Some geophysical surveys carried out by INGV at the foot of Etna have allowed the identification of a new archaeological excavation site adjacent to the monumental complex of the Church of Nunziatella in Mascali, in Catania
A team of experts from the Etna Observatory (INGV-OE) and Roma2 (INGV-RM2), using the Church of the Nunziatella in Mascali (CT) the high technology of ground penetrating radar (GPR) prospecting, obtained high resolution images of the buried structures, preparatory to the creation of new archaeological excavations.
On the lower north-eastern side of Etna, near the monumental complex of the "Nunziatella" of Mascali (CT), archaeological investigations have been started as a result of an agreement stipulated between the , and the Ionian-Etna district headquarters of.
THENational Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which collaborates on the work with a multidisciplinary team from the Etna Observatory and the Roma2 Section, also provided the Carbon 14 dating of bone fragments from two burials found in the area adjacent to the Church of Nunziatella.
In particular, Georadar investigations have highlighted a series of reflections and anomalies in the electromagnetic signal in an area adjacent to the southern wall of the Church of Nunziatella.
These results have pushed the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Catania to start, starting from October 2023, a new archaeological excavation in this area which in the past had already reserved other discoveries, such as the painting of Christ Pantocrator from the 14th century, which adorns the apse of the medieval church, a small early Christian basilica with three naves with a rich polychrome mosaic floor and some tombs which have been carbon dated XNUMX would date back to the first half of the XNUMXth century.
The new excavation works, still in progress, have brought to light the remains of a wall that runs parallel to the southern wall of the Church for over nine meters and which has a thick layer of plaster on the internal facade and, at the base, a cocciopesto floor.
The connection of this structure with the medieval building and, above all, with the nearby early Christian Basilica remains to be defined. The excavation has indeed yielded results numerous fragments of clay materials, tiles and pottery, dating back to between the 6th and 9th centuries, which testify to the uninterrupted attendance of this area of the monumental complex of the "Nunziatella", rich in spring water and, therefore, suitable for human settlement since remote times.
“INGV has high-tech instruments that are used for geological research on our planet. With some of them it is possible to inspect deep cavities without impacting the territory or structures and, therefore, they can have wide uses even in scientific sectors other than geosciences. Making our resources and knowledge available to the authorities and citizens is a source of great pride for INGV", declares the Director of the INGV Etna Observatory, Stefano Branca. “The Etna Observatory will always offer its collaboration in this important archaeological investigation activity by providing geological and stratigraphic information of the area, with the hope of profitably contributing to the reconstruction of the past of a monumental complex of great historical-artistic importance ”.
Useful links:
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
A team of experts from the Etna Observatory (INGV-OE) and Roma2 (INGV-RM2), using the Church of the Nunziatella in Mascali (CT) the high technology of ground penetrating radar (GPR) prospecting, obtained high resolution images of the buried structures, preparatory to the creation of new archaeological excavations.
On the lower north-eastern side of Etna, near the monumental complex of the "Nunziatella" of Mascali (CT), archaeological investigations have been started as a result of an agreement stipulated between the , and the Ionian-Etna district headquarters of.
THENational Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), which collaborates on the work with a multidisciplinary team from the Etna Observatory and the Roma2 Section, also provided the Carbon 14 dating of bone fragments from two burials found in the area adjacent to the Church of Nunziatella.
In particular, Georadar investigations have highlighted a series of reflections and anomalies in the electromagnetic signal in an area adjacent to the southern wall of the Church of Nunziatella.
These results have pushed the Superintendency for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Catania to start, starting from October 2023, a new archaeological excavation in this area which in the past had already reserved other discoveries, such as the painting of Christ Pantocrator from the 14th century, which adorns the apse of the medieval church, a small early Christian basilica with three naves with a rich polychrome mosaic floor and some tombs which have been carbon dated XNUMX would date back to the first half of the XNUMXth century.
The new excavation works, still in progress, have brought to light the remains of a wall that runs parallel to the southern wall of the Church for over nine meters and which has a thick layer of plaster on the internal facade and, at the base, a cocciopesto floor.
The connection of this structure with the medieval building and, above all, with the nearby early Christian Basilica remains to be defined. The excavation has indeed yielded results numerous fragments of clay materials, tiles and pottery, dating back to between the 6th and 9th centuries, which testify to the uninterrupted attendance of this area of the monumental complex of the "Nunziatella", rich in spring water and, therefore, suitable for human settlement since remote times.
“INGV has high-tech instruments that are used for geological research on our planet. With some of them it is possible to inspect deep cavities without impacting the territory or structures and, therefore, they can have wide uses even in scientific sectors other than geosciences. Making our resources and knowledge available to the authorities and citizens is a source of great pride for INGV", declares the Director of the INGV Etna Observatory, Stefano Branca. “The Etna Observatory will always offer its collaboration in this important archaeological investigation activity by providing geological and stratigraphic information of the area, with the hope of profitably contributing to the reconstruction of the past of a monumental complex of great historical-artistic importance ”.
Useful links:
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
Photos: INGV personnel during the GPR surveys carried out in June 2023 in the area of the monumental complex of the "Nunziatella" of Mascali (CT).