SOUTHERN ITALY IN THE LBA MEDITERRANEAN NETWORK
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-12-19

Southern Italy (and Sicily) have been repeatedly quoted as cases of straight involvement in the Western extension of the LBA Mediterranean Network. Annamaria Bietti Sestieri has instead developed a model of impact-confrontation-rejection for the situation of the Aeolian islands and Sicily, that remained rather isolated in the literature. Indeed, the impact of increased contact between the Central and the Eastern Mediterranean gave origin to a wide variety of situations, including rather peculiar differences between LBA Southern Italian regions, in the intensity of material interaction, but also differences between sites lying close-by. It is likely that the described uneven pattern of contacts and communication is the result of both differences in the seafarers’ political and economic interests and in the inner power structure proper to the Southern Italian communities. The central/southern Gulf of Taranto, and its extension up to Crotone, largely corresponding to the territory traditionally referred to as Oinotrian, is one of the most relevant central Mediterranean areas involved in the LBA network. From Taranto to Crotone, a peculiar interaction zone can be defined, where the local production of the Italo-Mycenaean ware, of the fine paste pithoi of the Aegean-derivative class and of the wheel-thrown grey ware is particularly well established. By comparing the data recently extracted through excavation and analysis from the renown hilltop site of Broglio di Trebisacce and other contexts in the Gulf of Taranto, it is possible to focus on a specific and illuminating case-study for i) the identification of directional contacts, where specific sites in Oinotria and in the Aegean were respective preferential terminals and ii) the role of inner Oinotrian political structures in directing communication.


Author(s): Vanzetti, Alessandro (Università di Roma “La Sapienza”) - Castagna, Maria Antonietta (University of Rome “La Sapienza” - collaborator) - Di Renzoni, Andrea (National Research Center (CNR - ISMA)) - Marino, Sara (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)