Ricognizioni archeologiche e Legacy data in Sicilia orientale: l’integrazione tra metodi per la ricerca sui paesaggi rurali in età romana

Archaeological surveys and legacy data in eastern Sicily: the integration of methods for research on Roman rural landscapes. This contribution presents an updated overview of current knowledge regarding Roman settlement systems in eastern Sicily. Based on data available for the Catania area, the research reflects on the potential offered by the integration of different sources of archaeological and topographical data (including field survey, excavation, existing research reports, archives), through digitization and implementation into a geo-database. The final results are of extremely relevant for research on rural landscapes of Roman Sicily. Thanks to the analysis of the intensive survey project data carried out in the Plain of Catania (1997–2007) and the creation of a complete archaeological sites gazetteer, a settlement systems analysis over the long term was carried out. The dynamic and complex image of Catania Plain settlement systems through the Roman centuries is very useful for a new understanding of the myth of Sicilia frumentaria.