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[EN] This paper presents a work in progress carried out by the authors with the students of three high schools of Agrigento (Sicily, Italy) for the promotion of the cultural heritage of the city of Realmonte, near Agrigento. Through the combination of 3D imaging, storytelling and video production, the project aims to spread knowledge about the archaeological site of the 1st century AD Roman villa of Durrueli, the Italkali salt mines and the natural site of the Scala dei Turchi., [ES] Esta obra presenta un trabajo en progreso llevado a cabo por los autors conjunto con los estudiantes de tres secundarias de Agrigento (Sicilia, Italia) para la promoción de la herencia cultural de la ciudad de Realmonte, cercana a Agrigento. Con la combinación del escaneo en 3D, narración de la historia, y la producción de video, el projecto trata de divulgar el conocimiento de Durrueli, sobre el sitio arqueológico de una villa Romana del primer siglo D.C, las minas de sal de Italkali y los sitios naturales de la Scala Dei Turchi.

During the study of a pottery assemblage collected at the Sicilian site of Licata-Caduta (Agrigento), continuously occupied between the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, some ceramics presented typologies, fabrics and surface treatments alien to Sicilian repertoires and closer to Maltese productions. Sampled for petrographic (OM) and chemical (XRF) analyses one artefact turned out to be produced in Malta and imported into Sicily. The search for its chronological and cultural placement has led to the discovery of the first certified Zebbug phase import in Sicily., peer-reviewed

La Sicilia centro meridionale è caratterizzata da grandi affioramenti della serie gessoso-solfifera: le acque superficiali penetrano all’interno della roccia granulare, variamente fessurata, inabissandosi nei meandri sotterranei derivanti dalla dissoluzione dei gessi. Molte di queste cavità conservano tracce di frequentazione in età preistorica. Nell’ambito di un progetto di censimento delle grotte del territorio agrigentino sono state esplorate oltre quaranta cavità con tracce più o meno evidenti di frequentazione in età preistorica (dal Neolitico al Bronzo recente) che si aggiungono a quelle note in letteratura, come le grotte Infame Diavolo, Zubbia, Ticchiara, Acqua Fitusa, Kronio, ecc. L’esplorazione e lo studio ancora in corso ha permesso di evidenziare alcune costanti: la presenza dell’acqua, nella forma dello stillicidio che porta alle formazioni di stalattiti e stalagmiti, di fiumi e laghetti o anche nella forma vaporosa; la localizzazione in posti sotterranei e nascosti, la difficoltà di accesso, la mancanza assoluta di fonti luminose, la deposizione di vasellame di buona qualità e la presenza di sepolture, sono stati identificati quali indizi dell’uso cultuale delle grotte, in quanto manifestazioni che esulano dal quotidiano e dal funzionale. Molte grotte sono collegate a fenomeni endogeni cosiddetti pseudovulcanici, come la risorgenza di oli bituminosi nella grotta Bonura, di acque sulfuree, come nella grotta dell’Acqua Fitusa o la presenza di vapori di aria calda documentata in alcune grotte del territorio di Casteltermini e nella grotta del Kronio, dove il potente termalismo non sembra lasciare dubbi sulla frequentazione di tipo rituale. South-central Sicily is characterized by large outcrops of sulphurous gypsum: surface water penetrates the cracked granular rock, sinking into underground meanders formed by gypsum dissolution. Many of these cavities contain traces from the prehistoric age. As part of a census project on the caves in the Agrigento region, over forty cavities containing various degrees of traces left by mankind in prehistoric times (from the Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age) have been explored, in addition to the caves already cited in literature, such as the Infame Diavolo, Zubbia, Ticchiara, Acqua Fitusa, Kronio, etc. The exploration and ongoing study have revealed some constants: the presence of water vapours and dripping water leading to the formation of stalactites and stalagmites, streams and lakes; hidden underground locations; difficult access; complete lack of light sources, and the presence of high-quality stoneware and tombs, evidencing the cultural rather than the everyday or functional use of the caves. Many caves are connected to so-called pseudo-volcanic endogenous phenomena, such as the resurgence of bituminous oils in the Bonura Cave, sulphur water in the Acqua Fitusa Cave, or hot air vapour documented in some caves in the Casteltermini area and in the Kronio Cave, where the presence of hot springs strongly suggest ritual activity.

Insights into the diets of early societies can be gained, indirectly, from the cultural evidence of artefacts related to food procurement, preparation and consumption and human skeletal remains. However, more direct evidence for dietary constituents derives from the identification of intact plant and animal remains collected during the excavations but also from the exam of the amorphous remains of foodstuff associated with artefacts. Organic residues adhering to the surface or absorbed into the porous fabric of an unglazed cooking vessel should provide important information both about the usage of the vessel and dietary practices. This contribute deals with the results of a combined analytical research via 1 H- 1 H NMR 2D-TOCSY, ATR FT-IR and SEM-EDX on organic residues on pottery from two Sicilian prehistoric sites of Monte Kronio and Sant'Ippolito. The goal was that to shed new light on the use of certain ceramic shapes and infer some hypothesis about ancient dietary habits.