September 17, 2009

As a scheduled component of the Monte Palazzi Project submitted to Italy’s Ministry for the Preservation of Cultural and Environmental Resources, a study season was conducted in Calabria between May 25-June 24, 2009.  Its main objective was to complete the inventory, drawing, and photography, of all the archaeological finds from the 2005, 2007, and 2008 campaign, in preparation for full publication.  This entailed several visits to Locri’s Museo Archeologico Nazionale, the main repository for the materials from Monte Palazzi.  Dr. Paolo Visonà of the University of Kentucky, Principal Investigator and Field Director, and Jennifer Knapp, Doctoral Candidate at the University of  Missouri-Columbia and ceramicist of the Monte Palazzi Project, were responsible for all primary data collecting.  Dr. Jeffrey Lamia, an experienced ceramicist, assisted Ms. Knapp in late May and early June. 

Dr. Visonà also inspected the site of Monte Palazzi and photographed the stone quarry located near the hamlet of Cassari in 2008.  Petrological analyses carried out at the University of Padua have established that the stone mined at the quarry was steatite, a metamorphic rock similar to soapstone, which was used in antiquity to carve vessels and a variety of implements.  Numerous fragments of this stone have been found at Monte Palazzi, where it may have been worked by the Greek occupants and re-distributed to the Ionian coast in the form of finished products.  A rock collector also showed Dr. Visonà a Neolithic stone axe found in the environs of Cassari within the last ten years.  This confirms a prehistoric frequentation of the area, which is attested by a chert artifact, (possibly a micro-burin?) found in the 2008 excavations at Monte Palazzi.  Similar axes have also found in Greek contexts at Locri and Hipponion.  It is still uncertain whether several stone tools made out of a gray schistic stone, found associated with classical Greek pottery in different excavation units, are also prehistoric.

A preliminary analysis of the carbon and soil samples from the 2005-2008 campaigns  has yielded remains of different species of wheat and beans in stratified contexts, while a tentative examination of some of the bone fragments has revealed the presence of Pig and Sheep or Goat.  Complete results are expected in the next few months.  Select charcoal and faunal remains will be used for radiocarbon dating.

Following the publication of the 2005 excavation report, an interim report on the 2007 and 2008 field seasons will be submitted to RendLinc (= Atti della Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Classe di Scienze Morali, Storiche e Filologiche. Rendiconti ) in the Fall.  A volume on the results of the archaeological investigations conducted at Monte Palazzi thus far is also in the works.  Its main contents will be the following:

  1. The Monte Palazzi Project’s Intellectual Background: Paolo Visonà
  2. The Stratigraphy of the 2005-2008 Excavations:  Paolo Visonà
  3. The Pottery:  Jennifer Knapp
  4. The Terracotta Figurines:  Rebecca Miller Ammerman
  5. The Lithic and Metal Finds:  Massimo Betello and Paolo Visonà
  6. The Coins:  Claudia Perassi
  7. The Fauna:  Bruce L. Manzano
  8. The Slag:  David Moecher
  9. XRF Analysis of Steatite Samples:  Henry Francis
10. Other Analyses of Steatite:  Silvana Martin
11. A Neolithic Axe from Cassari:  Massimo Cardosa
12. The Cassari Cross:  Vincenzo Naymo
13. Paleobotanical Analyses:  Lanfredo Castelletti and Elisabetta Castiglione
14. Chemical Analyses of Mortar:  Laura Rampazzi
15. GIS Mapping:  Michael Kennedy  
16. Topographical Survey:  Paolo Mazzaglia and Emanuele Sapienza

Part of the 2009 Study Season was also devoted to processing and inventory of the materials from the 1987-2001 excavations at Contrada Mella stored in Oppido Mamertina’s Museo Civico, particularly the commonwares. Randall T. Nishiyama from NOAA spent the last week of May in Oppido working on the brick and tile from this site; Jennifer Knapp continued her study of the finewares.  In addition, Stephanie Pryor, of the University of Missouri, began to work on the Pompeian Red ceramics from Contrada Mella.  Randy also made some critical observations on the basalt millstones from Mella which solved an old puzzle: he helped to identify one of the fragments in the Oppido Museum as the symmetrical half of the meta of a Hellenistic hourglass rotary mill, of which a complete example was found in the excavations.  This type of grain mill appears to be unique. 

We are grateful to the Administration of Oppido Mamertina for providing lodging and facilitating access to the finds in Oppido’s Museum throughout the study season.  As a result of this summer’s work, nearly 1,000 diagnostic fragments of commonwares from Contrada Mella have been singled out for publication.  We plan to begin drawing and photography of this pottery in the Spring of 2010.  

 

Neolithic axe from Cassari, environs.  Sporadic find, 1990-2000.
Granitic stone.  Dimensions: L 10,97 cm.; W 3.2 x 3.81 cm.; oval section
Munsell: N6
 

Iron javelin point, 5th-3rd centuries BCE.
Monte Palazzi 2008; square B2.9.  Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Locri, inv. 146746
Dimensions: L 5.32 cm.; W 1.7 cm.; quadrangular section
 

Greek bronze implement, 5th-4th centuries BCE.
Monte Palazzi 2008; square B2.6.  Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Locri, inv. 146745
Dimensions: L 8.95 cm; W at top 8.5 mm.

