INDEX
Premessa 1 Forauord Introduzione 5 Introdwtion
I ritrovamenti archeologici 10 9 Archologicalfindings .Pn .,..- .s" La nave romana 16 17 The Roman ship , .*, Mezza Praia 20 21 Maza Praia Te'stimonianze sottomarine 24 25 Submarine archaeological ,, ,, Le ancore 28 29 The anchors Le anfore 38 39 The amphorae
ReMone Q Krea sal. Piazza Don Bosco, 6 90143 Palermo 31.091 54 35 06 ix 091 6373378 e-ma i@c*.it
Prida
?q' ella consistente rete Unguentario u antiquath regionali de ermo, a cui è demandata I caratteristiche geomorfo Attraverso l'esposizione viene chiara- te a delinearsi tra l'altro, anche per I'; tà, quella naturale vocazione marina1 rritorio che proprio nel mare da sem m1 maritime mca- Premessa prefem'ng to occupy amtkat werefirrtker inlind edsafer adkence ensured a citain sta- - Palazzo WAumale biiityfor settlements, stnr.tingfmm the most remote historic epodrs the populations of that area sible mnomic, commercinl and interrncinl deve- iopment. This fs rhcted in tke numemtis items reco- ueredfrom the seabed off tke plr?coit-day karbour and mooring m, nn evident sign of infense acti- m./ inthose seas and along hsecoasfs, where owr the eturies a great many ships were skip mkedand losttheir cargoes, wkich haw m been retrieued W haue iome to ligkt by drance. - The DsAumale Palace @ A tangible cign offtrese vicissitudes, the mate'rialsand recon$mctions sfwwn in tke . museum are n certain and efficm'ws menns of l understmuiingfor al1 those who approach witk l inierest and curiosity a display telling a stmy interruptedfor 0.w lwa millennia. e TO tkis, tkrougk tke pblication ofthe guide to tke arckoeological mllection fkere is added a wlid i@tiumerit &ng to ensure n more infor- med teadiing nppmadi linked to the needs ofa . , casultution, whose rigorously scientific drarnc- tuis ensured by tke spec#c and solid cornpeten- ces of tke aufhors. @ Lastly, it is worth emphismg tkat tke lat- ter,&rf canstitutes a emdent dernonstration of the sensibility mui interest of Terrasini Council as regards the mumm. Tke btter h gwwnand improved ouer tke years teto tke synergic and passwnafe actiuity ca& &'in karmony and agremat witk tke ' , Palek Super~fendencefortke Cultura1 and Enzn'ramefital Hm'tnge, which is mstitutimlly respan$fiforfk:tutelage of fkat rightfufly tored'.patrimony, &m tke best of ways,for ...,,,..7' ". .. . >:s;;;....,:;>:$:f:..7. ;;?>t .J<;, .~.a,,., t.. ,:: i,'>:;, :.. i C'. ,. , -:I:..., . !::-:' . ~ _ . .?~J ,' n museo archeologico di Terrasini, istituito sin dal 1984, ospita nei locali di Palazzo WAurnale, una piccola ma significativa raccolta che affianca le ben più ric- che sezioni etnografica e naturalistica in cui si articola lo stesso museo. Anche in questo caso, la paziente opera di sistemazione dei reperti i archeologici, per lo più di origine sub- i acquea e provenienti dai fondali del 1l litorale di Terrasini, si deve dapas- ;ione tenace di Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, che della nascita del museo archeologi- co è stato infaticabile pro- motore, e ali'impegno generoso e disiiteressato i di Gianfranco Purpura. All'attività di conserva- l zione e promozione CUI- turale mei-itonamente portata avanti con sva- riate iniziative dal museo si è aggiunta inoltre, e con impegno crescente soprattutto negli ultimi anni, la stretta collabora- zione istituita con la Sezione Archeologica deila i.: Soprintendenza ai Beni Culturali e Ambientali di Palermo, di cui questa breve "guida" rappresenta i 1 I I ~, un primo risultato. 1 i I1 museo è stato allestito da qualche tempo I 1 !< ali'interno del Palazzo d'Amale, un'antico stabi- limento vinicolo, il cui nome francese tradisce ori- gini forestiere. Fu infatti fondato - su un preceden- l te magazzino - da He~id'orleans duca 1 d'Amale, figlio del re di Francia Luigi Filippo, I grande appassionato di pratiche agricole. il palaz- l zo, oltre che nel nome, disvela un gusto tipica- l mente francese - nonché le nobili ascendenze del suo fondatore - anche nell'aspetto architettonico, 1. ~ i caratterizzato da merli delicati con i gigli stilizzati I della casa reale d'oltralpe, da tinte contrastanti e [i da aperture ad archi a tutto sesto. L'edificio spicca !, imponente tra le basse case che lo circondano e I si affaccia in posizione molto suggestiva sul l / lungomare. Introduzione The archaeological museum of Tmsini, housed in Palazzo D'Aumale, wasfounded in 1984. It hosts a small but important archaeo- logica1 collection, fogether with ethnographic - Statueita Ritile and naturalistic sections. The patient work to (Monte d'Oro) arrange archaeologicalfinds, mostly found - Lucerna acroma undemter off the shore of Terrasini, is due to (Monte d'Oro) the tenacious passion of Vittm'o Emanuele I Orlando, who 1w bem a tireless promoter since the creatian of the archaeologicai muse- um and to the generous and disinterested engagemmt of Gianfanco Purpura. To the activity ofmintenance and cultura1 promo- tion meritoriously carried out with severa1 initiatives by the museum has been added, with increasing engagemmt in rect7ntyears, a - Small isctile collaboration with the Archaeological Section 1 statue of fhe Superintendence to cultura1 and (Monte d'Oro) Environmental Goods of Palermo, of which - Uncoloured lamp this brief guide represents afirst result. (Monte d'Oro) 9 The museum was set up some time ago I, incide ~a& D'Aumale, an old wine facto- y; the French name reveals a foreign origin. Indeed, the winefactoy was founded - in the place of an old warehouse - by Hmri d'orleans Dttke D'Aumale, the con of King Louis-Philippe of France, a great lover of agri- cultzrre. In addifion to having a French name, the palauo reveals typically French taste - as well as the noble origins of itsfounder - in the architectural lwk, chmac- terised by delicate merlons with fhe stylised lilies of the French royalfamily, as well as by conhasting hues and round- arch apevtures. The edifie stnnds out imposingly amid the low houses surrounding it and is in a uery charming posi- tion on the seafront. A* A* being purchased by the council, it wecarefully restored so as to house thefine collections of th museum, preuiously scattered around in three different places. In this way - cura per ospitare le preete . :. . -..,. . .. , .., collezioni del museo T ,; de palazzo. Considerata ' , ; l'importanza della collezio- : ',' ni e la grandiosith del Palazzo '': j iumale il museo è stato regiona- . ,, '1' razie alla LR17 del 1991. locbbiie nei medesimi fondali sabbiosi del servati nel museo. anfow greche, puniche e romane per le quali è stato : fin dail'inizio pwvisto, con lungimirante acume un centro indigeno e11enizzat0, attivo tra il VI e ii lii Introduzione fhe modernfashian in which the mummwas conceived - Tmasini hpc restmed the due prestige to the big palazzo. Beuzuse of tha importante of the coilections and the grandeur - Platio da pesce of I)abD'Aumale, the museum became a - Stabetta fittile regional me under Regional h l i? of 1991. I The archaeological section of the musaum of Terrasini es~llyexhzaih materials of the hull of a Roman ship ofthe 1st centuy AD comingfrom Spain, as the type Dmsel amphorae number 7 and 8 attesf, which was shipwrecked around Mezza Prnia. Perhaps, thenumerous Greek-hlic amphorae and 0th materialsfrom the 3rd mfuyBC képt in the museum, are from anothsr relic, which can be also located in the same sandy backdmpc of the port. In fhe museum, there is also a selec- 1 - Flah dlsh tia of Greek, Punic and Rmnsamphorae, - SmaII ffctllestatue which hea specùù exhibition cpace. Thm are smnal specimem, comingfrom various places of the island, whidh include the latest examples of late-rmn productiar (spathda and contaim of the 'African 1st and 2nd' type), as well aa certain icolated mmples from fhe medimal qoch. # Besides thejìnds of submadne origin, the archaeologiical collectwn includa a smali nucleus ofmateriab corning fknn vatM1s pkcea sifuuted in the hinterland and in the immedi- afe proxfmity of Tmasini. Among these, thme thefinds discowered onMonte d'Oro by Montelepre, cite of a hellenised native eenter, actioe betwm fhe 1st ami 3rd century BC, which lateìy has bem ident@d &h the Sfcan tmof Hykkara, quoted by ancimt sources and rmbered by TucidKle (VI,621 a$ the :polimi paratalassid- . io#, 5 masta1 &n. It. wo4h men? 1 .fionina fkinthe nWolis of . .