La viabilità antica e medievale del Monte Altesina (Nicosia, Sicilia) e del suo comprensorio. Primi risultati e considerazioni

Abstract

The archaeological site of Mount Altesina (Nicosia, Enna) is the subject of collaborative research by the Soprintendenza di Enna and the University of Orléans (Université Bordeaux-Montaigne in 2020-2023), with the support of the Comune di Nicosia and the cultural association ‘Ecomuseo Petra D’Asgotto.’ Over the last five years, numerous archaeological finds have been identified in an area of at least fifty hectares: an extensive prehistoric necropolis, a large settlement on the summit of the mountain dating from the classical Greek to the Hellenistic period, a probable phase of fortification phase ranging from the Byzantine, proto-Islamic and Norman-Swabian periods, a convent occupation from the late Middle Ages to the beginning of the Modern Age, and, finally, an uninterrupted agro-pastoral occupation until the recent acquisition of the area by the state. The aim of this work is to present the preliminary results of the study of the ancient road system, in relation to the archaeological sites in the area. The site is located at the crossroads of important communication routes. These include the so-called “mulattiera di Cicerone”, an older variant of the Enna-Alesa cursus publicus grain route, which, according to Giovanni Uggeri, follows one of the drovers’ paths (trazzere) that passed at the foot of the Altesina. Recent fieldwork appears to confirm the antiquity of this route, which serves a number of archaeological sites whose occupation can be dated between the sixth and third centuries BC. Research carried out at Bozzetta and Tavi demonstrated that these were also connected to the Altesina through a complex network of tracks that likely followed transhumance routes. The occupation of the site over many centuries and its road system were owed to the abundance of water sources and the strategic position of Mount Altesina in the middle of the island, which made the Altesina area the centre of three valli over the centuries. The site’s relationship to the road system allows it to be understood within the territorial context of central Sicily and as a hub connecting the different areas of the iisland.

KEYWORDS: Monte Altesina, Sicily, Ancient road system, Medieval road system.