pithoid amphorae, spouted jars, and less probably cylindrical pithos, globular pithos and pithoid
jar. It remains in doubt whether the assemblage was in bronze, as suggested by the ideogram of the tripod, or ceramic, as suggested by the large quantities.
As far as the content is concerned, the tablet does not seem to record existing goods, but rather it seems to be a sort of order of products either to acquire, as already proposed by Duhoux, or to give away.
Regarding the use destination of the assemblage, the most probable interpretation is that the vases were necessary for preparing an event of conspicuous consumption and therefore
recorded the bronze vases destined for the elite and the ceramic ones destined for a larger public, or, in the second hypothesis a set destined for the mass of participants, comprised of storage vases and fine table wares. The quantity of vases could have been satisfied by a kiln as large as the one uncovered at Ayia Triada, even though the presence of the tripod does not allow us to hypothesise that the table was some sort of order for the kiln or
some sort of receipt.
a variety of devices belonging to different classes of artefacts: non alphabetic signs
incised/impressed/painted on pottery and stone objects, tokens, seals and stamped
objects. They form connected but not coinciding sets, which have been used mainly,
but not only, in the administrative sphere. Our survey will focus on two case studies
represented by the Bronze Age sites of Phaistos and Ayia Triada in Crete, both with
Linear A documents as well. They provide a good opportunity for comparing, in the
same context, literate and a-literate media. The analysis of potter’s and mason’s marks,
tokens and stamped objects reveals that the counting tools appear already in EM II,
were used alongside literate media during the palatial periods and disappear after the
destruction of the second palaces. It is possible therefore to compare the difference
between the use of non literate media in non-literate and in literate societies, and
to demonstrate the influence writing can have in the development of those devices
through the conscious or unconscious emulation of the official script.
concerning production, circulation, and consumption of goods in western Mesara during the
Neopalatial period, with the Haghia Triada Linear A archives providing a good starting
point. The focus is on pottery, bronze working and textiles, since they are well attested
archaeologically and occur in Linear A texts too. The analysis demonstrates how the
concern of the central authority is diversified according to products and steps in the
production chain, and how a large part of the acquirement of goods lay outside the concerns
of the written administration and occurred within a system of consolidated traditional
procedures, as proposed by Thomas Palaima, and/or according to forms of embedded
production.
between archaeologically recognizable religious buildings and the rich iconographical world of
images of the neopalatial (and post-neopalatial) period. Notwithstanding systematic attempts by Rutkowski,
Nörling and, more recently, Alušik, on the one hand, the identification in the archaeological remains
of well attested iconographies, such as the Tripartite Shrine, is debated, and, on the other hand, the few archaeologically
detectable types of neopalatial shrines (such as the bench sanctuary) do not occur on seals,
frescoes and stone vases. In this article, following previous contributions by Krattenmaker and Schoep, a
survey of the existing corpus of images of religious architecture has been made (around 70 items). It
shows an inner consistency allowing us to distinguish seven basic types of structures, to be interpreted as
altars (Type A1), small tree enclosures (Types A2–3), sacred gate (Type A4), temenos (large tree enclosure,
Type B1), tripartite shrine (Type B2) and stepped platform (Type B3). With the exception of altars,
all these structures seem to be connected with the epiphany cycle, in its manifold manifestations. They represent
therefore not a mirror of the standard cult places and religious practices of LM II–III Crete, but a
very selective repertoire of palatial rituals, aiming at reinforcing, on behalf of the clients, their participation
in an elite ideology or their connection with a prestigious past. However, the many existing variants
of Tripartite Shrines and stepped platforms, no one being equal to the other, do not support the idea of
one single (Knossian) building serving as a prototype. Even if it existed, we have to imagine the existence
of local variants, built more often than not in perishable material, which were probably set up purposely
on special occasions, and leading in this way to the creation of a basic ideal model which craftsmen
could freely modify.
