Der Agrigent-Hinterland-Survey

The Monti Sicani between Agrigento and Palermo have long been virtually unexplored archaeologically. Our survey, which covered 274 km², has provided a new and much denser impression of settlement structures between the Copper Age and the Middle Ages. The prehistoric sites paint a detailed picture of how early settlements followed each other and reflect the surprising incursion of Greek influences into these inland, mountainous areas, where not only border sanctuaries, but even a small number of Greek period farms are established. A more concentrated use of the landscape begins in Hellenistic times, followed by a restructuring and an increase in settlement density particularly in Late Antiquity. The volume also casts a glance over the Arab and Norman phase and beyond to the Middle Ages. More than 260 colour plates, drawings and supplements document the archaeology of the Sicilian inland areas for the first time.