Der Agrigent-Hinterland-Survey

The Monti Sicani between Agrigento and Palermo have long been virtually unexplored archaeologically. Our survey, which covered 274 km², has provided a new and much denser impression of settlement structures between the Copper Age and the Middle Ages. The prehistoric sites paint a detailed picture of how early settlements followed each other and reflect the surprising incursion of Greek influences into these inland, mountainous areas, where not only border sanctuaries, but even a small number of Greek period farms are established. A more concentrated use of the landscape begins in Hellenistic times, followed by a restructuring and an increase in settlement density particularly in Late Antiquity. The volume also casts a glance over the Arab and Norman phase and beyond to the Middle Ages. More than 260 colour plates, drawings and supplements document the archaeology of the Sicilian inland areas for the first time. Die Monti Sicani zwischen Agrigent und Palermo waren archäologisch weitgehend unbekannt. Der Survey auf 274 km² hat ein neues und dichtes Bild der Siedlungsstrukturen zwischen der Kupferzeit und dem Mittelalter ergeben. Die prähistorischen Fundstellen zeichnen ein dichtes Bild von der Abfolge der frühen Siedlungen und vom erstaunlichen Vordringen griechischer Einflüsse in diese küstenfernen, gebirgigen Bereiche, in denen neben Grenzheiligtümern sogar eine kleine Zahl von griechenzeitlichen Gehöften entsteht. Eine Konzentration der Landnutzung beginnt im Hellenismus gefolgt von einer Neustrukturierung und Siedlungsverdichtung vor allem in der Spätantike. Der Blick reicht über die arabisch normannische Phase bis zum Mittelalter. Über 260 Farbtafeln Karten Zeichnungen und Beilagen dokumentieren erstmals die Archäologie des sizilianischen Binnenlandes.

The Monti Sicani between Agrigento and Palermo have long been virtually unexplored archaeologically. Our survey, which covered 274 km², has provided a new and much denser impression of settlement structures between the Copper Age and the Middle Ages. The prehistoric sites paint a detailed picture of how early settlements followed each other and reflect the surprising incursion of Greek influences into these inland, mountainous areas, where not only border sanctuaries, but even a small number of Greek period farms are established. A more concentrated use of the landscape begins in Hellenistic times, followed by a restructuring and an increase in settlement density particularly in Late Antiquity. The volume also casts a glance over the Arab and Norman phase and beyond to the Middle Ages. More than 260 colour plates, drawings and supplements document the archaeology of the Sicilian inland areas for the first time.