~ secolo a.C., per il quale sembra ultimamente pro- porsi con maggiore fortuna l'ipotesi di identifkazio- ne con la città sicana di Hykkara, più volte citata daiie fonti antiche e ricordata da Tucidide (VI,62) come polisma prataiassìdiari, owe- m città costiera. Vale la pena ricordare, a tal proposito, che nella necropoli di località "Manico di Quarara", relativa ali'in- sediamento posto sull'al- tura impeMa del Monte d'Oro, la Soprintendenza di Palermo ha condotto a più riprese nei decenni scorsi alcune campagne di scavo che hanno portato al recupero di ingenti quantità di materiali, soprattutto ceramica greca d'importazione e indigena, tuttora custoditi al Museo Archeologico Regionale "A. Caluias". BencM ancora oggi la piccola molta archeol; gica di Terrashi conservi il carattere di una coliezic- ne concepita con la finalità di aideniiare le più sigNIicative testimonianze del territorio, i moderni standani mwxgdìci &pongono ormai una mag- giore attenzione &impianto didattico e didascalico che dovrà contraddislinguem la nuova esposizione. Per tale ragione, è auspicabiie che si arrivi p* . sto a progettare un allestimento museografico del tutto rinnovato nella vista didattica e neii'impianto, che non sfigumh neiiiambito della definitiva siste- mazione prevista per le altre sezioni del museo archeologico nella sede prestigiosa di Palazzo d'Aumaie. Tale soluzione, oltre a consaitirr di espone i rrperti rinvenuti in anni recenti in vari citi del territorio, e che attualmente giacciono nei depo- siti della bibiioteca comunale, ridarà oltretutto visi- biiità e respiro a quello slancio unitano verso la con- servazione e valorizzazione del "patrimonio cultu- rale" di una chwmitta ma straordinaria ponione di territorio, da cui ii museo archeologico di T-ini trasse decenni or sono, nella sua triplice articolazione scienafca, la sua stessa ragion C.G. Ritrovamenti arehnnlnaiei out weral excmtations during the last few years, to recover a huge quantity of matds, qecially Greek and native ceramic, still kept in the 'A. Salinac' RegionaI Archaealogicnl Coppa a vernice Museum. nera (Monte d'Oro) e guttus Although today the sdarchaeological wlkction of Terrasini still preserues its Lucerna a vernlce iera (Monte d'Oro) imprint ofcolkction conceived with the aim to underline the most important testimonies of the terriiory, nevertheless the modm muse- um standards require more attention towards didactic and explanatory equipment, which are going to characterize the new exhtbttton. For that reason, we hope thfa completely new museological arrangement som will be planned, which would not disfigure thefmeen - Cup wlth black set upfor the other sections of the archaeological palntlng (Monte museum in the prestigious Palam d'Aumale. I d'oro) and guttua This solution, besides allowing the exhibi- Lamp wlth black rpintin# tion of thefinds recovered in recent ymin 'Monte d'oro) the territoy, and that are currently kept in the storehouse of the town librmy, will breathe m life into the maintenance and exploitation of the 'cultura1patrimony'of a circumscribed but extraordinay portion of territoy,from where the archaeological museum of Terrasini found its "raison d'etre" tens of years ago. ArdraeoiogicaZfindings The village of Tmasini is not very ancient and originates from thefusion of iwo different places: Tmasini and Favmotta. In Arab tim, this section of coast was probably called Saquit Gins, which means water wheel, the noria of Cinisi, which eviden refm to a water machine with wheels installed here to irrigate thefields, asfre- quently occurred in the Arabic world, in places rich in water. The small village of Favarotta, which developed around a water source, as in fact Ritrovamenti archealaaici the Arabic deriuation of its name indicata, ha$ during the eighteenth century its own church, that of Saint Rosalia erected neara val1ey. The labfer wnsfilled up with earth and - Macina thus Favarotta merged with another small I (Monte d'Oro) near inhabited area thusarip'nating the mod- / - Bacfle bronzeo enz village, which deoeloped partly around (S. Giuseppe lato) kuo churches: Saint Rocalia and Most Holy Ma y of the Graces. 0 Also in Palermo, as in other places, the name Terracina indiwrtes an ancient disirict near the ancient Cwe. In the subsoil of the modern village, there does not seem to be any notable ancient remains, m,as in other towns in western Sicily, a continuity oflifé from the ancient m to our days. - Milistone 0 However, the outskirts of Terrasini are I(Monte OrOm) neh in archaeologicnl traces and the mllage - Bronre basin itselfhas somet'mes reserued seoeral surpris- (S. Giuseppe lato) es. A seoenteenth centuy headstone, which I ruasjound during the excavationsfor the con- structkm of a road and kept a the right side at the entrance ofthe Antiquarium, remino3 us,for instance, of the existence of a common drinking inrgh beiween Cinisi and Terracina, confirming the above mentioned explanation of thegenesis ofthe village. Tke mmunitw ofFavarotta was submitted to the %&ektinesfrom Cinisi, who depended a the rnonastety of San Martino delle Scale, while that of Tmasini belonged to the Barony @Carini Also the vilkzge of Terrasini had its aun church in the eighteenth century, that ofMost Holy May of the Gracec and in 1836 with an adminisbative act, the two urban nucle- uses, deueluped on thefilled valley, were uni- fied creating the modern center (Terrasini - Favarotta). Fm itc particutar position in the western north peak of Sicily in the center of the F:z~.+.~.-*;~2~..'7., .. ".a< d.:.-.\.:7< ,,.~..w..,I<.....->- ,,- +,,33,.,,<:j. P? ..!..C+ .<::,:: k.).&!j.!i.L:-..'h.,' .. . <,, ,,;. ;, $.C+:<*'><..'i ~&:.,..,.,....,-+ ,,,,? -... , ....,,.# :;.;,',;<.,.C,':<. *. ~. ,.....C.I... .,. . L .&. ,,..,... X..:l. "'. '4 ..i. ~ .r. .;. .:... , .#,2,. 5 ,, .:..-,~;. W.:A:. . . . . ,: .-,?