October 25, 2008

The Foundation for Calabrian Archaeology

In August, 2008, The Mamertion Foundation, a non-profit corporation, has become The Foundation for Calabrian Archaeology. Between 1994 and 2001 The Mamertion Foundation supported archaeological research at the Italic site of contrada Mella, near Oppido Mamertina, in southwestern Calabria. The new name reflects the corporation’s broader objectives. The Foundation for Calabrian Archaeology’s chief goals are to explore and excavate archaeological sites in the Calabria region of southern Italy, under the authority of Italy’s Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali and of the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Calabria, and to gain an understanding of the economy, the material culture, and the socio-political organization of the peoples of Calabria in antiquity.

The 2008 Excavations at Monte Palazzi (Croceferrata Pass, Grotteria), in south-central Calabria

Located atop a thickly forested mountain rising to 1,215 meters above sea level, on one of the mountain chains that form the spine of the Italian peninsula, the site of Monte Palazzi lies about 25 km. from the Ionian coast of Calabria. After architectural remains and Greek ceramics were found on this mountaintop, Italian archaeologists suggested that the ruins belonged to a fort of Locri Epizephyrii, the closest and most powerful Greek city on the Ionian coast. Locrian involvement with territory across these mountains had begun in the 7th century BCE, when Locri founded the colonies of Hipponion and Medma on the Tyrrhenian coast. A Locrian stronghold on Monte Palazzi could have controlled an overland route linking the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts. It could also have kept watch upon the movements of Lucanians and Brettians, indigenous populations who threatened Locrian territory before the Roman conquest.

Our investigations are aimed at casting new light upon the architectural history, the functions, and the phases of occupation of the Greek settlement at Monte Palazzi.

The 2008 campaign was conducted in late May and June by Dr. Paolo Visonà of the University of Kentucky. Sara Palaskas of UCLA was Assistant Director, and Jennifer E. Knapp of the University of Missouri-Columbia served as Ceramic Specialist. Dr. Massimo Betello of SUNY-Buffalo, Andrew Cohee, and John (Craig) Stewart of the University of Kentucky were Field Supervisors. James R. Jansson and John Svoboda supervised logistics and sifting in addition to participating in the excavations. American volunteer excavators and a group of students from the University of Kentucky comprised the 2008 field team. In addition, Professor Michael Kennedy of the Department of Geography of the University of Kentucky visited Monte Palazzi to collect data for GIS mapping.

This year’s investigations had three main objectives. First, we intended to explore a breach in the perimeter wall on the northeastern flank of the site to unearth the wall’s foundations and to obtain evidence that would help date the wall’s construction. This area was heavily disturbed, since the wall appeared to have been robbed out. We also planned to extend the excavations towards the central area of the complex in order to uncover remains of floors or surfaces. Finally, by opening new excavation units along the southwestern flank of the site we sought to locate a section of the perimeter wall that would help determine the boundaries and size of the settlement.

The excavation of the breach in the northeastern perimeter wall revealed that the lowest courses of this wall had been laid out flatly upon bedrock. While several ceramic fragments from this context can be dated to the 5th century BCE, it is still uncertain when the wall was built.

One of the most interesting finds inside the perimeter wall was a miniature olpe (a pitcher) datable to the early to mid-4th century BCE. Miniature pottery served no practical function and was used for votive offerings. Even though no traces of a continuous surface could be discerned, finds of other fragments of different miniature vessels found in the same area in previous seasons suggest that ritual activity may have taken place near the wall.

In contrast, a new square excavated at a distance of 10 meters from the northeastern perimeter wall yielded a sequence of soil layers with many ceramic inclusions, possibly representing episodes of habitation. This evidence includes a large number of fragments of Locrian transport amphoras with an almond-shaped rim profile, made in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, as well as cookwares; the most recent pottery can be dated to the first half of the 3rd century BCE. Other finds include the tip of an iron javelin, an unusual bronze implement, and two bronze coins of Dionysius I of Syracuse, minted between 405-367 BCE. Dionysius I and his son were allies of Locri in the first half of the 4th century BCE, and these coins are found at Locri in stratigraphic contexts datable between 350-250 BCE. Therefore, they may have arrived at Monte Palazzi within a broad period of time, but probably not after the mid-3rd century. A posthole cut into the bedrock, similar to one located in 2007 near the wall, raises the possibility that large timbers may have supported a shelter covered with tiles, to which several fragments of rooftiles from this area may be related.

On the opposite flank of the site, where we opened three adjoining excavation units, we were able to uncover a segment of the southwestern perimeter wall that seems largely undisturbed. Its width of 2.5 meters and its construction technique resemble those of the northeastern wall, and its location suggests that the entire complex may have enclosed at least 1,000 square meters. Significantly, all the ceramic materials overlying the southwestern perimeter wall date between the 5th and the mid-3rd centuries BCE, and include examples of Locrian amphora rims.

