The Mosaics of the Castellitto Villa in Ramacca (Catania - Sicily): Review of Published Data and New Perspectives

Abstract

During the last seasons (May-July 2019), the archaeological excavations of the Castellitto villa in the territory of Ramacca, in Catania province, which were carried out by Soprintendenza Archeologica di Catania, under the direction of doctor Maria Teresa Magro, brought a new source of knowledge which reviews and highlights new aspects from the published data. This paper focuses on new information that allow us to reconstruct the history and the structure of the rural villa with attention to the study of mosaics. The study of mosaic flooring has covered both the unpublished mosaics recently discovered and the revision of published data during the 80’s. According to the current state of research, polychrome geometric mosaics have come to light, which consist of large shaped patterns and can be dated between 4th – 5th century AD. Finally, future scheduled excavations will be able to clarify the function and chronology of this late roman residential complex.

Keywords

• sicily
• castellitto
• statio capitoniana
• rustic villa
• late antique mosaics