- . :*>, Terrasini ebbe nel '700 una sua chiesa, quella di I. I , Maria SS. delle Grazie e nel 1836 con un atto amministrativo i due nuclei urbani sviluppati sulla colmata del vallone furono unificati determi- nando così la nascita del centro moderno (Terrasini - Favarotta). k Per la sua particolare posizione nella cuspide nord occidentale deila Sicilia al centro del Mediterraneo, la distesa marina antistante le spiagge di Terrasini - è stata frequentata, fin dalla più remota antichità da un numero assai I elevato di imbarcazioni sovente da trasporto, provenienti dai più vari e lontani paesi. La conformazione della costa, caratterizzatà dalla presenza di punte rocciose, scogli affioranti e faraglioni, ha provocato l'affondamento di nume- rose imbarcazioni, che hanno disperso il loro carico sui fondali. Le tracce di diverse opera- zioni militari antiche avvenute nella zona, come nel caso della presa di Hykkara (Carini) da parte degli Ateniesi dafine del V sec. a.C. o degli scon- tri in zona nel iiì sec. a.C. in occasione della prima guerra punica o, molto più tardi, durante la rivolta mussulmana contro l'imperatore Federico ii intorno al 1220, possono aver contribuito ad incre- mentare un patrimonio archeologico subacqueo gia di per se cospicuo per un'intensa attività di pesca e di commercio esercitata nei secoli nel sito. Al centro deiia spiaggia del porto, nel mare prospiciente la località Mezza Praia, in seguito ad un artificiaie dissabbiamento del fondale conse- guente alla cosiruione del molo, sono affiorati, a partire dal 1963, reperti tanto numerosi da indurre a realizzare, soprattutto a cura di Vittorio Emanuele Orlando e dello scrivente, nei locali del palazzetto La Gma un Antiquarium che finì per comprendere testimonianze di una nave romana proveniente dalla Spagna naufragata nella seconda metà del I sec. d.C., di un reiitto del m sec. a.C., oltre a numerose ana re ed anfore di diversa origine e datazione. Mediterranean area, the sea expanse before the beaches of Terrasini has been crowded, since the most remote times, by a high number of boats, often transport boats, comingfrom the .Oinodioeacronia [Monte d'Oro) most various and distant countries. Guttus a vernice The particular conformation of the coast, nera (Monte d'Oro) characterised by the presence of rocky points, I emerging rock-cliffs and re@, have provoked the sinking of several boats, which have dis- persed their load on the shore. Moreover, the traces of uarwus ancient mili- tary expeditwns occurred in the area, as for example the siege of Hykkara (Carini) by the Athenians at fhe end of thefifth centtrry BC or the clashes that occurred in the 3rd century BC during thefrst Punic war or, much later, during the Muslim reuolt agginst the emperor Frederick 11 around 1220, contributed to increase a submerged archaeological patrimo- ny already conspicuous thanks to intensefish- . BI~C~psinting ing and commerce carried out dtcring the cen- (Monte d'Oro) turies in the area. In the centre of thebeach of the port, in the sea merlooking Mezza Praia, after work to take sand off, for the constrilction af the dock, severalfinds have appeared on the suqace since 1963. Thesefinds were so numerous as to induce the creation, especially curated by Vittorio Emanuele Orlando and myself, of an Antiquarium in the Palace La Grua, which included testimonies ofa Roman ship comingfrom Spain shipwreckd in the second halfof the 1st centu ry AD, of a relic of the 3rd century BC and several anchors and amphorae of vmious origins and dates. To the submarine archae- ological collection is added a limited number offindsfrom the dry land and particularlyfrom neigh- bouring archaeologically interesting areas such as Mount d'Oro (Montelepre), the center of an ancient native center and La Ritrovamenti archeologici Montagnola di Monte Palmeto, the site of a mediaml town. Fragments of a lekyihm (5th cetituy BC), an uncolouered oimhoe, a gut- tus (baby bottle),small terracotta Roman . Hydria heads,fragments of oil tamps and an oscillum I (Monte d'Oro) originatefiom the piace of Gasm, in the ter- 1 - Vasetti acromi rifoy of Carini, where there was a rural set- [Gasena) tlement of Greek and Roman age. An anthro- pomorphic small stone idol wacfound in a cave near Terrasini, in whose back there are incisiais ofa magic character, verijiable also in another shilar pebbles, recovered in fhe same area. Among thefinds comingfrom the unknown native and hellenised center of Monte d'Oro, there is thefragment of a lekythos, a hydria, (vns~forwater), a miniature shyphos, patereae - iiydria (Roman vases), lekyihois decorated with pods, (Monte d'Oro) various bmnze arrows points and copper - Uncoloumà small finds, among which are stveral dishes vases (Gasena) mui a grater. Regarding this lastfind, more than a ma@ use, it is possible to hypothesise that it was used to produce dust to be mixed with a perfumed oinhent for body cleansing. Taking oljfthe mixture with a bronze bent scraper, besides clemising the skin, mldalso make it more elastic and perfumed. The colleciion also comprehends Punic coinsfmm Sicily (4th centu- ry B.C.), among which are some fmm cefnlù (Cephaloedium), weights for laom or scnie and oil lamps from the 4th and 3rd centuy BC, among which ika table with high @t. A bronze basin $h pearly edge comingfrom San Giuseppe lato, which is considered of Etrusm production, is of great intmt. Seuerpl millstonesfor cere- als fmm around the 4th century BC, indicate an origin of the complex of the jnds not onlyfmm the necropolis, but also from inhabited and rural centers, where life was predominantly agricultural. The Roman ship of the 1st centuy AD The complex offinds of the Roman ship from the second halfof the 1st century AD is - coppa exposed for the public in the leading wall of (Monte d'Oro) the beautzful warehouse with barre1 vault of Frammenti anfora the Palace La Grua, that hosted the i iigure nere Antiquarium for many years. Here the section of a Roman ship,from the imperial age, was reconstructed. The reconstruction of the sec- tion of the hull is modern, as it has not been possible to veri@ the strutture of the hull and the exact disposition of the load. It hm also been impossible to complete the recovey of the materials and thweby ejject more research, which would have allowed the recovery of the keel and the hull of the ship, still laying on the C~P sea floor of Mezza Praia. ;Monte d'Oro) After the recovey of Terrasini, similar loads have been tracked down in Ventotene (1981) and in Port Vendres I1 in France (1977), but only in this last case, the sub- merged archneological layer has been accurate- ly investigated. From an examination of the load, they established tht the ship originated from Spain. This is proved by the content of the amphorae, originally fu11 of garum, afish sauce vey appreciated 6y ancient peo- ple, commercialised by the mer- chant company of the Atinii who worked in Spain, as is noticed from painted inscriptions. Severa1 necks of amphorae are recognisable as containers for wine produced on the outskirts of Barcelona and per- haps they are precent in limited ii number as reserved for the store- " room of the ship. Ingots made of pure copper, marked by a series of numbers and coming from the rich Spanish mines located in the Guadalquivir area (Betica), can be foundfrom the place of the shipwreck to the centre of the moderi1 port. It is thought that the metal was passedfrom the Spanish mines to a center or .-.- .xoh...