During the restoration (2017) of the well known fresco of the Goddess from Room 14 of the Royal Villa of Ayia Triada, Crete, the author had the possibility of comparing with the mentioned painting an already published fresco fragment from the same site, thanks to the kind permission of the Museum of Herakleion. The comparison allowed to attribute the fragment to the same composition of the Goddess, and to locate its position with some certainty. The fragment results to be the image of the upper part of a (probably wooden) structure made by a column, a capital and an entablature surmounted by horns of consecration. This identification allows to reconstruct the scene of the painting in a similar way to that of an ivory pyxis from Ayia Triada, and sheds a new light in the existence of ephemeral wooden constructions set up during ceremonies, probably connected with female rites of passage.
If this reconstruction in its general outline seems to be sound, the “hard” facts are, however, scarce. The very few textile remains are of vegetal fibers. Zooarchaeological studies demonstrate that sheep could have been used for wool production already since the Final Neolithic period, but do not assure that sheep breading was mainly oriented towards it (Isaakidou, Halstead, Masala, Wilkens). Iconography represents none of the of the production phases of textiles (Militello 2011) and sheep are only rarely depicted. Still more disappointingly, Hieroglyph and Linear A scripts pays little attention to the management of sheep or of wool, in comparison to people or agricultural foodstuffs (Olivier 1996, Schoep 2002). Finally, spindle-whorls decreases enormously exactly during the Middle and Late Minoan period, when a “palatial” industry could be hypothesized (Tzachili 1997, Militello 2007). The only positive evidence is instead constituted by the presence of large amount of purple shells in dying areas, the last discovered in Pefkia, Pachia Ammos, in 2008, and the abundance of loom-weights throughout palaces, villas and settlements during all the period.
In order to explain this apparent gap in the evidence, especially for the palatial periods, one element must be kept in mind. Our knowledge of Crete is mainly based on palatial centres and on palatial culture and ideology, so that what remains represents a biased perspective. Following works by Driessen and Schoep, I suggested that Minoan court centered buildings and, in LM I, Minoan villas, differently from Mycenaean palaces, were interested only in the later stages of the cycle of production, the weaving of special fabrics and the manufacture of beautiful cloth (Militello 2007). This would imply that the major part of productive cycle of wool was made outside of the major centers, probably at household level, as a consequence disappearing from the evidence in our possess for the proto- and neopalatial periods.
For previous periods, however, a couple of hints, allow us to suggest an evolution in the role of wool in Minoan ideology. Concentration of spindle-whorls in single spots in Neolithic Knossos and Late Neolithic Phaistos seems to demonstrate the importance of “spinning” as a ritual and perhaps also economic activity (Militello 2011) and presupposes the use of spun yarn (probably wool) as a valuable good in itself in a phase corresponding to the secondary products revolution. This could be also demonstrated by the decoration present in some spindle whorls and by the good quality of some specimens until, at least, EM II. Afterwards, a change can be detected, large concentrations of spindle-whorls is unknown and the quality of the few known specimens ranges from poor to mean, suggesting a more routine production for the fibers. This means by no way a decrease in the economic role of wool, but simply a change in its ideological value: wool was no more a new prestige material, but it was now incorporated in daily life, forming a fundamental part of household and palatial economy, affecting perhaps the evolution of the weight system, but becoming invisible, as all mundane activities, in the iconographic and epigraphic self-representation of Minoan palaces.
Following on from previous work by Alberti, 12 installations have been identified in the two sites, which were involved in pottery production (Phaistos: kiln from the western area, kilns in Court 90; Ayia Triada: kiln), liquid processing, sometimes dying activities (Phaistos: Room XX, Vasca XXX (?), Vano LX/101; Chalara: Room Alfa; Ayia Triada: Vano del Pistrinum, Casa del Lebete Vano 9 (?), weaving (Ayia Triada: Casa delle Sfere Fittili) and some unspecified activities (Phaistos, Vano CV; Ayia Triada, Villa, Vano 45). The chronology spans from MM II (Phaistos, Room XX, Vasca XXX, Vano CV) to MM IIB (Phaistos, kiln to the west), to MM III (Vano LX/101), and LM IB (all the evidence from Ayia Triada). The chronology of the kilns of court 90 at Phaistos is unfortunately uncertain (MM III or LM I or LM IB or LM II). A general trend can be detected: the central building does not seem to be interested in direct control of production, with the exception of some specific kinds of textiles, and the manufacture of many items seems to be performed well outside palatial control. Only in some periods (as at the very end of MM IIB and the beginning of MM III A) do the elites seem to make an attempt to gain a stronger control, but the LM IB kiln from Ayia Triada seems more likely to be the product of a strategy aimed at reinforcing cohesion and consensus through the building of a state sponsored facility than the result of an interest in exerting a strict control over pottery
manufacture .
