- Phoenicians, Phoenician Punic Sicily, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Ancient Seals and Sealings, Greek Sicily, and 55 moreSocial and Cultural Anthropology, Museum Studies, Museum learning, Museum Education, Mapping, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Identity, Greeks and Phoenicians, Greek colonies in Magna Graecia, Sicilian Bronze Age chronology, Mediterranean archaeology, Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, Ritual Practices, Commensality, Phoenician trade, Film Studies, Identity (Culture), Colonialism, Historiography, Indigenous Studies, Film History, Classical Reception Studies, Gender Archaeology, Ancient Greek Historiography, Post-Colonialism, Greek Colonisation, Mozia. Collezione Whitaker., Iron Age Sicily, Gender and Identities, Prehistoric Archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Ceramica fenicio-punica, Phoenician sanctuary, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Funerary Archaeology, Funeral Practices, Funerary Practices, Votive practice, Votive offerings, Greek sanctuaries, Votive Deposit, Ritual theory and practice (Archaeology), Archaeology of Place, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Sacred Landscape (Archaeology), Material Culture Studies, Protohistory of Sicily, Digital Cultural Heritage, Digital Culture, E-learning, Digital Humanities, Gender History, Archeologia Del Sacro, and Black-on-Rededit
The Phoenician pottery findings from Greek settlements constitute a significant source of data to understand cultural interactions in Archaic Sicily, whose investigation in the past was strongly suggested by major scholars and was... more
The Phoenician pottery findings from Greek settlements constitute a significant source of data to understand cultural interactions in Archaic Sicily, whose investigation in the past was strongly suggested by major scholars and was systematized for the first time only in 2014. This extensive study was conducted within the framework of a contextual analysis, which gave to the material recorded an added value and new research insights. Nevertheless, within the set of contexts previously analysed, those related to the ritual sphere acquire a specific value, as they well express the ontolog- ical primacy of material engagement. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyse cultural interactions between Phoenicians and Greeks in Sicily through an update and a new understanding about Phoenician pottery findings from ritual contexts, also by taking into account new important discoveries.
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La fondazione di colonie e avamposti in Sicilia dalla seconda metà dell'VIII secolo a.C. ha costituito lo scenario di una nuova organizzazione socio-politica nell'isola, parzialmente accennata nel VI libro de Le Storie, il più "coloniale"... more
La fondazione di colonie e avamposti in Sicilia dalla seconda metà dell'VIII secolo a.C. ha costituito lo scenario di una nuova organizzazione socio-politica nell'isola, parzialmente accennata nel VI libro de Le Storie, il più "coloniale" dei libri dello storico greco Tucidide. Di certo, la presenza fenicia e greca in Sicilia determinò una serie di interazioni culturali che coinvolsero anche le comunità locali all'interno di un "middle ground" culturale di cui è possibile intuirne i contorni proprio attraverso la cultura materiale. Infatti, al di là della natura elusiva di molti dati, è proprio la rilettura di questi ultimi, attraverso un approccio contestuale e la combinazione di diverse prospettive di analisi, che può consentire di ottenere ulteriori elementi per comprendere il quadro socio-culturale dell'isola in relazione alle interazioni tra le diverse comunità coloniali e al loro impatto su quelle locali.
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The research project aim is to analyze the cultural interactions in archaic Sicily, a period particularly significant about colonial encounters, strongly characterized by the presence of different groups of colonizers of different... more
The research project aim is to analyze the cultural interactions in archaic Sicily, a period particularly significant about colonial encounters, strongly characterized by the presence of different groups of colonizers of different origins: the Phoenicians and the Greeks. This analysis will be realized through the study of different kinds of archaeological records, such as items and fragments of an important Phoenician marker, such as the Red-Slip pottery, or through the evidence of group of orientalia and Phoenician-Punic amphorae from some of the most important Greek colonies. Although the elusive nature of these data the support of the contextual approach constitutes a valuable tool to understand the social and cultural framework of the colonial communities through a flow of information conveyed by the same objects and their associations by combining different perspectives of analysis.
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Localización: Congreso Internacional" Imagines", La Antigüedad en las Artes escénicas y visuales:= International Conference" Imagines", The reception of Antiquity in performing and visual Arts: Universidad de La Rioja,... more
Localización: Congreso Internacional" Imagines", La Antigüedad en las Artes escénicas y visuales:= International Conference" Imagines", The reception of Antiquity in performing and visual Arts: Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño 22-24 de octubre de 2007/coord. por María ...