*r*n** ~"~*~~~*I.LB workshap forfurther manufacture. The rough surfnce is due to the bubbles offucion created at the moment of cwling; the edge has been smoothed to allow the incisions to record the - Patera a vernice nera (Monte d'Oro) production. - Piatto da pesce The valleys of the Guadalquivir and the I outskirts of Cadiz exported m the 1st century AD toward Italy both the main products trarsported by this shipwncked boat and une of the ancment possible routes, which leadfrom Spain towards Italy, after having coasted the African cwts went on towards western Sicily. Therefore, the ship comingfrom Spain was overwhelmed and pushed by the wind, scattering its load of amphorae and ingots in the pmimity of the beach of Maza Praia, Black paintIn# where it was covered by mnd almost immedi- - cup (Monte d'Oro) - ately. Variousjiagments of the hull have been - Flsh dlsh found, among which there are woodenfloor I timbers, bronze narls, esparto ropes, a stone sounding lend and leadfoils. The latter were used to protect the keel and the plankingfrom ereda nnvalis, which is the mollusc that cor- rodes wood kept under waterfm a long time. Moreover, files have also been recovered, used perhaps to cawthe load, small jugs, paterue and a marble morfar. Possibly the owners oftwo recmered gladii fchort swords), were mercenaria embarked in the ship, renuited to guard the load fcuctodes navi- um). The first sword, whose wooden sheath was cawed with leather, was extracted from its calcareous hull; the second one, made of iron, remains etztirely cmmd by concretimiS. Thefi~ldestinatiun of the shipfrom Spain, perhaps was not distant: in fact, the plnnfsforfish processing, identifkì in the area, could haw beenfor the localfish marketing, but also prm'de the sorting in the local market of the much more sought-aflerforeign product. I rinvenimenti sottomarini in localita Mezza Praia l In concomitanza con il ritrovamento della nave romana del I sec. d.C. per il dissabbiamento del porto, a'partirr dal 1963 si constatò l'esistenza di una vasta zona più ad oriente con qerti di vana epoca. Appariva netta la prevalenza di fram- menti di doredel iiI sec. a.C. Oltre ad anco- re litiche e ad uno scafo capovolto h e sepolto, forse di un veliero coichiodatura in ottone deiia fine del Settecento, inizi dell10ttocento, erano presenti colli spezzati di anfore greco ita. liche con all'interno ancora il tappo di sughero di chiusura, un'a- detta di terracotta con la raffigurazio- . I., ,.:-8'. i< ne di Eracle che stmzza il leone nemeo, >:a.r,r;,.;s:;,!-:;i.><*::q:,' '.:;:~~.,:-.<....,..t , ,,#?i.."". frammenti di un'altra simile e parti di louteriu, E$.*.,.!: :5.;3;;:$.$,:>: ,,, . ... bacini per le abluzioni rituali compiute in onore delle divinità a bordo deiie navi, ma anche per più comuni motivi igienici. Anche se è molto probabile, non è assoluta- mente certo che i frammenti e le anfore intere del IIi sec. a.C. rinvenute neiia parte più inter- na dell'insenatura di Terrasini indichino il nau- fragio di un'altra nave, come nel caso del relitto romano del I sec. d.C., o si colleghino ad episo- di diversi, soprattutto ad un' intensa utilizza- zione del sito, quale attracco per il rifornimento deil'acqua dolce necessaria alla navigazione. l La denominazione Favarotta ed il toponimo arabo Saqiat Gins della contrada nei pressi deiia spiaggia rivelano infatti l'esistenza di un'antica sorgente, nei cui pressi le navi in transito avrebbero potuto approdare per il rifornimento. I1 tipo d'anfora ivi ritrovato fu tanto comune nel I11 sec. a.C. in Sicilia, da ritenerlo prodotto, oltre che nell'Italia meridionale, anche nell'Isola, anche se finora non è stata localizza- ta nessuna fornace relativa a questo tipo. Degno di nota è il fatto che alla foce del torren- te Nocella, nei pressi della locaIiti San Cataldo, ssistevano fino a non molto tempo addietro Mezza Praia @ One ofthe greatest ofwestern Sicily was situateci on the small Isola delle Femmine and another perhaps in Torre Molinazzo, where an Lingotti rame ancient dock and mins on the sea shore indi- La Ciucca) cate maritime activity on the sitefrom amund Aruia con Eracle the 3rd centuy AD to the mediaral age. I il leone nemeo The submarine recovedes in Mezza Praia On occasion of the recovery of the Roman ship of the 1st centuy AD thanks to the de- sanding of the port,fim 1963, a vast area more to the east was discovered, withjnds of various epoch. The preualence offragments of amphoraefrom the 3rd centuy BC appeared obvious. @ Besides stone anchors and a buried upside - down hull, perhaps part of a sailing - ship - Small amar with Heracles and the with brass nailsfmm the end of the eighteenth nemean Ilon centuy/beginning ninetemth centuy, there La Clucca) were broken mks ofltalzc Greek amphorae still with their closing cork, a terracotta repre- sentation of Heracles who strangles the mythologiuzl lion, simiiarfiagments and parts oflouterui and basiw for ritual ablu- twns carried out in honour cf the divini* on the ships, but used ahfor more cm---- whether thefragments and the whole amphoraefrom the 3rd centuy BC recm ered in the mtinterna1 arefmm the shipwreck another ship, as in fhe of the Roman wreckage of the 1st centuy AD, or they me Lvrrr-rcu dt%ferentepicodes,especially to the intence use ' of Fhe site, which was a berfhfor collecting the , necessay waterfbr the seafnring. The name Favarotta and the Arab name SaqZat Gins of tkmea near the bench in fact reueal fhe exis- dal sito frammenti di .:: :?.A ~,,. Mezza Praia wsns I, tence of an ancient spring, where ships in transit would have landed to refuel. The type of amphoraefound here was vey common in Anfora medievale the 3rd centuy BC in Sicily, and probably, - besides southern Italy, it was pmduced also in - Anfora punica the Island, even ifnofumaces were found relating to this type up to now. Worthy of mention is the fact that at the mouth of the Nocella River, near San Cataldo, there were, up to some time ago, on the shore of the sea, severa1 Romanfurnaces used to bake bricks. One of the necks of these Italic Greek amphorae has a Latin grajjifi, which says L. AIMILIIO who apparently was a military mmmander during thefirst Punic war. Even if Punic amphorae originatefrom this site,fre- - Medieva1 amphora quent in this part of the island, the hypothe- sised connection aprsuncertain. A terra- cotta tablet found about me hundred of metersfrom the beach between Cinisi ad Terrasini, at a depth of iwo meters in an area partially covered today by the base of the new dock, desenies a particular mention. The signs of an unknown wi'ting proceed anticlockwise in a circular wayfrom the extm'or toward the interior, separated in groups by W- tical lines, which ewidmtly detach sin- gle temofthe text. The numerous vertical lines in the center could be relnted to a calculation. Even being vey characteristic signs, similar to minziscule symbolic objects, there is no mmparison for them. Thefind of Terrasini, which has been in the Museum of Palermo since 1974 (pho- tographicfile, negative n. 22451), unfortunately has newer been exhibit- ed. A broken whife marble plate orig- : inatingfrom the same place, has been given to the Musa~mof Palermo, as ~lr. It hac an inscription of the 3rd centuy BC in honour of fhe emperor Alexander Severo. The Afrcan dynasty of the Severs, modifYing the routes for the import of Testimonianze archeologiche sottomarine nel Golfo di Casteiiammare Da una grotta ubicata nei pressi del mare, I'Uzzo, proviene uno dei più antichi indizi relativi ali'impiego di imbarcazioni per la pesca. Ce improwisamente lische di grandi pesci si rinvengono insieme ad ami