Recherche par auteur > Cavallaro Barbara

The sulfur landscape in Milena (Caltanissetta). First data from archaeological contexts

The recent renewal of studies about the archeology in Milena, in the hinterland of Sicily, also included the beginning of research about sulphur, the use of which has affected the territory since the roman period, as highlighted by the findings of so-called tegulae sulphuris fragments, a type of terracotta slab which imprinted the ancient workshop's mark onto the sulfur pats, after solidification. The most famous of these tegulae is related to the freedman Marcus Aurelius Commodianus's estates. The reference context is located in the areas of Cozzo Tondo and Chirisi, where the mineral deposit with the production quarter and a probable sorting center are located respectively. The two areas also are situated in a interesting land from a topographic point of view, given the presence, not only of sulphur, but also of rock salt deposits and water resources, the exploitation of which has shaped the landscape over the centuries. The pottery complex, coming from the aforementioned places, includes various fragments of tegulae and specimens of fine and common wares, which cover a very broad chronological span, certifing the human presence from the greek period to the late antiquity. The first data from this research are presented here, focusing attention primarily on the tegulae and their different types. Many fragments still keep part of the inscription, which is in phase of attribution. We will also try to place the archaeological context of Cozzo Tondo-Chirisi in relation to the landscape in which it developed, within a territory in which contacts between the inland and coastal sites were guaranteed by mobility linked to the crossing of rivers and the routes of well-defined roads that also ploughed the areas of exploitation of the resources mentioned above.