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Martinelli, Maria Clara
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Martinelli, Maria Clara
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- PublicationOpen AccessForeword Special Issue: When volcanologists meet archaeologists and other disciplines(2021)
; ; ; ; ; This special issue of Annals of Geophysics entitled: “When Volcanologists Meet Archaeologists and Other Disciplines: Relationships Between Eruptions and Human Communities” originates from a session (S13) of the Rittmann International Conference which took place in Catania on February 13th 2020, having as its main theme the history of volcanology and the impact of volcanic activity on humans. The twelve articles collected in this special issue reflect the aims and contents of the reports presented by some participants at this session of the Rittmann conference408 42 - PublicationOpen AccessPrehistorical Obsidian Sources in the Island of Lipari (Aeolian Islands)(2020-12-28)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; This research project concerns the study, analysis and dating of obsidian flows on the island of Lipari, in relation to the population of the Aeolian Islands, during the Neolithic period. The collection, processing and diffusion of Lipari obsidian characterise the Neolithic population of Lipari and the entire Mediterranean. By improving the knowledge of supply methods in the territory, it will be possible to formulate hypotheses on the chronology of the sources, the ways of collecting the raw material and on the mobility of the Neolithic communities in the Aeolian Islands. The scientific research is divided into two main topics: the first concerns the analytical and methodological aspects of archaeological and geological studies of Lipari obsidian; the second, the formation of obsidian at Lipari, their sources and lithological characteristics. Throughout the duration of this study we will perform new age determinations of Neolithic obsidian artefacts and geological samples, directly with the method of fission track, and indirectly dating paleo soils using the radiocarbon method.308 22 - PublicationOpen AccessFROM CLAYS TO POTTERY: ROLE OF GEOMATERIALS IN THE SOCIAL–TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE MESSINA TERRITORY (SICILY, ITALY) AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL–HISTORICAL INFORMATION ON THE MAIN KILNS(2021)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ; ; ;This contribution is intended to answer the question of why in teaching approaches it is important to speak about territory? The answer to the question is driven by the consideration that the territory, including the established human activities, encompasses the history, the events and the culture of the people who populated it. On this regard, it should be noted that the relationship between natural elements and human activities that refer to a given territory has a dynamic character since both influence each other and help to write the history of that place. In this framework, the proposed method is used as an interdisciplinary approach to the theme of clay minerals. These latter are hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, with variable amounts of iron, magnesium, alkali metals, alkaline earths. They are the main constituents of soils, and have been used by humans since ancient times in agriculture and manufacturing. For this reason, clays played a basic role for the human civilization process since its earliest periods. Clays are recognized amongst the most important rock products, both as raw material and in the form of pottery, bricks, tiles, terra-cotta and many other tools for daily use. This is particular evident in Sicily, where, since ancient times, the availability of local clay sources favoured the diffusion of clay-artefacts and related workshops found over the territory. This paper makes reference to a lecture addressed to university students and includes: i) the description of the main mineralogical features and properties of clay minerals; ii) a brief discussion on the role played by clays in terms of clay-artefacts production in the historical and cultural evolution of the Messina territory; iii) a description of local clay outcrops; iiii) a presentation of the main kilns over the Messina territory, and in particular of unpublished archaeological information on the S. Pier Niceto kilns. The proposed approach aims to increase the interest of students towards the significant aspects that affected the social-economic growth of the Messina’s territory and on the importance that geo-materials had in the technological evolution of its civilization process.106 63 - PublicationRestrictedArcheometric characterization of prehistoric grindstones from Milazzo Bronze Age settlement (Sicily, Italy)(2018)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; The results of a petrographic and geochemical study carried out on archeological grindstones allow to provide new constraints on protohistoric commercial exchanges over the Mediterranean area. Eleven grindstones, discovered in an archeological site located in Milazzo (Messina, Sicily) and dated from the Early Bronze Age, have been investigated by geochemical and petrographic techniques. The raw materials are mainly volcanic rocks characterized by calc-alkaline and K-alkaline affinities with volcanic arc geochemical signature. Only one sample, made of basalt belonging to the Naalkaline series, shows an intraplate signature. The comparison with the available literature data for similar rocks allowed constraining the volcanic origin of the exploited lavas. While the intraplate-type raw material came from Mt. Etna Volcano (Sicily), the arc-type volcanic rocks are mostly trachyandesites, basaltic andesites, and one rhyolite. Although most of them come from the Aeolian Arc, a provenance of some samples from the Aegean Arc cannot be excluded. This last region could represent the most probable provenance area for the rhyolite sample.166 13 - PublicationOpen AccessVolcanic events that have marked the anthropic history of the Aeolian IslandsArchaeological and historical studies, conducted since 1950, allow us to trace a hypothetical demographic framework in which three crises extended over time, attributed by scholars to unfavourable social-economic situations or to war aggression, can be observed. A comparison of these three crises with the volcanological record reveals a correlation suggesting that the volcanic events had an effect on local anthropic history. The first crisis occurred in 4th millennium BC and involved all the Aeolian Islands, particularly Contrada Diana, the main Neolithic site of Lipari. The Diana Spatarella facies records: the reduction of the coastal settlement of Contrada Diana, the settling of Rocca del Castello, and the development of settlements in areas protected from volcanic activity. These observations support the hypothesis that Contrada Diana was exposed to the effects of tsunami waves created by the Sciara del Fuoco collapse on Stromboli, and indirectly to the eruptions of Gran Cratere of Vulcano that also caused problems for the sailors travelling between the mainland to Lipari. The second crisis occurred between 9th and 6th centuries BC and could be also be caused by the effects of the strong eruptive phase which occurred 2.9 ka at Vulcano and the tsunami produced by another sector collapse on Stromboli at the end of the Neostromboli. As during the first crisis, navigation between the mainland and Lipari would have been made difficult. The third crisis happened in the historical period between 6th and 11th centuries with a possible peak during the eruption of Monte Pilato which occurred in 776 AD in the NE sector of Lipari.