in osso e a reperti del W miilennio a.C., ciò indica l'acquisita capacità di allontanarsi dda riva, limite per l'uomo preistorico, raccogli- tore di molluschi al fine di alimentazione. Dei tre nuclei abitati più importanti, che fin dall'antichità hanno esercitato un'influenza diretta sul Golfo di Casteilammare-Segesta, Alcamo e Partinico-solo nel primo sono state condotte indagini ardieologiche, che, se pur hanno evidenziato l'importanza, soprattutto dal V1 sec. a.C. fino all'età romana, del maggiore dei centri elimi della Sicilia occidentale e la sua antichità, non hanno avuto per oggetto il suo rapporto con il mare. Eppure, secondo Tucidide (VI, 2), gli Elimi erano profughi Troiani ai quali si erano aggiunti Focesi sbattuti dalla tempesta sui confini sicani. Castellammare fu indubbiamente lo scalo marittimo deli'importante centro antico, ma la carenza di ricerche in proposito e la continuità di vita nel sito, che in età medioevale fu abitato costie- ro (Al Maderig, Le Scale), gravitante intorno ad una fortezza sull'acqua, rendono le testimonianze relati- ve pressoché nuiie. Certa è invece la presenza di un relitto quat- trocentesco con ceramica pisana ubicato nei pres- si del paese a notevole profondità. Da documenti di archivio risulta naufragata nel 1487 una nave appena salpata dal porto di Alcamo (Vaiione) carica di 288 salme di grano. Tutto ciò bene indica il tipo di attività nelle quali era coinvolto il Golfo: dagli attracchi costieri (caricatori) per la commer- cializzazione dei prodotti in corrispondenza a vie controllate di penetrazione verso l'interno della Sicilia, come nel caso di Segesta-Castellammare, Vallone-Calatubo, S. Cataldo-Partinico, Terrasini- Cisi, a centri per la pesca e la lavorazione del pescato, come lo stabilimento greco punico per la Testimonianze sottomarine Af"ca,.imped the.Ichd economy, so receivqifiom ~icìlian-communitiesfrequents~uent -LUcemagnkromana dedicak6y inscriptions. f@wever, the presence of this kind offind in thè sea is unclear. The I- Lucerna romana precence ofstructures of the 3rd centuy AD, destroyed bn the occacion ofthe .mstruction 'ofaiiport runways could be hypothecised.~ Therefore, :themaritime settlement of Torre One ofthe most ancient signs relative to the use ofjishing boa6 ori@natesfrom a cave - Late Roman lamp sifuated near sea called Uzzo. Ifsuddenly - Roman Iamp bones ofbigfishec are recovered together with I bonejish-hwkc'andjindc ofthe 7th millenni- um BC, the pokfs to the nbìlity to leave the shore, which was the limitfor prehistoric human beings who limited themself to collect edibld'molluscs.Among the three mast impor- tant tawnc, which have inJ7uenced the Gilf of Castellammare sincepast times - Segesta, Alcamo a$ Partinico - archaeologiuil 'research has only been carried out in thefirst m.This research hac underlinsd the impor- tante, especiallyfrom the 6th centuy BC up to the Roman epoch, ofthe greatest Elim centre in western Sicily, but they haoe not considered its relation with the from Troy who had arri , the Focmeszsdue fo a storm Sicifutnjvrders. Cactel was undoubtedly t& por impmtmztancient centre, but the lack $re-rch and fhe continuity of lveiri the site;&at in mediad times amastal centre (AI'Mnderig, Le Scale), amund afo+tress aon t& water, ma!e - . , .~ ... preparazione della salsa di pesce (garum) di S. Vito Lo Capo, l'abitato punico di Scoglio Fungia, Scopello (Cetaria?), i ruderi del iiI sec. d.C. di Torre Molinazzo, attrezzati con un molo artif~aale semisommerso. Testimonianze dell'intenso traffi- co commerciale antico costituiscono i relitti di Terrasini e di S. Vito Lo Capo. Ai primi abbiamo già accennato, gli altri si ascrivono ad epodie e provenienze assai varie. Uno è di età normanna (metà del W sec.) con la stiva colma di transito forse verso " Palermo; un altro inizi del 1500. tom costiere del :' Quattrocento (ad es. S. Vito, Capo Rama) e della iine Alba, Molinazzo) ci ricordano presenze subacquee relative a ben iù cruenti fatti d'arme ed incursioni. Nei pressi della spiaggia di S. Vito Lo Capo si riscontrano reperti barbareschi degli inizi del Cinquecento, che è possibile ricollegare a documenti d'archivio che menzionano il saccheggio nel 1526 del santua- rio e la sua conseguente ristrutturazione a mo' di fortezza. Una straordinaria testimonianza di culti col- legati al mare si rinviene in una grotta di difficile accesso nei pressi di Castellammare: la grotta di S. Margherita. Ivi si riscontrano affreschi databili al XN sec. raffiguranti una Madonna col Bambino di tipo Eleusa (affettuosa) ed una teoria di santi, forse Pietro e Paolo, incorniciati in riqua- dri in rosso, bianco e giallo hacciati sullo stucco. Un grande pesce, posto su di un arco dell'antro, rappresenta il Male, calcato dalla Madonna. ii ualo (Carcharinus carcharias), animale che Testimonianzc sottomarine ry wreck with Pisnn ceramics situated near tht village at a notable depth is certain. From doc- - Torre di Capo uments, a ship headedfor Alcamo (Vallone) was shipwrecked in 1487, loaded with 288 Gdus salme (which 1s an ancrent Italian measure) of - wheat. Al1 this puinb to the type of activity which was carried out m the GuFfrom the coastal docks for the trade of products which went along roads leading toward the Sicilian hinterland, such as Segesta-Castellammare, Vallone-Calatubo,San Cataldo-Partinicoand Terrasini-Cinisi, to centresforfishing andfish manuficture such as the Greek Punrc plant for the preparation offish sauce (garum) of San Vito io Capo, the Punlc uillage of Scoglio Fungia, Scope110 (Cetaria?)and the remains of - The tower by Capo Rama the 3rd centuy AD of Torre Molinazzo, - Guttus equipped with nn artificial undenuater dock. I The intense commercia1 ancient trafic is wit- nessed by the remains of Terrasin1 and San Vito Lo Capo. We have already mentioned the first ones while the others arefrom uarious epochs and migins. One is of Norman period (haifofthe 12th centuy) with the holdfull of ouer hohundred jugs in transit perhaps towards Palermo; another one was Bnrbaresquefrom the beginning of the 15005. The numerous wastal towersfrom thefif- teenth centuy (San Irrto, Capo Rama) ad from the end of the sixteenth centuy (Impisu, Alba, Molinazzo) reca11 bloody events ad raids. Near the beach of San cito Lo Capo, tlzere are Barbaresquefindsflom the beginning of the sirteenth cenht y, which can be con- nected to documents that ma- tion the siege in 1526 of the sanc- tuary and its consequent rectoration as aforiress. An extraordinary testimny of wor- shiv mnected to the sea is found in a cave of dificult accecs near Castellammare: the cave of S. Margherita. Here there arefrescoes sovente disturbava l'ingresso dei tonni nella t6n- riara. Un affresco del XVII sec. di bella fattura, che rappresenta S. Margherita affiancata da due angeli, è stato sovrapposto alle raffigurazioni trecentesche. Sul fondo dell'antro, un tumulo di pietre, forse tomba di un santo eremita, segna il luogo di un culto protrattosi nel tempo e connes- so con la pesca e le attività del Sia i numerosi relitti antichi, che i moderni presenti in zona, " costituiscono ecosistemi valutabi- i Vito e di ScopeUo sussistono relitti di navi moderne meritevoli di tute- la. Nel primo caso si tratta di un ,~ con un carico di Corani, nel secondo del Capua, affondato durante la seconda guerra mondiale