Creta Antica
This article presents the site of Calicantone, located in the Hyblaean Area in S.E. Sicily, excavated between 2012 and 2015.
The research concerns the necropolis, which consists of 93 rock-cut chamber tombs, and a bi-apsidal hut, located outside the
settlement area, probably on the top of the hill, but in proximity to the funerary zone. The isolated location of the hut, near
the necropolis, its rich assemblage and the exceptional recovery of skeletons of at least six people, seem to suggest that one
of the functions of the hut, if not the main one, was its use in the performance of funerary rituals. Through the description of
the groupings of the tombs in the necropolis, the localisation and architectural features of the hut, the finds and analysis of
distribution patterns we want to underline the important role of the area in the funerary landscape.
Riassunto
Questo articolo presenta il sito di Calicantone, situato nell’area Iblea nella Sicilia sud-orientale, scavato tra il 2012 e il 2015. La
ricerca interessa la necropoli, costituita da 93 tombe a camera scavate nella roccia, e una capanna bi-absidale, situata al di fuori
dell’area dell’insediamento, probabilmente in cima alla collina, ma in prossimità della zona funeraria. La posizione isolata della
capanna, vicino alla necropoli, l’abbondanza dei rinvenimenti e l’eccezionale recupero di scheletri appartenenti ad almeno
sei persone, sembrano suggerire che una delle funzioni della capanna, se non la principale, era il suo uso nello svolgimento di
rituali funebri. Attraverso la descrizione dei raggruppamenti delle tombe nella necropoli, la localizzazione e le caratteristiche
architettoniche della capanna, i reperti e l’analisi dei modelli di distribuzione vogliamo sottolineare l’importante ruolo dell’area
nel paesaggio funerario.
il caso specifico dell’archivio fotografico dell’ex Istituto di Archeologia dell’Università di Catania. La documentazione
fotografica ha costituito il punto di avvio per la elaborazione di una schedatura e la creazione di una piattaforma per rendere
fruibile il materiale sul web, nell’ottica della Scienze Aperta. Nello stesso momento ha costituito un momento di riflessione
sulla gestione di classi di dati apparentemente molto diverse tra di loro come manufatti archeologici, documenti di archivio,
materiale fotografico.
Phaistos is one of its more representative sites. Its long history encompasses three millennia and spans a large portion of the history of Greece and the Mediterranean region, and many crucial developments, from urbanization to the raise of the central powers and the formation of the Greek polis and Hellenistic koiné. Constructing a narrative through such an extensive period raises certain scientific and ethical issues concerning the extent of reconstruction, the narration to be adopted and, finally, the role of the local communities in the enhancement of an archaeological site. The project Digital Phaistos is currently tackling these challenges, and the first results will be illustrated here.
Mycenaean relationships with Sicily have been analyzed until now from the point of view of Mycenaean imports and of Myceanean “influence” in the field of pottery shapes and decoration, and of architecture. In the field of funerary architecture, a Myceanean model, of probable Mainland origin, has been seen in the so called tholoi shaped rock cut tombs, but the interest has been focused mainly on the formal analysis and planning procedures while little attention has been paid to the wider meaning and the landscape context. From this point of view, only some of the tholos tombs can be compared with their Mainland counterparts, while others seems to acquire a complete different meaning, allowing also a better insight into the diachronic process of cultural interrelation between Western communities and Aegean traders.
valorizzazione dei Legacy Data in ambito archeologico e storico-artistico e la elaborazione di modelli di fruizione adeguata
anche sul web.