Description
The work presented in this book opens a new window on the history and archeology of medieval Sicily, by focusing on the development of human-animal relationships from Byzantine times to the later Middle Ages. This large-scale study of animal bones and teeth relies on the analysis of material from old and recent excavations, as well as on a comprehensive review of data available from the literature. The results shed light on two major lines of investigation on Arab and Norman-Aragonese Sicily: the influence of different dominations on dietary practices, most notably the extent to which the taboo on pork consumption spread in the island under the Arab administration, and the longer -term changes in animal husbandry as a consequence of the technological developments and novel approaches to landscape exploitation introduced by the Arabs.
Contents
1. Introduction
1. An historical overview of medieval Sicily
- 1.1 Sicily from the Romans to the Byzantines
- 1.2 Sicily from the Byzantines to the Arabs
- 1.3 Sicily from the Arabs to the Normans/Swabians
2. An overview of medieval Palermo
- 2.1 A geographical and historical introduction to Palermo
- 2.2 Palermo in the Aghlabid period
- 2.3 Palermo in the Fatimid and Khalbid periods
- 2.4 Palermo in the Norman/Swabian period
3. Sites and Methodology
- 3.1 The diagnostic zone method
- 3.2 Quantification
- 3.3 Ageing and sexing
- 3.4 Biometry
- 3.5 Taphonomy
- 3.6 Pathologies and non-metric traits
4. results 4.1 Corso dei Mille (Palermo)
- 4.2 Sant’Antonino (Palermo)
- 4.3 The Norman Palace (Palermo)
- 4.4 Casale San Pietro (Castronovo di Sicilia, Palermo)
- 4.5 Mazara del Vallo (Trapani)
- 4.6 Colmitella (Agrigento)
- 4.7 Rocchicella (Catania)
- 4.8 Castello San Pietro (Palermo)
5. Discussion
- 5.1 Byzantine Sicily: the starting point
- 5.2 The arrival of the Arabs: taboos, introductions and improvements
- 5.4 Eagles over Sicily: the Norman/Swabian period
Conclusions and potential future research
Bibliography
In collaboration with SAMI, Società degli Archeologi Medievisti Italiani