Even though knowledge gathered from the few available literary sources about Phoenician civilization is scarce, epigraphic and iconographic data constitute rich sources for archaeological and anthropological studies. By focusing on the... more
Even though knowledge gathered from the few available literary sources about Phoenician
civilization is scarce, epigraphic and iconographic data constitute rich sources for archaeological
and anthropological studies.
By focusing on the available sources on the ancient Phoenician goddesses connected to different
aspects of motherhood, it is possible to analyse "representations" of motherhood. In particular,
the iconography of the so called type of the pregnant woman or Dea Gravida, considered by some
scholars a divine embodiment of pregnancy within the Phoenician pantheon, could represent a
starting point in our understanding of this specifically female condition.
civilization is scarce, epigraphic and iconographic data constitute rich sources for archaeological
and anthropological studies.
By focusing on the available sources on the ancient Phoenician goddesses connected to different
aspects of motherhood, it is possible to analyse "representations" of motherhood. In particular,
the iconography of the so called type of the pregnant woman or Dea Gravida, considered by some
scholars a divine embodiment of pregnancy within the Phoenician pantheon, could represent a
starting point in our understanding of this specifically female condition.
Research Interests:
SINOSSI L’obiettivo principale di questa ricerca è quello di analizzare le interazioni culturali nella Sicilia arcaica, un’epoca particolarmente significativa per gli incontri coloniali, caratterizzati prevalentemente dalla presenza di... more
SINOSSI
L’obiettivo principale di questa ricerca è quello di analizzare le interazioni culturali
nella Sicilia arcaica, un’epoca particolarmente significativa per gli incontri coloniali,
caratterizzati prevalentemente dalla presenza di due gruppi coloniali di diverse
origini: i Fenici e i Greci.
Quest’analisi verrà condotta attraverso lo studio di differenti tipi di evidenza
materiale, da un lato quella dei materiali fenici e di tipo fenicio, prevalentemente in
stato frammentario e in molti casi da includersi all’interno della Red-Slip, da un altro,
quella di attestazioni di natura diversa, come gli “orientalia” o le anfore di tipo
fenicio-puniche, materiali che provengono esclusivamente da contesti sicelioti.
Data la natura elusiva di questi dati, il ricorso all’analisi contestuale costituisce un
utile strumento metodologico in grado di suggerire indicazioni su determinate
situazioni coloniali e di fornire nuove interpretazioni mediante la combinazione dei
dati e delle loro associazioni, nonché dal combinare differenti livelli di ricerca.
L’obiettivo principale di questa ricerca è quello di analizzare le interazioni culturali
nella Sicilia arcaica, un’epoca particolarmente significativa per gli incontri coloniali,
caratterizzati prevalentemente dalla presenza di due gruppi coloniali di diverse
origini: i Fenici e i Greci.
Quest’analisi verrà condotta attraverso lo studio di differenti tipi di evidenza
materiale, da un lato quella dei materiali fenici e di tipo fenicio, prevalentemente in
stato frammentario e in molti casi da includersi all’interno della Red-Slip, da un altro,
quella di attestazioni di natura diversa, come gli “orientalia” o le anfore di tipo
fenicio-puniche, materiali che provengono esclusivamente da contesti sicelioti.
Data la natura elusiva di questi dati, il ricorso all’analisi contestuale costituisce un
utile strumento metodologico in grado di suggerire indicazioni su determinate
situazioni coloniali e di fornire nuove interpretazioni mediante la combinazione dei
dati e delle loro associazioni, nonché dal combinare differenti livelli di ricerca.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Social Identity, Identity (Culture), Ancient Sicily, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Carthage, Punic Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Punic world and Punic Archaeology, Phoenician and Punic Studies, archaeology of Sardinia in phoenician age, and 3 moreCultural Contact, Cultural contact between Greeks and Phoenicians, and Prehistoric Archaeology of Sicily
This article proposes a preliminary report on the archaeological excavation of the urban area of via Imera (Palermo). The site was already known for the presence of ancient stone quarries (exploited to extract building materials) and... more
This article proposes a preliminary report on the archaeological excavation of the urban area of via Imera (Palermo). The site was already known for the presence of ancient stone quarries (exploited to extract building materials) and hypogea used dur- ing the paleochristian age. The explored area, about 7.500 sm., is located near the Papireto river valley and marked by a large number of shafts dated to Norman times.
