Economic interactions between Punic and Greek settlements

Without any doubt armed conflicts shaped substantially the Phoenician-Punic - Greek relations especially in Sicily. On the other hand, archaeological evidence for active commercial trade and complex economic interactions between the independent cities of this area increases steadily. In this light, the present project focuses on the provenance identification of Phoenician-Punic and West Greek amphorae yielded by sites located in North Africa, on Malta and in western Sicily by the means of both, fabric studies of c. 830 samples and archaeometric analysis. Given the large degree of silence of the literal sources in relation to ancient trade in the sCM area under Punic influx, the provenance identification namely of transport amphorae represents an appropriated tool in order to approach questions linked to the nature of economic interactions and the mobility of human groups.
The systematical, open access publication of the most relevant sCM Phoenician-Punic fabrics will represent an innovative way to communicate results and will allow a large scientific community to identify these productions on consumption sites located in North Africa, Punic Sardinia, Southern Italy and especially in Sicily.
Secondly, the results of the research aim approach the working hypothesis of the PI related to economic interactions between Phoenician-Punic sCM and West Greek colonies from the late 7th-late 4th cent. BCE. This time range corresponds to the historical period characterized by complex relationships between the autonomous West Greek and Phoenician-Punic emporia, preceding the moment, towards the beginning of the 3rd cent. BCE, when Rome and the Campanian allied appeared on the internal commercial scene. Special attention will be payed to the interpretation of the distribution patterns of the identified amphorae productions. The present research will make a first move towards the understanding of the diachronic, regional and extra-regional distribution range of the locally produced foodstuffs of the most important Phoenician-Punic Sicilian emporia Motya, Solunto and Palermo and of Carthage.
Thirdly, the present project will specify the wine-producing sites/areas in the Ionian-Adriatic and Calabrian region, later in Lucania, best attested on several cSM Punic consumption places, in order to underline the strong impact of theses Greek wines - and its use within the scope of the symposion - on the local communities which seems still to be underestimated.
The three main points of research focus on:
1. the characterization of the local fabrics of crucial Phoenician-Punic production centers with special regard to western Sicily (fabric study and archaeometry) and Carthage (archaeometry),
2. the analysis of the chrono-typological evolution especially of the series of Carthage, Motya and Palermo/Solunto by the study of 240 mostly entirely preserved vessels found in the cemeteries of Himera,
3. the increase of the distribution range of already identified West Greek and Punic amphorae fabrics documented on selected Phoenician-Punic consumption sites.