The Roman wreck of c. AD 200 at Plemmirio, near Siracusa (Sicily): Interim report

A Roman wreck, named Plemmirio B^[1]i, lies on the rocky talus below the southern cliffs of Capo Murro di Porco, near Costa Bianca del Plemmirio (Penisola della Maddalena), prov. Siracusa, Sicily. The cargo of amphoras and iron bars, relatively well-preserved, is situated between 22 m and 47 m depth. Following brief examinations in 1974–1982, a University of Bristol expedition spent four weeks surveying the site in July-August 1983^[2] This paper presents an interim summary of these campaigns; a comprehensive report will be published after completion of excavations at the site^[3]. The archaeological deposit at Plemmirio B is characterized by concentrations of fragmented amphoras. There is no direct evidence for the structure of the ship, much of which may have disintegrated during the initial wreck process, but study of the artefact distribution suggests a vessel of fairly large capacity. The amphora consignment (which may have numbered no more than 200) comprised cylindrical African containers, 80% of which were form Africana 2A and 20% Africana 1^[4] w. The Africana 2A amphoras had internal resinous linings, and so may have contained a fish product rather than olive oil. Other amphoras exposed on the site were at least one Mauretanian Dressel 30 (Keay type 1) and two possibly intrusive amphoras of unclassified types. Ferrous concretions contained voids (hollow casts) which may once have been about 39 wrought iron bars, of two distinctive shapes. These, and several other concretions of unidentified forms, may represent a consignment of iron originally weighing approximately one tonne. Other finds from the wreck are two cooking pots, a small bowl or cup, a sounding lead, three fragments of tegula rooftiles, and two small stone blocks. One of the cooking pots confirms a date for the wreck based on the amphora association of circa AD 180–250, most likely in the first decade of the 3rd century. The amphora assemblage belongs to an important phase of commerce from North Africa represented by at least 20 known wreck cargoes; however, few of these sites have been scientifically recorded or are as closely dated as Plemmirio B, and the diversity of container types and cargo consignments on this wreck is of particular interest.     

A case of cranial trepanation in a Roman necropolis (Cassino,Italy, 3rd century BC)

The aim of this study was to investigate an individual from a Cassino necropolis of the 3^rd century BC. The inhumation shows a rectangular wound between the sagittal and lambdoid sutures of the cranium. Furthermore a series of pathological traces on the post‐cranial skeleton are present. The trepanation of the skull seems intentional: probably a healed surgical procedure to treat a sword wound. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Roman shipwreck with a cargo of Apuan marble (marmor lunense) at Punta del Francese (Stintino-Sassari,Sardinia)

The wreck-site of Punta del Francese (Stintino-Sassari) off the island of Sardinia (Italy) is composed of 14 roughly cubic blocks and slabs of marble lying in an almost coherent arrangement. Archaeometric analyses indicate a provenance of the entire cargo of marble from the Apuan Alps (marmor lunense) of north Italy. Fragments of amphoras confirm its dating to the Flavian period (first century ce ). The dimensions of the cargo, and especially of the single blocks, suggest it would have been destined for the building of an important public monument in western Hispania or southern Gallia. A first hypothesis for the ship's sailing route, and a comparison with the other cargoes of marble from Luna, are proposed.     

Large-scale 2nd to 3rd century AD bloomery iron smelting in Korea

Iron production in Korea has traditionally been seen in the shadow of developments in cast iron technology in China, with limited indication for a northern influence via Russia’s Maritime Province. The possibility of the existence of bloomery iron production in ancient Korea has been little explored, and relevant discussion is fraught with speculations based primarily on the early use of cast iron. The recent excavation of a site in South Korea recovered substantial amounts of slag providing direct evidence of bloomery smelting. The accelerator mass spectrometric dating of burnt wood from inside one of the slag pieces showed that the site was in use in the early 3rd century AD or earlier, which is in agreement with the assessment based on ceramic typology. The traits of a bloomery process evident in the slags’ microstructure, shape, composition and excavation context are discussed along with the implications for historical iron technology in Korea, where cast iron and the influence from China have been overly emphasised.     

Infectious diseases and eating habits at Herculaneum (1st century AD,southern Italy)

This paper shows that many food remains excavated from Herculaneum were microbiologically contaminated, and that the Romans probably had continuous exposure to gastrointestinal diseases. However, palaeopathological analysis of skeletal remains from Herculaneum shows a low prevalence of non‐specific bone inflammation. Pomegranates and figs, consumed by the population, were mainly dried and invariably contaminated by Streptomyces, a bacterium that produces natural tetracycline, an antibiotic. Histological analysis of the human remains demonstrates fluorescence typical of this substance. The tetracycline‐labelled human remains show that the Roman inhabitants of Herculaneum ate food contaminated by Streptomyces, and this may explain the rarity of inflammatory bone diseases at the site due to non‐specific infection in the living population. This interpretation fits with therapeutic indications suggested by Roman physicians that preserved fruits were used to cure some inflammatory diseases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The necropolis of Vallerano (Rome, 2nd–3rd century AD): an anthropological perspective on the ancient Romans in the Suburbium

