People and Movements in Central Sicily: Settlement Patterns and Territory Changes in Antiquity

Abstract

From the late 1970s, Landscape Archeology turned its attention to the role of the interior territories in the economic, political and social changes of the different historical epochs. The countryside, which supplied products for consumption and commerce, was populated by a multitude of people who were active part of the development of large urban centers. We believe that archaeological methods and approaches may offer insightful tools for understanding the history of the place and interpreting settlement patterns in antiquity. The project presented here aims to research a few explored territories of central Sicily (in the district of Caltanissetta) to reconstruct its life history and to contextualize it in a general framework, from a long-term perspective. In the field research, we intend to rely on methodologies of topographic survey, which also includes the use of instruments that allow non-invasive interventions. The elaboration of the data through the GIS (Geographical Information System) will allow the spatial analysis of the movements of the human groups and their relationship with territory and landscape