con un carico di munizioni. Anche lungo la spiaggia di Balestrate e a Capo Rama si riscontravano mezzi da sbarro e munizioni deli'ultimo conflitto, che ormai, per trascorrere degli anni possono essere considerati d'interesse storico. Le ancore Sembra che le acque del Mediterraneo siano state solcate da imbarcazioni almeno dall'VIII miilennio A.C. Ossidiana di un'isola dell1Egeo (Melo) è stata ritrovata in una grotta della terra- ferma, in Argolide ad olti-e cento chilometri di distanza marina. Certamente era stata trasportata per mare da ununimbarcazioneche, utilizzava un sasso legato ad una fune come ancora. Ancora oggi la gente di mare adotta comunemente questo sistema, che assicura un discreto ancorag&o, sia sui fondali di sabbia, che di mcia. frwn the 14th cerituy showing a Madonna with the Child of Eleusa type (affectimtate) and a themy of Saints, perhaps Peter and Pau1,framed in red, white and yellow panels - Corano drawn on plaster. A bigfish, placed in the - Ungueniario cavity, represents Evil, trodden by the Lady. Idl eià ellenlstica Thefih appears with the characteristicface of a shark (Carcharinus carcharias),an animal that often disturbed the enfyof tuna into the tunny-fishing nets. A beauh@lfrescofrom the 17th century, which represents Saint Margherita with two angels, has been painted over the fourteenth centuy representations. At the md of the cavity, a turnulus of stones, perhaps the grave of a hermit saint, marks the place ofworship performed over the years, connected withfishing and the other activities I - Konn of the Gu'f. - Hellenbtic Both the various bncient wreckc and the .unn-fao' modern ones presenf in the area, constitute valuable ecosystems, not only for the histori- cal and archaeological point of vim, but alco under the environmental naturalistic profile. Near the tuna-fishing stationc of San Vito and ScopeIlo there are the wreh ofmodern ships which deseme to be guarded. In thefirst case, it is a merchant ship, the Kent, shipwrecked durfng the menties with a load of Korm books, in fhe second it is the Capua, which sud during the Second World War with a load of rnunitions. In addition, along the beach of Balestrate and by Capo Ramg there are landing crafs and munitionsfrom the last war, which can be nmwnsidered of historid interest. The anchors If ceems that the waters of the Mediferranean have been ploughed by boats at least since the 8th millennium BC. Obsidianfrom an islnnd of the Aegean Sea (Melo) wffifound in a cave on dyland, in . . ,. . ..,,,. . I~. ~' : ... trattava di pmparziale rivoluzione. ttlmerito del corpo morta'sui fondale, a- one dalla superficie, provocava sicuro aggancio deiia marra al fondo, . . a ancora ben radicata la ctedenza che .. efficiente dovesse essere allo .: .Un Ulteriore progmso fu aeniodi un bastone di norde ai pioli per evitare che : . ,ponendosi di ndnco potesse slittare. ii ' :. ccessivo fu dora quello di realizzare in età mca deii'ancora dal Le ancore the sea. Certainly, it was hansported ~iasea in a - Ceppi d'ancora boat, which used a stone tied up to a mpe as .(Torre Molinazzo) anchor. Sea people still adopt this system, as it assures a dismeef anchorage, ori both sand and rock backdrops. In the rudimenta y type of anchor, there- fore, the pPrfanance was determined by the weight of the stone hered into the sea. It used shapeless stones or barely outlined, today dtficult to recognisp. The inmase of the weìght determined the improvnnent of the system of anchorage but obviously un increase ofwork, A correlatton exists therefore between the weight of the anchor and the tonmge of - Anchor logs the ship. The weighf of stone anchors àllows (Torre Molln-) us to estimate with a certain approximation the dimensions ofboats, of which there are no more remains. An important piece of technical progrffis,determined by the ptest tonnage ofshipping, was achieved with W& pegs, which assured bettersitting ori the seaflom and allowed a reduction in the weight of the anchor. It was a partial rmlution. Thefalling of the wight on the sea bed, wnsequent to the tractionfrom the surfac, pked the secure hwk-up of the anchor to the bottom of the sea, but the beliefstill persisted that the stone had to be heavy to be .fFMmt. Better progress was made with a wwden stick inserted into the pegs to stop the anchm, being cet on one side, from skidding. Thefollowhg step was then to keep the stone and make the stem of wood. The weight of the log necessay to adthe anchorfloating determined thefdl fv the bottom of the sea and fawured the hooking of tides. 0 The appearance, in ancimt times, of the anchor with a stom log and a woadm stem was a radiml turn in the achorage system. This type of lume più pesante, più e swsamentq attacca- , . volta due barre di piombo potevano esse se &a due astiene strette da e e costitaire così un %dimentale eppo facilmente componibile ueesmon; tabile. il ceppo in piombo si diffuse ampiamente in età eilenistica e mma-. ,na e,anche se i pib recenti ceppi in piombo sono datati al Iii sec. d.C., è pwbabiie che siano -ti in uso sino e dellbq antico accanto ad ancore di di ancora di uso più frequente nel- ;dopo quelìa in pietra di facile reperi- basso prezzo, è quella dal ceppo. in. con perno di ritegno al fust~,nel quale direttamente il metaiio. I1 piombo del era colato in un apposito stampo sull'an- imata. Ovviamente era inamovibile dal a conwmacra per meglio assemblare le al fusto era in piombo. I puntali delle inbtonzo, metallo meno duttile, o in Mare talvolta che la cas- eo, invece di presentare un beo, mostra ail'intemo dei a in croce. In qualche raro che d'interno deila cas; i fori o di perni di ritegno raso pohebbeessere stato fissa- ', Le ancore anchor was usedfrom the end qfthe 8th fo the 4th centuy BC, but if did nof supplant fhe other models, which mtinued to est. Lucerna a It ic possible that the increase oflead pro- duction, consequent to the exploitation of sil- I IM"~%~, ver mines, and the collapse of its price have - Plgnatta confributed to detemine its replacernent, in troncoconlca the classica1 age, of the stone log, which would I(Monte d'Oro) eacily break in fhe cmter, with a lead one. The : meta1 had the advantage of being heavier, easi- j er to work and not aftdabIe by sea creatures, e in compartson to stones. Dfen, in order to ecaaiise, they iwert- ed stones or woodenfragments in the metallic log. Sometimes, two lead bars would have been mtained between two crossbars tight- Column Iamp ened by ropec so to constitute a rudimentay (Monte dlOm) easily detachnble log. The leaà log was ve y - Cone shaped pot comnum in the Hellenictic and Roman age Wontr @Oro). and, eoen ifthe most remt lead logs arefrom the 3rd mtuyAD, it is probable fhat they were used at the end of the ancient age togeth- er wiWt iron anchors. The type ofanchor more used in past times, afe7 those of stone of easy availability and low price, is that one made of lead wibh a plvot, in which the metal isfused dìrectly. The iead of the log was cast in a special mmld on the completai anchw. Obviausly it was irre- movabkfim fhe stem. The contro-hookfm beiter assembling the hooki to the stem wac made of lead. The ferrules of the hookc were maàe of bronze, a less supple metal, or imn. Comeiimes the box ofthe leaden 108, imtead of having a learien piwt, shminside symmehicat holes. It is thozrght then thaf the log wasfized to fhe stem by a small wood a&, which crossed it. In some rare caces, inside ' conferme sicure in tal senso. L'oneraria romana di ~,. età imperiale portava a bordo diver- se ancore, la maggior parte in piombo, ma anche alcune in Ii peso del ceppo può con- . sentire di desumere con una certa approssimazione la , ,. rro erano imbarcate ancore di pietra. enti da Mezzapraia - Molinazzo. Una delle antiche un reperto in bianca pietra calca^ rovenienza non locale. Le modalità di esm Le ancore ...... , , ....., '- :L,...... :: ...... ! '.. " <:... :::"~;:1:-.