Il sistema difensivo dell’Acropoli di Cossyra: nuove ricerche e primi risultati

Abstract

The paper presents the first results of a new research project of the University of Tübingen on the elaborate fortification system of the Punic-Roman Acropolis of Cossyra (Pantelleria). The hill on which the site stands was defended throughout its history by at least two circles of walls, bulwarks, elevated terraces and fortified gateways. These monumental works were sometimes an integral part of the extensive urbanization project of the ancient city, together with the road system and other public infrastructures; sometimes, nevertheless, they changed its appearance, even dramatically. In these evidences, we can recognize the echoes of the alternating war events that characterized this area of the Mediterranean between the end of the 4th century BC and the 1st century BC.
Keywords: Punic Archaeology, Hellenistic Fortifications, Pantelleria Island, Sicily, Carthage