Sicani cave drawings Continue October 6, 2014 Patrice Hall Leave a comment written: Patrice Hall magazine IndexBest Sicily Arts and Culture Fashion Food - Wine Story - Society of Us Travel Faqs Contact Map of Sicily Some terms BC - Before the traditional birth of Jesus Christ. Also, B.C., until the general era. The Bronze Age - The Era of the first instruments and weapons of copper and bronze, in Greece, dating from about 3000 BC to the Iron Age. chalcedony - Mineral quartz formations and similar substances previously used for use by primitive tools. Copper Age - Earliest period of the Bronze Age, depending on the region, before copper was fused with tin to form bronze for tools and weapons. Early Minoan - Minoan (Cretan) civilization from 4000 BC to 2100 BC Indo-European - Many societies in Europe, South Asia and southwest Asia, identified by 1000 BC on the basis of linguistic similarities. Iron Age - The Era of iron instruments, dating back to about 1200 BC, in Greece around 1100 BC, in Sicily, probably with the Greeks around 700 BC. Late Bronze Age - In Sicily, the epoch dates from about 1270 BC to around 650 BC, just before the Iron Age imposed by the Greeks. Late Minoan - Minoan (Cretan) civilization from 1550 BC to 1100 BC The Middle Minoan - Minoan (Cretan) civilization from 2100 BC to 1550 BC Minoan - Aegean civilization of ancient Crete, from 4000 BC to 1100 BC Mycenaean - a civilization of the late bronze age of ancient Peloponnese modern to mine late (Critical) development. Attitude to ancient mycenae. Neolithic is literally the New Stone Age, which immediately preceded the Bronze Age. Phoenician is the Semitic language of ancient Phoenicians. Pleistocene Epoch - Geological era, which ended ten thousand years ago (8000 BC), before the Holocene (current epoch). Proto-Sicanian - Various hypothetical, indigenous Sicilian cultures, somewhat influenced by Eastern Mediterranean societies, are believed to immediately precede identifiable Sikana culture from about 3000 BC to around 2000 BC. Sicania - Sikania Odyssey Homer, referring to Sicily and in particular the Sikana Mountain. Sikanian - the native villages of Sicily, from the sika to chalcedony (Italian selce), found in the valleys in which they lived. Origin, revealed in 2000-1600 BC after proto-Sikan culture. The Siseliots are the Greek colonists of Sicily and their descendants. Sicels - Also Sikels from the Greek Si'Keloi, Italian people arriving in eastern Sicily around 1200 BC. Sikelia - The classic Greek name of Sicily, based on the name Si'Keloi (Sicels). Their origins are elusive. Of the three oldest nations (Sikans, sis, elim), indigenous Sikans (or Sycan) of central and western Sicily were present at the earliest, as the data indicate the more recent introduction of the civilization of Sikel (Siculian in eastern Sicily and Elim in the northwest. of all three societies, it may indeed have been indigenous; perhaps it was the culture of Sicels, not the people themselves who came from other regions. (It is theoretically possible that a relatively small number of people from a more advanced society could come to ancient Sicily, perhaps for trade, bringing knowledge about their deities, cuisine and writing systems to early Sikanans or cils.) Archaeologically and socially, the differences between sikans and Sikli were subtle in more recent times (i.e. 600 BC), although their languages - eventually using Phoenician symbols - were distinctive from each other. The most relevant archaeological finds, and certainly devoid of external cultural influences, date back to the period before the Phoenician and Greek invasions of Sicily (around 800 BC). Much of our knowledge of the earliest Sicilians comes to us from Greek literary sources or, in some cases, quasi-historical. Given the poetic decorations, few of these foreign authors seem to be particularly reliable, and some (particularly Diodoros Siculus) are known to be fanciful. It is enough to look at the rather negative Greek and Roman characteristics of neighbouring Phoenicians and Carthaginians to appreciate the fact that historical prejudices and revisionism are nothing new. Precious little knowledge of the Sikanyas is based on elements important for the identification of any civilization - their native language, literature, religion, recorded history or centuries-old traditions. In most of these relationships, our study of Sichan (and proto-Sikan) recorded history is extremely limited compared to the ancient Assyrians, Chinese, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. When there is little evidence, archaeology becomes an inaccurate science, relying heavily on theories and (often) assumptions. In addition to vague commonalities, expert archaeologists rarely agree with the more subtle consequences of their discoveries. Their conclusions are often based on art (or what is left of it), traces of architecture (usually the foundations and necropolises), comparative studies (influence of known foreign cultures) or historical rumors (descriptions of foreigners), fortunately supplemented by scientifically reliable analysis (e.g., dating processes). In the