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" Spazi urbani e identità coloniali. Spazio civico e spazio religioso nelle città greche di Sicilia. (G. Sciortino) Espressioni materiali di specifiche culture, come ci suggerisce l’enfasi identitaria posta dalle fonti letterarie sui... more
" Spazi urbani e identità coloniali. Spazio civico e spazio religioso nelle città greche di Sicilia. (G. Sciortino)
Espressioni materiali di specifiche culture, come ci suggerisce l’enfasi identitaria posta dalle fonti letterarie sui nomi dei diversi gruppi di coloni, le apoikiai costituirono a lungo un elemento in fieri, da plasmare interamente nel nuovo Occidente, sia a livello immateriale sia nel primo livello materiale e topografico possibile, quello urbano. Come indica lo stesso termine greco che le connota e ne accentua il punto d’origine e l’azione del viaggio rispetto a quello di destinazione, le fondazioni coloniali e, nello specifico, quelle di Sicilia, divennero scenari di nuovi contatti commerciali, alleanze politiche, culti e relazioni sociali e matrimoniali in un ambiente fortemente caratterizzato dal contatto culturale. In questo senso, rileggere la sistematica articolazione degli spazi urbani coloniali, specialmente quelli civici e religiosi, intesi come elementi attivi che plasmano e condizionano le azioni umane, appare utile al fine di comprendere le dinamiche della genesi delle nuove identità coloniali sorte nel mondo siceliota.
"
Espressioni materiali di specifiche culture, come ci suggerisce l’enfasi identitaria posta dalle fonti letterarie sui nomi dei diversi gruppi di coloni, le apoikiai costituirono a lungo un elemento in fieri, da plasmare interamente nel nuovo Occidente, sia a livello immateriale sia nel primo livello materiale e topografico possibile, quello urbano. Come indica lo stesso termine greco che le connota e ne accentua il punto d’origine e l’azione del viaggio rispetto a quello di destinazione, le fondazioni coloniali e, nello specifico, quelle di Sicilia, divennero scenari di nuovi contatti commerciali, alleanze politiche, culti e relazioni sociali e matrimoniali in un ambiente fortemente caratterizzato dal contatto culturale. In questo senso, rileggere la sistematica articolazione degli spazi urbani coloniali, specialmente quelli civici e religiosi, intesi come elementi attivi che plasmano e condizionano le azioni umane, appare utile al fine di comprendere le dinamiche della genesi delle nuove identità coloniali sorte nel mondo siceliota.
"
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"Funerary codes: The use of aromatic oils and fragrances in funerary rituals of the necropolis of Motya" The use of perfume was crucial in the Ancient World, by evoquing a transmaterial and immaterial dimension and hereafter. Perfumes... more
"Funerary codes: The use of aromatic oils and fragrances in funerary rituals of the necropolis of Motya" The use of perfume was crucial in the Ancient World, by evoquing a transmaterial and immaterial dimension and hereafter. Perfumes were something used in important moment of the lifes of the human beings: weddings, gym, religious rituals and funerals; this is the reason why their conteiners were found in several archeological contexts such as sanctuaries, habitats and also necropolis, as funerary ritual constituted something significant for a group and a community, a specific choice or voluntee. This framework will be useful to contextualise the data from recent archaeological excavations leaded by Università di Palermo (2013-‐2017) at the necropolis of Motya, by analysing the main shapes used as conteiners of oils in tombs and comparing them and their records as grave goods during the phases of use of this prominent Phoenician necropolis. Gabriella Sciortino Indipendent researcher
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Phoenicians and Greeks in archaic Sicily. “Contextualizing” historiographical issues and archaeological record. During the first millennium B.C. the Mediterranean was strongly characterized by various and increasing relationships... more
Phoenicians and Greeks in archaic Sicily. “Contextualizing” historiographical issues and archaeological record.
