Authors: G. Longhitano, M. Primavera
Download article as .pdf: Intrecci rituali: nuove considerazioni sulla pratica funeraria dalla necropoli classica di Vassallaggi (Caltanissetta) attraverso l’analisi integrata di vecchi e nuovi dati
In the southern necropolis of Vassallaggi (Caltanissetta, Sicily), the practice of wrapping knives placed in male burials with textiles has been documented since the earliest published findings. Recent studies of textile traces preserved on knives exhibited at the archaeological museums of Agrigento and Caltanissetta have made it possible to identify new textile evidence on a knife from a female burial and to carry out a microscopic analysis of all textile remains identified within the necropolis. By integrating the results of microscopic observation with a renewed assessment of the archaeological data from the necropolis, this study aims to offer a reflection on funerary practices and the construction of social identity within a context of intense cultural interactions. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the selective use of linen textiles in funerary practices and explores how the new data help to address the current lack of archaeobotanical evidence concerning flax exploitation in Classical Sicily. Within this framework, the study also examines the discrepancy between textile evidence and the archaeobotanical record, in order to outline interpretative perspectives that may contribute to future investigations on flax production and circulation in the island.