Ricontestualizzare i vecchi scavi : L´area sacra urbana dell´antica Kasmenai e le sue dediche metalliche

This volume offers the first systematic reconstruction of the sanctuary of ancient Kasmenai in Sicily. Combining archival research and archaeological evidence, it examines cult practices, votive offerings and sacred space, providing new insights into religious life, worship and identity in the Syracusan hinterland.

Founded by Syracuse in the second half of the seventh century BC, Kasmenai on Monte Casale occupied a strategic position in the hinterland of south-eastern Sicily. This volume presents the first comprehensive reconstruction of the city's sanctuary, a site discovered by Paolo Orsi between 1929 and 1931 but never before subjected to systematic archaeological study. Drawing together archival documentation and archaeological evidence, the study reconstructs the sanctuary's spatial organisation, phases of use and ritual activities. Particular attention is given to the assemblage of metal votive offerings and associated finds, which illuminate the identities of worshippers, patterns of dedication and forms of religious practice. By reassessing a cult site long recognised in scholarship but insufficiently understood, the volume offers a substantially revised interpretation of the sanctuary and its place within the Syracusan hinterland. More broadly, it contributes to ongoing discussions of religion, identity and community in Archaic Sicily and the wider Greek colonial world.