During the first millennium B.C. the Mediterranean was strongly characterized by various and increasing relationships between Phoenicians and Greeks, for which it is possible to recognize in Sicily one of the best observatories. The island, in fact, from the first half of the eighth century B.C. onward, became the scenery of a new set of colonial relationships involving at the same time such new groups of colonizers as local communities. Moreover, cultural interactions between Phoenicians and Greeks in Sicily constitutes an “unavoidable” topic to study Sicily and its archaic world. By considering the opposite rhetoric of the literary sources which shaped the common Greek imagery also through an ambiguous picture of the Phoenicians working from the Persian Wars until Rome’s ideological struggle against Punic Carthage, it will be possible demonstrate how this framework of dichotomies influenced the studies and the interpretations about the materials of Phoenician tradition from significant contexts of archaic Greek colonies of Sicily. The analysis of these archeological data, supported by the use of contextual approach and by comparing ceramic repertories, it would be useful to indicate new perspectives and issues to understand this mixed colonial framework through the functional and social meanings suggested by the added value of the “contextualized" material record.
Gabriella Sciortino
Ph.D. Candidate
Institut Universitari d’Història
Jaume Vicens i Vives
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Barcelona
During the first millennium B.C. the Mediterranean was strongly characterized by various and increasing relationships between Phoenicians and Greeks, for which it is possible to recognize in Sicily one of the best observatories. The island, in fact, from the first half of the eighth century B.C. onward, became the scenery of a new set of colonial relationships involving at the same time such new groups of colonizers as local communities. Moreover, cultural interactions between Phoenicians and Greeks in Sicily constitutes an “unavoidable” topic to study Sicily and its archaic world. By considering the opposite rhetoric of the literary sources which shaped the common Greek imagery also through an ambiguous picture of the Phoenicians working from the Persian Wars until Rome’s ideological struggle against Punic Carthage, it will be possible demonstrate how this framework of dichotomies influenced the studies and the interpretations about the materials of Phoenician tradition from significant contexts of archaic Greek colonies of Sicily. The analysis of these archeological data, supported by the use of contextual approach and by comparing ceramic repertories, it would be useful to indicate new perspectives and issues to understand this mixed colonial framework through the functional and social meanings suggested by the added value of the “contextualized" material record.
Gabriella Sciortino
Ph.D. Candidate
Institut Universitari d’Història
Jaume Vicens i Vives
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Barcelona
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Dalla prima metà dell'VIII secolo a.C. in poi, la Sicilia ha costituito lo scenario di un nuovo tessuto socio-politico, parzialmente evidente nel più "coloniale" libro di Tucidide. La presenza di Fenici e Greci in Sicilia dovette... more
Dalla prima metà dell'VIII secolo a.C. in poi, la Sicilia ha costituito lo scenario di un nuovo tessuto socio-politico, parzialmente evidente nel più "coloniale" libro di Tucidide. La presenza di Fenici e Greci in Sicilia dovette determinare una gamma di relazioni sociali, coinvolgendo anche le comunità locali, all'interno di un "middle ground" di gruppi, persone, tradizioni e abitudini, fortemente caratterizzati dal contatto culturale e dalla cultura materiale ad essi associata. Pur trattandosi spesso di dati di natura elusiva, l'approccio contestuale sembra costituire uno dei principali supporti metodologici per l'analisi e l'interpretazione di questi ultimi all'interno del quadro socio-culturale coloniale.
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"Incontro/Dibattito Archeologia e Genere C’è una relazione intima tra come intendiamo il presente e come rappresentiamo il passato. Il genere costituisce un aspetto della società, una forma di identità, culturalmente creata e... more
"Incontro/Dibattito Archeologia e Genere
C’è una relazione intima tra come intendiamo il presente e come rappresentiamo il passato.
Il genere costituisce un aspetto della società, una forma di identità, culturalmente creata e storicamente specifica, nonché centrale nella struttura sociale.
Il genere è divenuto un tema di ricerca “in crescita” negli ultimi trenta anni anche all’interno dell’archeologia, mettendo in evidenza l’influenza di certi condizionamenti percettivi e storico-sociali nello studio del passato.
Vogliamo ripercorrere insieme alcune delle tappe principali dell’evoluzione della storia degli studi di questo ambito della ricerca, dalle molteplici variabili epistemologiche, rileggere alcuni dati archeologici di epoche e contesti differenti, accomunati però dalla necessità di un'analisi articolata della complessità, superando la lettura dicotomica di molti approcci agli studi e, mediante il dibattito, determinare la nascita di nuove e suggestive domande (magari provando a sradicare alcuni stereotipi quasi impercettibili presenti nel nostro immaginario). "
C’è una relazione intima tra come intendiamo il presente e come rappresentiamo il passato.
Il genere costituisce un aspetto della società, una forma di identità, culturalmente creata e storicamente specifica, nonché centrale nella struttura sociale.
