Muslim cemetery unearthed in Sicilian province of Ragusa

The first excavation campaign at the site of Cifali Ganzeria, in the province of Ragusa, which took place from 25 June to 19 July, has brought to light an exceptional discovery. The project members were PhD students, postgraduate students and students of master's degrees in Archaeology and History of the University of Pisa. The young archaeologists, in addition to defining the stages of occupation of the site, from the fifth century BC to the thirteenth century AD, have identified and excavated the first Islamic cemetery in the Ragusa area. It is a discovery that will allow a better understanding of the forms of coexistence between communities of different religious faiths.

Muslim burials discovered at the site of Cifali Ganzeria
[Credit: Universita di Pisa]

The campaign was directed by Professor Federico Cantini of the University of Pisa and by Saverio Scerra of the Superintendence of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Ragusa, with the support of the Municipality of Chiaramonte Gulfi, within the framework of an agreement signed by the three institutions, and with the logistical support of the local Cooperative Nostra Signora di Gulfi.

The excavation is an integral part of the project entitled "Meetings and clashes between civilizations in the center of the Mediterranean", funded by the University of Pisa and directed by Professor Federico Cantini (Professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology) and Professor Simone Collavini (Professor of Medieval History). This is a project that aims to address the issue of the encounters and clashes between civilizations through history by directly studying the archaeological evidence relating to a sample site in Sicily, where Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Norman cultures alternated, from the third to the thirteenth century.

Remains of a large brick furnace [Credit: Universita di Pisa]

The initiative included field research, laboratory activities ( cataloguing of finds, digitalisation of excavation data, photogrammetry with the use of drones, study of anthropological remains) and visits to the main archaeological sites in south-eastern Sicily, in the belief that direct knowledge of cultural heritage is an essential learning tool.

Sections of 12th-13th century housing structures also relate to the medieval phase, which, together with the data from previous surveys, also enable the definition of the urban characteristics of a settlement that reaches an area of 8 hectares. The structures partly occupy a vast area where, in the Roman Imperial Age, there was a probable Augustan farm and a villa/station, with a large brick furnace and a spa. Going even further back in time, at the end of the 5th-early 4th century BC, the head of a small clay Demeter dates back, which could suggest the presence of a sanctuary near the source of the river Ippari.

Head of a small clay Demeter [Credit: Universita di Pisa]

"The project will continue over the next few years, offering a privileged observatory for reconstructing the history of the late antique and medieval Mediterranean", said Professor Federico Cantini. "This initiative represents an opportunity for the students of our University and in particular for those, many, Sicilians, to apply what they have learned in their training to the study of a region whose wealth in terms of cultural heritage could (and should) constitute a new resource for future generations. Knowing and understanding historical phenomena through different types of sources, disseminating knowledge, making it an instrument of cultural, social and economic promotion."

Source: Universita di Pisa [trsl. TANN, July 31, 2019]