The present study investigates the skeletal remains of individuals who were part of a Roman suburban community, in order to assess lifestyle and living conditions in the town's outskirts during the Roman Imperial age. The existence of the community was linked to the functioning of one of the many villas that surrounded the town of Rome at that time. In order to assess health, several indicators were explored, including mortality, oral pathologies and specific (cribra orbitalia) and aspecific (linear enamel hypoplasia) indicators of nutritional and physiological impairment. The sample, which probably represents the labour force of the villa, shows a high number of individuals dying in the early adult age and very few living beyond 50. Subadults were frequently affected by pathological conditions which may indicate anaemia and/or inflammations and infections, as witnessed by the frequency of cribra orbitalia. Growth was also impaired, as the individuals suffered from systemic disturbances during the early years of life that led to the formation of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in their teeth. Frequency of LEH is very high, as well as its multiple occurrence through time (2.44 defects per individual) and its onset occurs from the earliest age classes. Diet, on the other hand, does not seem to have been particularly carbohydrate based. Oral pathologies are very low, which is consistent with meat consumption complementing a diet rich in low‐calorific products of agriculture and seemingly low in refined carbohydrates. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Traces of Roman Offshore Navigation on Skerki Bank (Strait of Sicily)

For a long time historians have been discussing to what extent offshore routes were used in the ancient Mediterranean. In 20 years of almost annual expeditions we found Roman remains dating from different centuries around Keith Reef on Skerki Bank in the Strait of Sicily. These finds include material from several sunken ships as well as many single lead anchor-stocks. We conclude from our finds that a sizeable part of the traffic between Carthage and Rome followed a direct course across the sea.
© 2009 The Authors     

Cribra orbitalia and cribra cranii in Roman skeletal remains from the Ravenna area and Rimini (I–IV century AD)

Cribra orbitalia and cribra cranii are considered good indicators of the health and nutritional status of ancient populations, as their presence is often associated with chronic acquired anaemia. The distribution of these lesions in two Roman samples from the Ravenna area and Rimini was considered as a measure of health in relation to their respective environments. Enamel hypoplasia was also assessed as it is symptomatic of childhood physiological stresses such as malnutrition, infectious diseases, physiological traumas, and the like. The differential analysis suggests that the lesions observed are due to chronic acquired anaemia, probably caused by a poor diet, worm infestation, infections and parasitic diseases. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A pre‐Columbian case of congenital syphilis from Anatolia (Nicaea, 13th century AD)

In this study, the skeleton of an approximately 15‐year‐old child, dating back to the Late Byzantine period (13th century AD) is examined with the aim of determining where this specimen fits in the continuing arguments on the origins of syphilis. It was unearthed during an excavation at an amphitheatre in Nicaea dating to the Roman period. The Nicaea specimen displays common symptoms found in the majority of people with congenital syphilis such as Hutchinson's incisor, mulberry molar, darkened enamel, radial scar on frontal bone, sabre tibia, syphilitic dactylitis, and gummatous and non‐gummatous osteomyelitis on almost every post‐cranial bone. Because of the sub‐periosteal new bone formation, the medullary spaces in some long bones are narrowed or completely obliterated. These lesions, which were observed via macroscopic and radiological examination, reflect the late stages of congenital syphilis. The specimen, when examined together with increasing numbers of other finds from the Old World, contributes to the argument that venereal syphilis did exist in the Old World before 1493, and brings forward the need to revise the Columbian hypothesis, which maintains that syphilis is a new disease carried to the Old World from the New World by Columbus' crew. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanical properties as conditioning factors in the bone and antler industry of the 3rd to the 13th century AD

Preference for antler over bone is a feature of the late Roman to early medieval industry based on skeletal materials, whose key product is the composite comb. Using static three-point bending tests, the mechanical properties of dry bone and antler are compared and the superiority of antler, in the form of greater toughness, is demonstrated. By the same method the rationale behind the construction of composite combs is explained. An empirical appreciation of these mechanical factors by the manufacturers is implied by the results of these objective tests.     

The Hellenistic and Roman Syracuse (Sicily) Fine Pottery Production Explored by Chemical and Petrographic Analysis

The chemical composition and petrographic features of 51 samples of fine pottery selected from the archaeological site of Syracuse have been established by means of optical microscopy and X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry, with the aim of creating a reference group for the ceramics produced in this important Greek colony during the Hellenistic–Roman period. This reference group is constrained by the analysis of six kiln wasters and of raw materials outcropping in the studied area. Among the studied findings, the main part is assignable imputably to local production, while some specimens probably come from Greece and other colonies (Messina and Gela). The Syracuse fine pottery is characterized by inclusions formed mainly by quartz and micaceous and fossiliferous groundmass. The used pastes were more or less purified through the removal of the sandy‐to‐coarse silty granulometric fraction. The multivariate statistical analysis of chemical data permits the identification of production at Syracuse on the basis of comparison with the kiln wasters and the Plio‐Pleistocene clays.     

Integrated geophysical surveys at the archaeological site of Tindari (Sicily,Italy)

The results of geophysical survey carried out at the archaeological site of Tindari, located 70 km west-north-west of Messina (Sicily, Italy), are presented and discussed. The site is one of the most important archaeological sites, about 90 ha large, on the north-eastern side of Sicily and it was one of the last Greek settlements in Sicily. Keeping in mind the vastness of the site, according to the archaeologists an area, of about 1200 m² was selected, for a geophysical survey. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), including induced polarization (IP) measurements, and seismic refraction tomography were applied in the course of geophysical exploration in the area. The objective of this preliminary geophysical investigation was to verify the effectiveness of the technique for a spatial definition of the buried archaeological structures (mostly walls, columns, etc.) to determine their characteristics and to study the presence of collapsed columns within the zone of archaeological interest, in view of their application in the rest of the site, that, for obvious reasons, could not be entirely excavated in brief times. The geophysical data, visualized in 3D space, revealed a distribution of low-contrast shallow anomalies that indicate the presence of different types of buried structures in the surveyed area. Also, the probable accumulations of collapsed columns could be determined. These results confirm the hypothesis of a large northern extension of the archaeological site and provide useful information to design a more efficient excavation plan.