case of long-extinct crops such as sikanya, archaeology is our best route to greater knowledge, although it is now complemented by interdisciplinary studies related to climatology and other topics. Some genetic studies, for example, may provide general information about migratory patterns of ancient peoples, although even the identification of typically Sikan gene markers has proved difficult at the moment. The very term indigenous is quite subjective, because modern people actually to the Mediterranean region, the region tens of thousands of years ago. (No one has always been here; in terms of remote human origin, we are all African.) The Sichans are said to be natives of Sicily because theirs is the earliest society that can be defined as inhabiting our island. People were present in Sicily at the end of the Pleistocene era, about 10,000 years ago. Cave drawings confirm the presence by 6000 BC, if not before, and there is no evidence to offer anything other than a continuous presence from this period. In general terms, early Sicily can be represented by the following periods: 8000 BC - early settlements and cave paintings in coastal areas such as Addaura (near Palermo). 3000 BC - the use of copper instruments in certain settlements, probably reflecting non-Sian influences. 2500 BC - the use of bronze throughout proto-Sikana Sicily; contact with foreign cultures. 1600 BC - the presence of identifiable, separate Sikana culture throughout Sicily. 1200 BC - The arrival of Seachels in the eastern coastal areas, encouraging the migration of the Sikan to the west. There is little evidence that sicanians ever made widespread use of any written language prior to the introduction of the Phoenician alphabet (shown here with Greek and Rnerim alphabets) which they wrote from right to left. (The Mycenaean script was found on some pieces of ceramics.) At the prei historical level, it seems likely that they were a descendant, for the most part, of the inhabitants of Bronze Age Sicily. Indeed, the Sikans probably represented the main group, originating from these first indigenous Sicilians. The Iberian-born Sikanan theory is supported by quite a few linguistic factors that are thought to have been common in the early Iberian languages, although the evidence is hardly conclusive. The name of the ancient Sicano River in Spain has been quoted to suggest a common connection, but it may just be accidental. It was the Greek historian Thucydides who first proposed Iberian roots, but his authority for this is not known. However, the best (and most recent) scientific position is that the Sikans were indeed natives of Sicily, while the Sicels immigrated from mainland Italy (perhaps from Liguria, Latium or even the Alpine regions) and the elimians from the Asian regions of the eastern Mediterranean, possibly through North Africa. Although largely hypothetical, the logical theory has been put forward that the Sikanya were not originally part of any Indo-European population, although recent discoveries imply at least isolated contact with some Mycenaean and Minoan cultures - probably based on trade. Living independently of other societies, the earliest Sikani would naturally become a unique without clearly defined cultural links with the Indo-European culture of Italy, Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. (So they were like the earliest Iberians.) The name sicanyan probably comes from a chalcedony called called found in some areas where they lived, and of which they styled tools in the Neolithic era. The presence of the Iron Age is indicated in Gela, Sant Angelo Miksaro and other locations in the Agrigento area. Minoan and Mycenaean connections explain the possible similarity of the Tapso and Castelluccio cultures with the Aegean. The fact that the Sikans appear to have assimilated faster and more easily than the Sicals with the colonization of the Greeks suggests at least some affinity, if not general, between Sikan and Hellenistic culture. This peaceful association took only a few centuries, from about 700 BC to 400 BC, and soon many Sikan cities were essentially Greek. Our knowledge of this gradual union of Sikan and Hellenistic culture is primarily archaeological. Even today, the actual sites of ancient Sicilian settlements (including Sikkan settlements) mentioned in Greek and Roman accounts are occasionally discovered and identified. The future find may provide more information about the Sikanans. Despite literary references to the contrary, there is little evidence that a strong central government (or monarchy) is among the Sikanans. Like the cities of Phoenicia and Greece, the Sikan settlements were probably independent, or at least quasi-autonomous, forming a very free confederation. There appears to have been little open conflict with the Cichels in the east and the Elims in the north-west, although the arrival of each of them appears to have prompted the Sikhs to migrate to other areas. Prior to the arrival of Siceli, the Sikanyane (or the prehistoric culture of the predecessor from which they originated) probably occupied much of Sicily, although they were hardly isolated.