Maria Amalia De Luca

The fruitful scientific production of Franco D'Angelo, from the '60s to today, touches on various aspects of the Sicilian Middle Ages and illustrates important testimonies especially in the field of ceramics and numismatics. Every single essay produced by this lovable scholar, who always knows how to reconcile scientific rigour with the "passion" for research, has punctually added, over the years, precious pieces to the investigation of our past, proposing at the same time new ideas and hypotheses to those who approach the history and archaeology of medieval Sicily. Not even the Arabist can escape such solicitation. Especially if, as I do, he investigates coins, pottery or other Sicilian artefacts of the Islamic or Norman age to interpret their inscriptions. This contribution wants, therefore, to be a small branch of "arabesques" as a testimony of the inseparable link between East and West that characterizes our Middle Ages 1 .

From May 15th to 30th and 15th to 30th September 2015 took place the fifth and sixth excavation campaign at the Castellazzo of Monte Iato. The presence of 15 participants made it possible to deepen the research significantly and expand the surface area of investigation. It is completely emptied a room already identified in previous campaigns and provided new information about the relationship with the existing cemetery. Part of a burial in a supine position was destroyed by the installation of wall 20. Traces of another turret projecting from the walls have been discovered in the east and another section of the inner walls (15) was fully exposed. A gate, between two towers, is the first entry traced so far, on the northeastern side of the plateau. The archaeological materials found confirm the characteristics and type of construction. Being a military camp of ephemeral nature, although active at least 30 years, objects such as arrowheads and crossbow quarrels, knives, buckles and harnesses for horses have been found. One of the environments has been interpreted as an area where gaming took place because of the presence of four dice in ivory, glasses and different coins, in addition to the greater extent than the other environments found. Among the findings are reported a glass weight with a cufic inscription dated to the mid-twelfth century and two bronze coins dated in 15 th century. Appunti su fortificazioni e controvallazioni ossidionali nella Sicilia medievale. Dai musulmani a Federico II

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Surface investigations carried out in the territory of Ventimiglia di Sicilia (PA) have given back some finds, with Arabic inscriptions, currently kept in the local antiquarium The author provides, here, the reading and interpretation of two of them: a glass token of Fatimid era and a lead plate presumably of Norman or Swabian era.

The fruitful scientific production of Franco D'Angelo, from the '60s to today, touches on various aspects of the Sicilian Middle Ages and illustrates important testimonies especially in the field of ceramics and numismatics. Every single essay produced by this lovable scholar, who always knows how to reconcile scientific rigour with the "passion" for research, has punctually added, over the years, precious pieces to the investigation of our past, proposing at the same time new ideas and hypotheses to those who approach the history and archaeology of medieval Sicily. Not even the Arabist can escape such solicitation. Especially if, as I do, he investigates coins, pottery or other Sicilian artefacts of the Islamic or Norman age to interpret their inscriptions. This contribution wants, therefore, to be a small branch of "arabesques" as a testimony of the inseparable link between East and West that characterizes our Middle Ages 1 .