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Motya: 1955

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2013

B. S. J. Isserlin ,
W. Culican ,
W. L. Brown  and
Aldina Tusa Cutroni
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Extract

The ruins of the ancient Phoenician colony of Motya, well known to history as one of the three main Phoenician settlements in Sicily (Thucydides vi.2,6), are situated on the small island of Mozia (S. Pantaleo) within the shallow lagoon which stretches from Marsala towards Trapani. The city had an eventful history as one of the mainstays of Punic power in Sicily; but it was destroyed by Dionysius of Syracuse after an epic siege in 397 B.C., and thereafter, ceding place to Lilybaeum on the mainland nearby, its ruins remained virtually deserted. The object of some scientific curiosity during the late seventeenth and eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, the site had to wait for systematic exploration until the beginning of the twentieth. It was then that the little island passed into the hands of Mr. Joseph Whitaker, and was partly excavated by him: he revealed large stretches of the circuit walls, two monumental gateways, ruins of a big public building or temple, and several cemeteries.

Type
Research Article
Information
Papers of the British School at Rome , Volume 26 , November 1958 , pp. 1 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © British School at Rome 1958

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References

* The work could never have been undertaken without the active interest and help of the late Mr. T. J. Dunbabin, and of Mr. D. B. Harden, then Keeper of the Dept. of Antiquities of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Financial grants were made by the Ashmolean Museum (£100), the Oxford Craven Committee (£250), the Cambridge Craven Fund (£25) and the Dept. of Semitic Languages, Leeds University (£25). Our sincerest thanks are due to Miss D. Whitaker, the present owner of Motya, who not only allowed us to work there freely but also most generously put a fully furnished farm house and part of a villa at our disposition. The local administrator of the island, Col. G. Lipari, was ever ready to act on our behalf, and to advise us; the representative of the Sicilian Antiquities Service, Dr. V. Tusa and Mr. Meli gave us never-ending help and courtesy, while we have to thank the Service and its director in Western Sicily, Mrs. Marconi, for the understanding and assistance always extended to us. Lastly we must mention that we learnt much from our visitors, who included Prof. Pace and Prof. Ruggieri.

The excavating team consisted of Dr. B. S. J. Isserlin (field director); Mr. P. Parr (assistant director); Mr. W. Culican (pottery); Miss G. Talbot, Miss J. Grad, Miss B. Fielding and Mr. P. Atherton. The maximum number of workmen employed was 25. Some of our equipment was lent by the Dept. of Civil Engineering, Leeds University; Mr. Knighton of the Fabric office there helped to prepare some of the plans, and Miss C. H. Parkinson (Mrs. Isserlin) helped in the preparation of the Report.

1 I am indebted to the Soprintendenza at Palermo, and to Prof. Drago and the staff of the Museo Preistorico in Rome for this opportunity. I should stress that I was not able to see all the Greek material found.

2 Rough sketches of some sherds which were not sent to Rome suggest that there are some Corinthian sherds earlier than anything else described here, perhaps late eighth century, or early seventh, (Tr. 4, layer 14.)

3 Among the sherds of which I have only seen rough sketches are some which might be Attic red-figure.