Estimating the agricultural base of Greek Sicily

Angelis, Franco De

doi:10.1017/s0068246200003895

Cited by 65 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Agriculture was vital for the growth of these populated cities, which were dependent on cereal production from the surrounding lands [ 79 ]. Historical documentation attests to the cereal vocation of the area during the Greek establishment and later during Roman times (Diodorus Siculus, V, 69, 1–3; Homerus, Od.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three Millennia of Vegetation, Land-Use, and Climate Change in SE Sicily

Michelangeli

Rita

Celant

et al. 2022

Forests

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This study presents the first Late Holocene marine pollen record (core ND2) from SE Sicily. It encompasses the last 3000 years and is one of the most detailed records of the south-central Mediterranean region in terms of time resolution. The combined approach of marine palynology and historical ecology, supported by independent palaeoclimate proxies, provides an integrated regional reconstruction of past vegetational dynamics in relation to rapid climatic fluctuations, historical socio-economic processes, and past land-use practices, offering new insights into the vegetation history of SE Sicily. Short-term variations of sparse tree cover in persistently open landscapes reflect rapid hydroclimatic changes and historical land-use practices. Four main phases of forest reduction are found in relation to the 2.8 ka BP event, including the Late Antique Little Ice Age, the Medieval Climate Anomaly, and the Little Ice Age, respectively. Forest recovery is recorded during the Hellenistic and Roman Republican Periods, the Early Middle Ages, and the last century. Agricultural and silvicultural practices, as well as stock-breeding activities, had a primary role in shaping the current vegetational landscape of SE Sicily.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three Millennia of Vegetation, Land-Use, and Climate Change in SE Sicily

Michelangeli

Rita

Celant

et al. 2022

Forests

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“…Available historical/epigraphic and archaeological evidence regarding this specific community is extremely scant and offers no information regarding the potential occupations of its inhabitants. However, most were likely to have engaged in agricultural activities, since Sicily at the time was the “granary of the Roman Empire” (De Angelis, 2000; Marconi, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in mechanical stress and associated labor in Hellenistic–early Roman Menainon, Sicily

Caruso,

Nikita

2024

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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This paper explores mechanical stress in the Hellenistic/early Roman community of Menainon (Sicily) to test the existence of sex‐based division of labor. For this purpose, human skeletal remains from 79 males and 65 females, dating to the 4th–1st ca. BCE, were examined for degenerative joint disease, intervertebral disc disease, cross‐sectional geometric properties, and entheseal changes. Our findings support an equal share of workload between males and females, who appeared to have experienced similar mechanical stress levels. In contrast, they do not support a systematically greater mechanical load among males, as would have been expected if females had been restricted indoors taking care of domestic tasks only, while men had dealt with most physically demanding outdoor activities. The patterns identified in the current study agree with a scenario where agriculture was a prominent subsistence activity (as attested historically for this region) and most members of this rural community engaged in agricultural tasks irrespective of sex. Our study has limitations regarding the available historical and archaeological information, which restrict our ability to formulate solid research hypotheses or fully contextualize the bioarchaeological results. Nonetheless, it does highlight the importance of critically assessing historical information regarding the role of men and women in the Greco‐Roman society.

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“…Being a land rich in agricultural potential, Sicilian grain was traded in the Aegean and other parts of the Mediterranean since the time of Classical Greece (Austin & Vidal-Naquet 1977, Basile 1941, De Angelis 2000, Morris 2004, Stika, Heiss, & Zach 2008. With references to the use of signal fires being common in the stories of the ancient Greeks (Tracy 1986), it is not surprising that vague references to such fires on Sicily seem to go back to the Greek colonization of the island (Maurici 1985, Ortisi & Rizza 1995.…”

Section: Early Attempts At Coastal and State-sponsored Defensesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sicilian Castles and Coastal Towers

Kirk

2017

Open Archaeology

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While much attention has been paid to the development of castles as the hallmark architectural symbol of the Middle Ages, less attention has been given to the changes in European defensive strategies that occurred between the 15 th and 17 th centuries. It was at this time when the modern nations of Europe began to take form, as sea-based trade between distant nations took precedence over land-based trade routes. This paper examines how this transformation manifested in the defensive structures of Sicily, Italy, where the hilltop castles of the Middle Ages gradually gave way to a more cohesive network of coastal towers around the island. Putting this transition in its historical context, presenting an anthropological model from which to view this transition, and using geospatial methods to track these changes, the results of this study indicate that as defensive towers began to dominate the Sicilian coast around the 16 th century, their command over the environment was no greater than that of the feudal castles which were still in use. Yet, unlike the castles of feudal lords, these towers represented an island-wide system of defense and the beginning of an adherence to a more centralized power structure then seen previously.

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Estimating the agricultural base of Greek Sicily

Cited by 65 publications

References 18 publications

Three Millennia of Vegetation, Land-Use, and Climate Change in SE Sicily

Three Millennia of Vegetation, Land-Use, and Climate Change in SE Sicily

Sex differences in mechanical stress and associated labor in Hellenistic–early Roman Menainon, Sicily

Sicilian Castles and Coastal Towers

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