427 189 - PublicationOpen AccessResilience and adaptation to volcanoes in Late Middle Ages in Lipari island (Aeolian, Italy)(2021-12-13)
; ; ; ; ; Volcanic activity resumed during early Middle Ages times at Lipari following at least 6000 years of quiescence. This phenomenon occurred in a social context that had continuously developed from prehistoric times to the Roman age and was burdened by a demographic crisis that involved the archipelago between the 6th and 11th century AD. The rare archaeological records relating to the 6th - 11th centuries suggest abrupt changes in the population of the islands. The medieval sources are rich in religious and fantastic references to volcanic events linked to Lipari and Vulcano, testifying the uneasy condition for the human communities. This work concerns the resilience and adaptation of the communities to volcanic activity during the Late Middle Ages in Lipari. Starting from 1083 the Aeolian archipelago was involved in a repopulation program, implemented in 1095 by the Constitutum and organized by the Benedictine Monastery with the annexed S. Bartolomeo Cathedral on the castle. From the 13th century the volcanic phenomena, strictly limited to the northern sector of the island, did not interfere as previously with the anthropic activities. The Monastery will be enlarged in the Norman phase during the first half of the 12th century with the construction of the cloister. New historical documents relating to the 1264, report news of fires and land movements on Lipari. Recent age determinations obtained for the obsidian flow of Rocche Rosse at 1220 ± 30 AD (archaeomagnetic dating) and for an obsidian block of the Lami pyroclastic cone at 1243 ± 190 (fission-track dating) allow to define the age of the last phase of activity of the Monte Pilato-Lami-Rocche Rosse complex, and to associate it the events reported on 1264’s historical documents. This work makes in comparison volcanological, archaeological and historical dates and described an updated summary of one of the lesser known phases of the history of the archipelago. The main consequence of the medieval volcanic activity at Lipari caused a clear division of the territory with the population confined in the southeast quadrant, protected to the north by Serra and Monte Rosa which represented a natural orographic barrier.295 80 - PublicationOpen AccessNew perspectives on an “old” technique: Lipari obsidian and Neolithic communities investigated by Fission Track Dating(2022)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ; ;“Lipari obsidian and Neolithic human communities in the Aeolian islands” is a project aimed at studying the connection between obsidian flows on the island of Lipari and Neolithic populations on the Aeolian archipelago, in Italy. As it is well known, obsidian is of particular interest to trace prehistorical trading patterns; indeed, Lipari obsidian has the widest distribution and has been found in southern France, Dalmazia, Sicily and mainland Italy. The project outputs will give a general vision of both archaeological and volcanological aspects through the stratigraphic and radiometric dating of eruptions which produced obsidian, in relationship with the first phases of the human settlements and row material exploitation. To reach this goal, we are considering both raw materials (geological samples) from different flows and artefacts from Neolithic settlements (archaeological samples) on the Aeolian islands, and performing fissiontrack dating to get the age of obsidian sources and artefacts. Obtained results are expected to shed some new light on the raw material procurement and on the ability of the Neolithic populations to move from their locations, with particular attention to the consequences of environmental features on the first human settlements on the Aeolian islands.154 16 - PublicationOpen AccessThe Black Gold That Came from the Sea. Advances in the Studies of Obsidian Sources and Artifacts of the Central Mediterranean AreaThis Special Issue of Open Archaeology is a two-volume collection of most of the contributions presented at the International Workshop on the same subject which took place in Palermo, Italy, on 10–12 June 2019. The topics of the Special Issue are: – archaeometric studies of obsidian sources, and artifacts of significant archaeological importance; – genesis and description of the Central Mediterranean obsidian outcrops exploited during the Prehistory; – new methods of obsidian sources discrimination; – obsidians as an edutainment tool; – not just obsidians: some works are dedicated to studies of characterization of ancient artificial glasses.
55 9 - PublicationOpen AccessThe neolithic obsidian artifacts from Roccapalumba (Palermo, Italy): first characterization and provenance determination(2018)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; This paper discusses the first geochemical characterization of obsidian fragments from the prehistoric site of Roccapalumba (Palermo, Italy). The Neolithic age of the prehistoric settlement was constrained by pottery and flint tools discovered in the same archaeological context. To define the provenance of the investigated obsidian artifacts major and trace element analyses have been carried out by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM–EDX) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS). The comparison with literature data of the Central Mediterranean source areas, based on trace elements content and their ratios allow of constraining a provenance of the Roccapalumba obsidians from the Lipari Island. The obsidian lava flow from Gabellotto Valley is the most probable source of volcanic glass at Lipari and also the most exploited in the Mediterranean area for manufactured tools. The obtained results can contribute in reconstructing the trade/exchange and procurement relationships occurred between the prehistoric human groups inhabiting Sicily during Neolithic age.297 129