- , ...:.., .. . .,.;;i , ... - ..... , . ., , . i': , ...... ; ,,. : ...... ,-.. . through a paìr of denpegs, placed in the stem, out of the box in the points of contact. This type of anchor, as the log could have - Tavola generale been detachedfmm the stem and placed on oggetti matallici board the ship during navigatwn, allowed a (Monte doro) notable saving ofspace. Maybe, it was used I - Skyphos a vernice on military ships, but we do not have cerfain I nera (Monte d'Oro) infmtion abmrt it. The Roman ships of the , imperial age had dz&ent anchors, most of them being made of lead, but some others were made ofimn, as a papyrus of the 3rd century AD (Pap. Lond. 111,1164) also shows. The weight of the log could te11 us with a certain approximation the tonnage of the ancient ship. In*, the weight of the leaden log seemc to correspond more or less to halfof - Generale table of the complete anchor. It is probable then that metal objects the weight of the anchor was equa1 to a thou- I(Monte dWm) mdth ofthe tonnage ofthe ship. - Black palntlng Skjphos Colossal leadenfetters have beenfound, I(Monte CFOm) but their use on ships is excluded. One of thesefetters is visible in Malta and another one wasfound off San Vito Lo Capo. It is pmbable that they were used to anchorfixed jishing nets orformilitay obstrucfions, usefil to prmt the entrance of harbours or to protect certain umes. As the lenden anchor did not replace the stone one, still used today, so the appearance of the iron anchor, more or less during the in republican Roman age, did not preuent the use of the leaden one. Only m the Byzantine epoch, did inm anchors with a very characteris- tic shape come into gerieral use, buf still in the Roman wrecks in San Vito Lo Capo (halfway th the 12th centuy) there were s iron anchors. In the civic archaeological wllection, there are varìous stone anchors coming mostly from Mezzapmia - Molinazzo. One of the most anhtis a white calcareous stonefind of non-local origin. The method of perforation of the only hde denota its age, . , . , I) Non tutte le pietre intew$onai- me& forate ritrovate in mare erano euidentem'ente ancore. Alcune hilo- ' ;.. no utikmte come contrappesi di nAi, di aWzzi da pcao imvaiiTra. i cepjih piombo se ne sepia uno, del raro tipo senza perni di ritegnoal al quale era tuttavia in qualche con hini o pioli Ugnei. mbo, veniva fa%- W% fonna lignea del Le ancore n Ancora di terracotta I- Anfora rodia One of the Ieatlenfetfm mmingfrom Tom MokmaPa wns mdted, and also in tkis cnse Hwe &e mt mqof these dmiiar sumples. @ The most wmm type with a box with pimt on the l&m stem wns nude by pwc& - Clay anchor ing a hole in the stem mrd cmfing the rnetul Girecfly Into the wwden shape of the kog. Tke - Rhodian amphora ope~ationwas effected,J%r space reasons, hold- I ing the wwdni anchupside-dm and theqbre the mnooth part, cmr-t to the bottom of the mould, appenred @er the Iog ws m&. Tttis om the udmtage ofhid- in2- wooden ur sfoneinsertjons, that were somh'mes iwted inside to save a ". " recognition and per* eusy release from the boftom of the sea. @ Ojten the anchms were stolen, , so tha were murked &v inseripfions "I 1 Le anfore 'l l -Antore g-italiche I(La Ciucca) - Qnwk-ltalic amphorae I(La Ciucca) prima di essere universalmente adottata. La fonna delie &re La frequente presemadi un pun- tale nene anfore pub oggi apparire sorprendente. Si giustifica per le con- dizioni di rustici& ed asperità dei pavimenti degii ambienti antichi, ove 1: tali contenitpn erano normalmente impiegaticantine o stive, ma anche una la da prwodi un.piccolo centro greco o dell'inferno della Sialia poteva presen-. . si reggeyano abbastanza ritte. un'imbarcazione potevano da frasche (stiplae).Resti Le anfore millennium BC in the Canaanite civilisation, whichflowered in the line of coast between Syria and Palestine. From the East, it spread - Anfore Lo Egypt and Greece before being universally (La Clucca) adopted. - Aniora africana Other systems, cuch as more untidy I transports, in sacks or in big 'doliis'jixed to the bottom of the hold of the ship, are also ancient and teetijied by recent underwater discoveriee. The shape of the amphorae Thefrequent presence of aferruie in the amphorae today cm appear amazing. It was due to the conditions of rusticity and asperity hnphorae of thefloors oftk ancient ms,where these (La Ciucca) containers were normally used: cellms, ships' holds, but also a dining room of a small Greek Punic village in Sicily wuld have afloor not perfectlyflat. They were put in the corner, me 1 next to the other so as to stay upright. If there was a need, they would put a mobile support under them, which was called an "incitega". In the hold of a ship, there could h been over ten thousand amphorae, set layers protected by branches (stipulae) Remains of these twigs, which arefre- quently fmrnd in archaeologicalfinds, can indicate the pwiod of stowage of the ship, as they are seasaal saplings. The enormous load of the large ship sank in Albenga and the content of the Roman ship dug in Gtens, France, show the truth of what has bee mentioned. The system of Roman Gree stowage in layers was adopted, not onl to cave space, but abme al1 to make the load of the ship a homogeneous, solid, elastic and well balanced block and to eliminate ewry risk during a storm. Neither rolling nm the moct violent Le anfore Anfora romana . Anfora greco-ltalica I (Eolle o Egadl) Roman amphom - Gmek-ltalic amphom (AeoIIan or -ad1 lslands) :,-*:;;$;>,i>.".';' .- ,p,^..,.,:*:>2:>?' ' Fabbricazione, contenuto e trattamento interno 0 L'anfora commerciale era costituita da diverse parti che venivano realizzate separatamente e poi unite tra loro prima deUa cottura: orlo, coUo, anse, spalla, corpo e puntale. Ciò evidentemente non vale per ogni tipo di anfora. L'anfora punica, ad esempio, si dis- costa alquanto da quda romana ed ha sovente l'orlo ed il coiio fabbricati insieme al corpo. 0 Nelle anfore potevano essere conte- nuti vari generi di prodotti, ma queUe commerciali diate oltremare trasporta- vano prevalentemente vino, olio, miele, frutta in conserva, pesce in salamoia ed una salsa a base di pesce molto usata dagli antichi, chiamata garum. 0 Non era infatti vantaggioso usare i'anfora per i prodotti secchi, poiché essa aumentava di almeno il 25% il peso dei prodotti trasportati. Quindi il grano trasportato in sacchi il cui costo era inferiore a quello deile anfore, trasporto di frutta secca veniva- cassette di legno e ceste. . ~ Le anfore contenenti vino o salsa di pesce ~.-;;,.;$l;2:?:*.p; "i .,:, e. i:.a:ii~... ,-, .!!:,erano rivestite internamente da sostanze resinose :y,,?.v: :*.. :p,.:S.;-<;. . .:. , . ,.% L? ..