Project description
Detecting critical changes in Roman and Byzantine Sicily
Despite historical biases, Sicily underwent significant socioeconomic and cultural developments during the Late Antique and Early Byzantine periods, establishing itself as a crucial Mediterranean hub. Archaeological excavations provided valuable insights into the complexities of society, economy and trade routes during this era. However, challenges persist in our understanding, necessitating a fresh, multidisciplinary approach. The MSCA-funded FIRS project investigates four pivotal locations in western Sicily: the rural settlements of Campanaio and Castagna, along with the port cities of Palermo and Lilybaeum (Marsala). It will analyse the quantity of material culture unearthed during excavations. Furthermore, the distribution of artifacts will be closely examined at a micro-regional level to explore the factors influencing shifts in trading patterns, social behaviour and cultural practices.
Objective
The Late Antique and Early Byzantine periods are crucial ones for the understanding of Sicily's socio-economic and cultural evolution
from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Recent research has shown that the island still played its centuries-old role then as a
Mediterranean linchpin, and this realization has awakened scholars' interest for a period that has been dogged by an adverse
historical bias (one of perceived ‘decline and decadence’) for a long time. A raft of new data from archaeological excavations and field
surveys have sketched the outlines of the nuanced complexities of Sicilian society and its vibrant economy at this period, and its
integration into multiple Mediterranean trade routes. Despite some progress overall, delay in the publication of old excavations, the
paucity of syntheses available, and the difficulty in accessing existing datasets, are a hindrance to resolving some key problems about
this important transitional phase in Sicilian history. For this reason, many scholars believe that a new multidisciplinary analysis of the
period is essential. The FIRS project therefore focuses on four key sites in western Sicily, investigated during the second half of the
20th century but largely unpublished. These comprise the rural settlements of Campanaio and Castagna and the port cities of
Palermo and Lilybaeum (Marsala). By analysing the quantity of material culture from the excavations and exploring the distribution of
artefacts at a micro-regional scale, we aim to investigate the many and various causes that triggered changes in trading patterns,
social behaviour, and cultural practices between the 5th and the 7th centuries AD. The expected results will undoubtedly affect the
international scientific community dealing with similar issues in other Mediterranean regions. They will also positively impact Sicilian
society and the local economy, promoting an awareness of important but often neglected aspects of the Sicilian Cultural Heritage.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
13284 Marseille
France