SUSANNA AMARI è specialista in archeologia, dottore di ricerca e professore a contratto di Teoria e Storia dei metodi della Rappresentazione all’Università degli Studi di Catania. Ha collaborato alla direzione scientifica di numerosi scavi e ricerche in Sicilia, in Liguria e a Creta e partecipa a diversi progetti di ricerca e studio a Catania. Ha pubblicato studi e materiali archeologici in collane e riviste specialistiche.
Abstract: In the years 1999-2001 a research-program was carried out by the Superintendence of Catania, in the ancient statio Acium, listed in the Antonine Itinerary (modern Santa Venera al Pozzo, 14 kilometres north of Catania and near the east coast). The excavations took place around the Roman baths and the temple, at north and south of these. About 160 m. north of the baths, we also founded a Late Roman factory with two common pottery, amphorae and tile-kilns and many rooms for the manufacture and the warehouse of the wares. This factory was dated with coins of the Costantino I (313-315 AD) founded under the floor of the combustion chambers of the kilns, and was active until the half of the 5th century AD. This paper takes attention to the study of the amphorae produced in the kilns and focuses on the forms Keay LII and LIII and their variants, all in orange-pink clay, most with decorations on the neck. The discovery of this factory is of great importance for Sicilian made amphorae studies. With the amphora-kilns found in Acium, the development of style and the origin of production of the Keay LII and LII forms and their variants still can be traced. The flat-bottomed Keay LII production was known in Sicily at Naxos and Campanaio (Agrigento). The aim of this preliminary research is to put Acium in the economical contest of Sicily in the Late Roman period, as an important actor in the productive role.
Abstract: The archaeological site of Santa Venera al Pozzo, in the Catania territory, well-known as a Roman spa is also a wonderful natural reserve with plants, trees and flowers of the Mediterranean scrub. Here, new excavations carried out by the Superintendence of Catania, in the years 1999-2001, and now they go on, have been very useful in understanding the location of the built-up area of the Greek period - Akis, and the Roman statio Acium with the public baths. In a late Roman factory with many rooms for the manufacture and the warehouse, two round brick and tile kilns have been found. The kilns produced also common ceramics for table and larder. This paper concerns the ceramics as building material produced in the pottery and tile kilns, where we have found also many bricks and tiles of well manufacture and many shapes, used to building and tiling of walls, arches, floors, suspaensurae with ring-bricks. The upsides of the majority of the bricks have marks. They usually seem to have been made with the finger (X or double curve, etc). This analysis focuses on the features of the materials, to research on them diffusion and commercialization. These kilns, were dated with coins of the Costantino I (313-315 A. D.) founded underground level of the combustion chamber, and were used until the half of the fifth century A. D. The importance of the area during this period is also demonstrated by the discovery of the factory. The rich types of their manufactures suggests a lively building and economic activity in Sicily in the late Roman period.
Abstract: This paper concerns the archaeological exploration of a Sicilian Early Bronze Age-Iron Age necropolis in the Militello territory, in a canyon rich of self-vegetation, hollowed out by the water of the Carcarone river. The analysis focus on the architectural features of the tombs and grave-goods. The rock-cut tombs are very noteworthy for the shape and the monumental front with a rock-cut street and the drains. Of exceptional interest is the discovery of two external assemblages. They seem a sign of a special status and indicate an unusual kind of burial rite, wich opens some new problematics about the cult of the dead.
