New geophysical and archaeological investigations at the Nunziatella site in Mascali, Mount Etna (Italy)

Abstract

Etna volcano is characterized by a rich presence of archaeological sites documenting uninterrupted human activity along its lower flanks since the Greek colonization (734/735 B.C.) in Sicily. Within this context is the Nunziatella site in Mascali territory, located on the lower eastern flank of Etna, an area favoured for human settlement by the presence of water sources. The Nunziatella site is known for housing the medieval church of Maria Santissima Annunziata (12th century A.D.) and a small Paleo‑Christian basilica (5th‑6th century A.D.), but clues suggested the presence of additional buried structures. To better investigate the Nunziatella site, an interdisciplinary study was conducted, combining non‑invasive geophysical surveys (GPR), archaeological excavations and C14 dating. GPR results revealed an elongated anomaly with a defined geometry south of the church, hypothesizing buried structures at 0.5‑2 meters depth. The geophysical surveys proved to be a fundamental tool for guiding the excavations. The archaeological excavations confirmed the existence of a building, bringing to light a wall over nine meters‑long parallel to the church’s south facade, featuring interior plaster and a cocciopesto floor at the base that is characterized by the presence of two pits. These latter have revealed numerous fragments of ceramics, tiles and pottery of Byzantine era confirmed by the C14 age of a bone fragment (663‑775 A.D.). The pits refer to a phase of abandonment of the building whose construction took place in an era certainly prior to the 8th/9th century A.D. This new data allows us to hypothesize the presence in this area of a large Late Roman‑Byzantine monumental complex of unknown function confirming the historical importance of the Nunziatella site since ancient time.