Archaeologia Austriaca 99/2015, pp. 111-154, 2015/12/11
Zeitschrift zur Archäologie Europas
Journal on the Archaeology of Europe
The present work is devoted to the study of stone beads and pendants from Bronze Age sites in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Macroscopic geological examination made it possible to identify the rock types and in some cases their probable provenance. A chronological and typological analysis of the objects as well as graphic and photographic documentation completes the study of the stone artifacts. Comparative research throughout the Mediterranean allows the distinction between local groups of beads and pendants (i.e. of local production and distribution) and groups of Near Eastern objects (mainly in carnelian) that arrived in Italy through Aegean contacts. This work enables a chronological classification of these objects, some of which arrived in Sicily via Mediterranean sea routes. As a result, it is possible to discuss in depth some issues regarding Aegean imports in Italy and the changing socio-economic role that ornaments played in the indigenous communities during the Bronze Age.
Keywords: Bronze Age, beads, lithic material, carnelian, Sicily, Aeolian Islands, Aegean
