Sicily Before History

Sicily Before History Synopsis

Students and travelers to Sicily will welcome this inviting introduction to the archaeology of the Mediterranean's largest island. In the first English-language book on prehistoric Sicily in over forty years, Robert Leighton explores the region's rich archaeological record. He charts the development of Sicily's early cultures from the Palaeolithic onward, concluding with an account of the indigenous society at the time of Greek and Phoenician settlement in the 8th century B.C. Each chapter in this generously illustrated volume highlights the principal developments of a major chronological period and then addresses social and economic themes. Among the topics discussed are settlement patterns and structures; local autonomy; external influences; cultural expression; and contacts with Italy, nearby satellite islands, and the Mycenaean world. Informed by recent fieldwork and scholarship, this book is a necessary guide to the current state of knowledge on prehistoric Sicily.