Harvesting memories project: ricognizioni archeologiche nelle contrade Castro e Giardinello e nell’area di Monte Barraù (Corleone, Palermo)

Abstract

The “Harvesting Memories” project (funded by Bona Furtuna LLC) is focused on the long-term Transformation of the cultural landscape in the central part of the Alto Belice Corleonese (Central-Western Sicily). In particular, we surveyed the area of Contrada Giardinello, Castro Valley and the western slopes of Monte Barraù (Corleone, Palermo). The fieldwork led to the identification of 12 sites featuring pottery concentrations spanning from Protohistory (Middle Copper Age/Aeneolithic and Bronze Age), Classic period, Middle Ages/Arab-Norman period to the Late Modern period and 4 areas with dry-stone structures related to the Late Modern Age pastoral activities. This report represents the first step of a research aimed at using a holistic approach to explain the diachronic dynamics of the human occupation and the landscape ecology.