Monti di Trapani

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Pedologists of UNIPA have started the soil survey programme in the area of Monti Trapani (Sicily). Six soil profiles have been already described and sampled in the study area of “Baida” surrounding the archaeological site of Pizzo Monaco.

The documentary illustrates the water mills in the landscape around Calatafimi-Segesta (TP), in particular along the river Kaggera. The video can be ideally divided in three parts: an introduction to the phisical characteristics of the area and the hydraulic network, an in-depth look at the water mill located in Contrada Arancio, mentionned in the texts dating from the 1393, and a visit to an active company at Castelvetrano, specialised in traditional flour production from native ancient grain seeds.

‪Laboratory‬ of ‪Community‬ ‪Botany‬, organised by UNIPA‬,‪ ARQUEO‬ and ‪USHEFF in ‪Calatafimi Segesta‬ (‪Trapani‬). Participants provided information to map ‪ancient‬ ‪fruit‬ ‪trees‬ in the ‪Monti Di Trapani‬ study area.

 

University of Palermo botanists team led the second cycle floristic surveys in Pizzo Monaco site. They conducted a comparative investigation between plants inside the archaeological site and plants of the surrounding plains in order to assess the ecological differences between environments with a different history.
An ineteresting finding is the presence of archaeophyte plants that, on Pizzo Monaco, are collected exclusively inside the medieval fortified granary area.

During the months of July and August, an initial analysis and catalogue of the materials found in 2014 was developed. All ceramic fragments have been counted and coded, pieces of a same piece have been joined, and an initial statistic analysis of the pieces found has been designed. This first approach to the ceramics of Pizzo Monaco will be useful to develop a further, and more exhaustive, analysis that will be oriented towards typologies and chronology, fundamental to obtain more specific conclusions in regards to the type of settlement we are studying.

During July and August 2015, the second archaeological excavation campaign took place at Pizzo Monaco (Custonacci, Trapani). This year we have excavated 7 new cells, together with the already excavated in the previous season, totaling 12. Although the stratigraphic analysis is very similar throughout the site, each cell has its peculiarities and commonalities. We can say that all of them were built at the same time since the walls show a single construction phase.

Hydraulic survey, along with an ethnographic interview, have been carried out in the area of Calatafimi by Univeristies of Sheffield, Granada and Palermo, along with Arqueoandalusí partern. Fieldwork is focused on locating local water resources, such as fountains, springs, historic irrigation channels, irrigation pools, underground channels, among others.

The meeting "Community Archaeology ", held in Calatafimi Segesta (Trapani) on the 12th of February 2016, has been a great success, in a dinamic exchange of information over the hydraulic landscape of this area.

On January 16 last, inside a bar in the center of Calatafimi Segesta (Trapani), it was inaugurated the exhibition "Archaeology and teaching at the Bar." This is a temporary exhibition of some panels about technical survey carried out in 2015 on a water mill in the same territory.

The video presents the archaeoloigcal excavation of the islamic site at Pizzo Monaco (Custonaci, Trapani). The structure is partially preserved in elevation, of considerable size (2,500 sq m), and with a total of about 55 cells collapsed.

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