As a result of this year’s excavations, the record of Locri Epizephyrii’s links to Monte Palazzi has become more substantial. Even though it is still unclear whether the settlement was primarily a military outpost, or whether it may have served other functions, the increased number of fragments of Locrian amphoras datable to the 5th and 4th centuries attests to the presence of Locrian Greeks at the site throughout the 4th century BCE. The absence of pottery made after the mid-3rd century in all the areas explored thus far, tentatively suggests that the site ceased to be occupied after 250 BCE. In addition, there is evidence that the Greek settlement at Monte Palazzi may have been connected to the exploitation of an important natural resource. Analyses by Professor David Moecher of the University of Kentucky have revealed that the materials found in the 2008 excavations include slag obtained by smelting hematite, or iron ore. The production of iron near the site could also help explain the strategic relevance of this mountain to the Locrians

November 2, 2007

The 2007 campaign at Monte Palazzi (c. 20 km. inland of Gioiosa Jonica, in the Calabria region of southern Italy) was conducted between May 22 and July 1st with the participation of David Companione, Sylvia Hernandez, James Jansson, Ed and Lorie Mihelich, Elizabeth Middlemist, Nanette Philibert, Giulia Prestia, Anthony Scott, Craig Stewart, John Svoboda, Marian Visonà, and Jessica Wang, under the direction of Dr. Paolo Visonà of the University of Kentucky and in collaboration with Dr. Claudio Sabbione of the Archaeological Superintendence of Calabria. Sara Palaskas from UCLA was assistant director and field supervisor; Jennifer Knapp from the University of Missouri-Columbia served as ceramics specialist. The Falkenberg Foundation of Denver, Colorado, provided generous funding for the project.

Located at 1,215 meters of elevation near the Croceferrata Pass in the highlands between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, Monte Palazzi is believed to have been an important outpost in the frontier territory of the Greek cities of Locri Epizephyrii and Kaulonia. Our archaeological investigations are aimed at testing this hypothesis and at reconstructing the phases of occupation and the architectural history of the settlement.

One of the main goals this summer was to uncover the full width of the perimeter wall found in 2005 on the summit of Monte Palazzi. We also wanted to learn how and when this structure was built. Removal of 12 cubic meters of rock tumble showed that the outer face of the wall was still preserved to a height of six courses. Its remaining upper section was found to have shifted and to be leaning outwards (perhaps because of the pull of gravity, or of seismic activity in this area of Calabria since antiquity). The wall was dry-built across the ridgetop and consists of two curtains of roughly hewn stones encasing a rubble core of smaller stones. Its foundations rest directly upon the granitic bedrock, and its maximum width ranges between 2.3 and 2.5 m. Preliminary calculations suggest that this wall may have reached a height of 4 m. and may have had a defensive function. Its construction date is still uncertain. Charcoal and a bronze arrowpoint (with a fragment of the wooden shaft still attached!) were found in the debris layer overlying the remains of the outer face. However, there is no conclusive evidence that the wall was destroyed in a violent conflagration.

Clear signs of an internal organization of space have not yet been detected in the areas explored inside the wall. Recent disturbances possibly caused by pothunters may have destroyed much of the archaeological stratigraphy. A pit associated with a thin layer of soil containing cultural material, a pit interpreted as a possible posthole, and some charcoal lenses are the only traces of occupation found above bedrock thus far. The ceramic evidence from these contexts dates predominantly to the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. Fragments of miniature vessels (possibly votive), of a terracotta draped figurine holding a caduceus, and of a pantile, are among the most significant finds. Even though it is unclear how this tile was used, the presence of permanent roofing material inside the perimeter is very intriguing.

Two test units excavated on the southern edges of the site also produced new items of interest. The deepest probe yielded numerous fragments of Ionic cups and other finewares datable to the late 6th – early 5th centuries BCE, fragments of early 5th century Locrian amphoras, and two bronze arrowheads. All these artifacts come from a layer of soil directly above bedrock which may represent the earliest phase of Greek occupation of Monte Palazzi. The second test unit was excavated in an area suspected to be a modern robber trench. It yielded both late archaic and classical pottery and a bronze coin of Locri datable between 300-215 BCE , in addition to a corroded Italian coin minted between 1946-1950, which may have been lost by pothunters. More fragments of miniature vessels were found in both test units.

On the whole, the results of our second field season have confirmed that a Greek settlement existed at Monte Palazzi near the end of the 6th century or in the first half of the 5th century BCE. Present evidence suggests that its occupants may have come from the city of Locri Epizephyrii on the Ionian coast of Calabria. While the perimeter wall excavated in 2005 and 2007 could be a fortification, the ubiquitous finds of miniature ceramics and the growing quantity of finewares, particularly drinking cups, also raise the possibility that the site may have been frequented as a frontier sanctuary. We still do not know if Monte Palazzi was occupied continuously until the end of the 3rd century BCE, and whether it was destroyed or abandoned.