Missione archeologica internazionale “Storia e archeologia del Monte Altesina (Nicosia, Sicilia)”. Report della attività di ricerca 2022 e considerazioni preliminari

Abstract

The article presents the results and preliminary considerations of multidisciplinary research
conducted at the Monte Altesina site (Nicosia) from 2020. In the first two years of research, the international
archaeological mission carried out preliminary studies on archaeological material from previous excavations
and preliminary documentation. However, it was from 2022 onwards that the archaeological mission intensified
its research activities. The preliminary results are significant and include the identification of frequentation
in the higher part of the site during the prehistoric period. Additionally, the extent of the site during the
Greek period has been understood, covering an area of at least eleven hectares and adapting to the geological
configuration of the mountain. Furthermore, a late Byzantine/early Islamic settlement phase has been identified,
and occupation in the monastery area has been confirmed, at least in the late Middle Ages. Geophysical
prospections have revealed anomalies within three metres of the current ground level. Ethnographic investigations
have provided valuable data for studying oral traditions related to the mountain’s antiquities. The
research activities have enabled significant progress in the historical and cultural understanding of the site
throughout the different millennia. This confirms the importance of the historical-archaeological heritage of
Altesina in the context of central Sicily over time.

Keywords: Mount Altesina; ancient landscape studies; material culture; geophysical prospections; ethnographical
studies.