-,.:,,!,z:;<~t.,! L,.per conferire al prodotto un gusto particolare ed al tempo stesso per impermeabilizzare parzialmente le pareti del contenitore. L'olio invece veniva versa- to in,anfore incerate con resina di alberi da frutta @mm) o era conservato in contenitori privi di qualsiasi trattamento interno, che non potevano essere facilmente riutilizzati. Questa circostanza spiega il formarsi di vere colline di detriti di anfore olearie in luoghi di ampio consumo. Impieghi anomali delle anfore Oltre che come contenitori per il trasporto oltremare di derrate alimentari, le anfore venivano utilizzate per gli scopi più disparati: incastrate alle Le anfore separately assembled before baking: edge, neck, handles, shoulder, body andferrule. This was not the samefor euey type of Onfora romana amphora. The Punic amphora,for instance, is dzferent fvom the Roman one and often has Onfora punica edge and neck manufactured together with the body. Eveything could have been contained in the amphorae but the mmercinl products primarily transported were wine, oil, honey, preservedfruit,fish in brine and afkh sauce used by the ancients, which was called 'garum'. It was not advantageous to use amphorae for dyproducts, ac it increased by at least 25% the weight of the products. Therefore, Roman amphora wheat was transported in sacks whose cost punii amphora was certainly inferior fo that of the amphorae, while dryfrz~itwas usually transporfed in wooden or wicker baskefs. The amphorae containing wine orfish sauce were lined internally with resinous substances in order to +e a particular taste to the product and at the same time to waterproof partially the walls of the catainer. Oil was @t in amphorae waxed with resin offruit trees (gumma) or it was prmed in catainers without any kind of internht treahnent, which could not be easily used again. This explains theformatwn of deposits ofoil amphorae in places of ample con- sumption. In order to determine exactly the capacity of an amphora it was neces- say to weigh the container. An Italic nmphora for wine ofthe republican period,full, weighed on average aroundfifty kilos and it wns d~jficultto travort it. ifit was sus- pendedfrom the handles with a baton, hoo strong slaves could lift it. 'ILe anfore Anomalous uses of amphorae As well as being used as containersfor m transport overseas offoodstufi, amphwae -re romane were employedfor the most disparate purpos- es: attached to the walls of marine nurserips, they were excellent dens forjish; sawn verti- cally they were tuansformed into cradles for pmr children. Startingfrom very remote times they were usedforfunera y purposes orfor the realisa- tion of hydraulic conduits. In rhe militayfield they werefilled with incendiay cubstances ami hurledfrom cata- pults, or, hidden in the ground, could consti- tute a temmbletrap for enemy cavaly. ioman amphorae Filled with earth or empty, they were I used in building, and bmken up into tiny fragments and mixed with lime they tuere used for purposes ofJooring or hydraulic lin- ing (crushed shards). This was certainly thefate of most ancient amvhorae, at Ieast those that did not end uv on the seabed. Closing systems, hallmarks, capaci- ty and transport In the inner part of the neck of the Italic wine amphora, you can easily notice the precence of a little protrusion serving to stop the incide stopperfim falling in. Thls stopper was normally made of cork and onto it there was poured some resm, wax, pozzolana or gypsum in arder to clme the amphora her- metically and to protect the con- tents against atmospheric agents. On it there might be applied a terra- cotta operculum on which there were impressed hallmarks refirrmg to the producer-exporter. - .. . , .:7:;v~3ra;s.!~~~~7:.... '.; Alu.,fb:.',!; >.,,;: $ , k .-:ii ...... 7.-- q;. ..- . " ...... li:. .i.: ..... : ., .~.... 7.: .,.., ~ . . ~ , . ~ , . . _.,>. ..I ...... ~ . . <:;*{!,,i!..:5- ...... ' . . = .,:.. yv;: ,:$; 'I . , ~ ?., . .%-.i?;A(. ~ ,.?A ...... E.., ...... JZ:~;,~.... -ci.:. .~.> . . . . &;,?..a!...... :: ~ ...: :: ..... ,m Marchi e contrassegni non solo garantivano ;:..,p"@\.:. ;,!:.,;: ..,: 1 ;;. .,, : ... I":.. il,>...... l.,.,,'. ... =_ _...... z::f_:%iproprietario da un eventuale trafugamento, ...... , ..,:'...... , 1 : . :i?; ;;l- '.:ha anche l'acquirente, del contenuto e delle . .:,.,~;,,$m:., . ~...,,,",,:i-: 5. capacità regolari. Caratteri dipinti con un pen- neiio iii rosso o in nero (tihrli picti) denotavano la natura del prodotto trasportato, la sua quali- tà, il peso dell'anfora, la compagnia mercantile esportatrice; potevano addirittura essere relati- vi alle verifiche doganali e dimostravano che l'anfora era stata controllata ed aveva pagato le impostedovute per le importazioni ed esporta- zioni (portoriu). re Anche se i'anfora fu sempre un contenitore artigianale di varia capacità, la misura di un'am- phora fu acquisita in età romana quale misura , , . . ' ' sfwdardper i liquidi. . . I) Nel periodo romano repubblicano la misura di amphora o quadranfal ebbe una suddivisione ...... in sottomultipli: un'amphra equivaleva a otto congii, pari a ventisei litri. Un congius era % pati a sei sextarii, cioh tre litri e ventotto decilitri. per determinare esattamente la capa- ... occorreva sottoporre il contenito- re a pesatura. Un'anfora vinaria italica di età '~),, , ..~ .' . &pubbibnaapiena pesava dunque in media una ., ... , .,,>,, , .N . ~ , , , - cinquantina di dUli ed era difficoltosa da traspor- - ~ , , tare &mqualche accorgimento...... ~ , ..., .iJ,.~,,'Sospesa per le anse ad un bastone poteva ' sollevata da due robusti schiavi. Le anfore i) Stamps impressed on tke handles, on the neck or on the rim, or @ti or paintings on the body or close to theferrule could represent the hallmark of the wmkshup tlut made the contniner, m could indicate the type of prod- uct, its weight and age, but above al1 refmed to thefreighter or producer and owner of the cargo, who, not having hlc own pglinae' (ceramicc workshops) annexed to the farm, had recourse to ceramists working to order. i) Hnllmarks and signs not only protected the owner agaimt possible tlz@s, but also comtituted a guaranteefir the purchaser regarding the regularity of the wntents and the capacity. Characters painted in red or black with a paintbrush (tituli picti) denoted the nature of the product transported, its quality, the weight of the amphora, and the exporting mercantile company; they might men refer to customs checks and demonstrate that the amphora had bem checked nnd that the excise dile for its importation and exporta- tia (portoria)had beetz paid. i) Although the amphora ruas always an artisanal contaiw of va ying size, in the Roman age its size was taken as a standard measurefor liquids. i) In the Roman republican period the size of an amphora or 'quadrantal' wac given a precise subdivkia into stibntultiples: an amphora was equivalalent to 8 congii, i.e. twen- tysix litres. A congius was equa1 to six sextarii, i.e. three litres and tzueniy-eight decilitres. i) Hmever, in order to establlch the exact capacity of an amphora, it was necessay to weigh it. Afull Italic wine amphorafrom the Republican age on average weighed aboutfifty kilograms and it was diylcult to transport without special techniques. i) Suspendedfrom a stick by its handles, it wuld be lifed by two robust slaves. Città di Terrasini Assessorato Beni Culturali