Il genere è divenuto un tema di ricerca “in crescita” negli ultimi trenta anni anche all’interno dell’archeologia, mettendo in evidenza l’influenza di certi condizionamenti percettivi e storico-sociali nello studio del passato.
Vogliamo ripercorrere insieme alcune delle tappe principali dell’evoluzione della storia degli studi di questo ambito della ricerca, dalle molteplici variabili epistemologiche, rileggere alcuni dati archeologici di epoche e contesti differenti, accomunati però dalla necessità di un'analisi articolata della complessità, superando la lettura dicotomica di molti approcci agli studi e, mediante il dibattito, determinare la nascita di nuove e suggestive domande (magari provando a sradicare alcuni stereotipi quasi impercettibili presenti nel nostro immaginario). "
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The long-time study of Greek and Phoenician relationships in the central Mediterranean has been polarised by the idea of a mutual competition. The interpretation of the literary and historical sources have always influenced the analysis... more
The long-time study of Greek and Phoenician relationships in the central Mediterranean has been polarised by the idea of a mutual competition. The interpretation of the literary and historical sources have always influenced the analysis of this issue, although the eighth and seventh centuries BC seem to describe a “polymorphic” framework, where an exchange between the Euboean-Chalcidian and Phoenician traditions can be seen, as confirmed by archaeological data.
Inside this complex phenomena, I would like to stress how drinking and eating habits and, especially, the way to consume food and beverages, played an important role in the colonial encounters: shared practices that contributed to the constructions of “Greek” and “Phoenician” culture in the West of Mediterranean basin. Several studies have showed that eating traditions and habits constitute powerful spaces of social illustration in which identities and social memories are represented.
The aim of this work is to use material culture as a possible indicator for reading new realities of colonial spaces and interpreting new sets of meanings produced by colonial phenomena. In particular, material culture related to drink and food consumption could offer us a picture of colonial communities characterized by a strong social and cultural heterogeneity.
Inside this complex phenomena, I would like to stress how drinking and eating habits and, especially, the way to consume food and beverages, played an important role in the colonial encounters: shared practices that contributed to the constructions of “Greek” and “Phoenician” culture in the West of Mediterranean basin. Several studies have showed that eating traditions and habits constitute powerful spaces of social illustration in which identities and social memories are represented.
The aim of this work is to use material culture as a possible indicator for reading new realities of colonial spaces and interpreting new sets of meanings produced by colonial phenomena. In particular, material culture related to drink and food consumption could offer us a picture of colonial communities characterized by a strong social and cultural heterogeneity.
Europa y su ideario constituyen un espacio imaginado cuyos límites responden más a cuestiones de tipo ideológico y político que geográficas. En su creación, hace apenas doscientos años, uno de los aspectos más importantes ha sido la... more
Europa y su ideario constituyen un espacio imaginado cuyos límites responden más a cuestiones de tipo ideológico y político que geográficas. En su creación, hace apenas doscientos años, uno de los aspectos más importantes ha sido la construcción de su propia “genealogía”, de sus orígenes, donde ha destacado la función de la história y de las disciplinas del pasado.
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The interaction between Phoenicians and Greeks is an issue which has generated a long debate. How those two ancient people conceived and developed their mutual relationship constitutes an important aspect of the “colonial encounters”... more
The interaction between Phoenicians and Greeks is an issue which has generated a long debate. How those two ancient people conceived and developed their mutual relationship constitutes an important aspect of the “colonial encounters” discussion, although the interpretation of the literary and historical sources have always influenced the analysis of this topic. On the contrary, the aim of this work is that to use material culture as a possible key element for reading new realities of colonial spaces and interpreting the meanings which are the result of colonial encounters.
Taking the so called “Phoenician skyphoi” and the “Euboeian-geometric red slip flat dishes” as a case study, I will attempt to explain how material culture can reflect new cultural colonial features. A comparison between these two sets of archaeological data, which are in a complementary relationship with each other, might highlight their material and symbolic meaning as a paradigmatic cultural product of the colonial world.
Taking the so called “Phoenician skyphoi” and the “Euboeian-geometric red slip flat dishes” as a case study, I will attempt to explain how material culture can reflect new cultural colonial features. A comparison between these two sets of archaeological data, which are in a complementary relationship with each other, might highlight their material and symbolic meaning as a paradigmatic cultural product of the colonial world.