Books by Azzurra Scarci
Scavi vecchi e nuovi, da Paolo Orsi a oggi, hanno restituito 185 armi dedicate nel santuario di P... more Scavi vecchi e nuovi, da Paolo Orsi a oggi, hanno restituito 185 armi dedicate nel santuario di Punta Stilo: armi di bronzo, di ferro e di terracotta, datate tra il IX-VIII e il III sec. a.C. Il numero non è modesto nel panorama noto per l’Occidente greco e per giunta sottostimato perché le tracce di esemplari non più leggibili sono numerose.
Lo studio, condotto secondo quattro linee di ricerca portanti - quantitativa, tipologica, contestuale e rituale – ha permesso di individuare casi di peculiarità, di coincidenza o di differenza formale rispetto ad armi rinvenute nella Grecia propria e in Italia meridionale. La disamina dei contesti di rinvenimento e la lettura dei possibili rituali d’offerta ha contribuito poi ad arricchire e ad articolare il quadro di conoscenza del santuario già reso noto nei precedenti volumi di questa stessa serie (Kaulonía, Caulonia, Stilida (e oltre), I-IV, 2001-2017).
Ancient weapons by Azzurra Scarci
Archaeologia Iberica 2, 2024, 15-22., 2024
Research on ancient warfare, weaponry, and the warrior condition in the Mediterranean region nece... more Research on ancient warfare, weaponry, and the warrior condition in the Mediterranean region necessarily involves the study of the Greek world. This field should be a subject to an analysis of archaeological, iconographic, and historical data, and should even have the ability to consider other aspects, hitherto little dealt with, such as technological, ergonomic or symbolic ones. Although this seems obvious, it is far from the usual practice. This paper focusses on the example of ancient warfare studies, in order to draw attention to the frequent failure by literature-based historians to give proper weight to the rapidly increasing evidence provided by archaeological discoveries and studies, though the failures are not entirely one-sided. By proposing this reflection, we aim to stimulate discussion on this topic and, much more importantly, to motivate scholars to join forces and seek the necessary means of collaboration.
Armes et Guerriers. Continuités et changements dans l'équipement du guerrier en Europe, Proche et Moyen-Orient de l'âge du Bronze à l’époque Moderne (BAR International Series 3078) , 2022
The biggest assemblage of iron spear- and javelinheads in all the western Greek world was unearth... more The biggest assemblage of iron spear- and javelinheads in all the western Greek world was unearthed during the excavations in 1929 within the urban sanctuary at Monte Casale (ancient Kasmenai), second apoikiai of Syracuse in southeastern Sicily. The aim of this short report is to propose a new typology of these iron offensive weapons and to present the preliminary
results of the material analysis. Typological comparisons found in specimens from southern Italy, Greece and even from the Danube area allow us to set these spear- and javelinheads typologically between the 8th and 5th centuries BC.
Orizzonti, 2022
Scopo di questo lavoro è la revisione della documentazione riguardante la panoplia trovata nella ... more Scopo di questo lavoro è la revisione della documentazione riguardante la panoplia trovata nella tomba 103 di Braida di Vaglio grazie a un'analisi filologica e allo studio del più ampio contesto delle armi e armature italiche rinvenute nell'area nord-lucana e nella Daunia ofantina tra il VI e l'inizio del V sec. a.C.
Bollettino D'Arte, fasc. 46, s. VII, 2021
ANCIENT WEAPONS. New Research Perspectives on Weapons and Warfare. Proceedings of the International Conference - Mainz, September 20th –21st 2019, 2021
Studies on the Weapons of Poseidonia-Paestum (prov Salerno / I) 1 Azzurra Scarci Iron and Bronze ... more Studies on the Weapons of Poseidonia-Paestum (prov Salerno / I) 1 Azzurra Scarci Iron and Bronze Weapons from the Sanctuary at Monte Casale (prov Syracuse / I) as »ex voto par Transformation, ex voto par Destination« 13 Claudio Negrini Weapons and the Symbolic Representation of Warriors in the Necropoleis of Romagna (Italy) between the 10 th and the 5 th Century BC 31
in Dialoghi sull'archeologia della Magna Grecia e del Mediterraneo. IV convegno Internazionale di studi. Fenomenologia e interpretazione del rito (Paestum 15-17 novembre 2019), 2021
Archeologia del rito Nuclei sepolcrali e rituale funerario nelle prime fasi dell'Età del Bronzo n... more Archeologia del rito Nuclei sepolcrali e rituale funerario nelle prime fasi dell'Età del Bronzo nella città di Salerno
Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. Classe di Lettere e Filosofia, 2019
L'ultimo cavalliere: una nuova datazione della seconda
deposizione della tomba 669 di Lavello. Bo... more L'ultimo cavalliere: una nuova datazione della seconda
deposizione della tomba 669 di Lavello. Bollettino di Archeologia Online. Roma (Italy): Direzione Generale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio, ISSN 2039-0076
Armi votive in Magna Grecia, 2018
Redaktion: Claudia Nickel, Marie Röder (RGZM) Satz: Claudia Nickel (RGZM) Umschlaggestaltung: Cla... more Redaktion: Claudia Nickel, Marie Röder (RGZM) Satz: Claudia Nickel (RGZM) Umschlaggestaltung: Claudia Nickel (RGZM)
VIII Giornate Internazionali di Studi sull’Area Elima e la Sicilia occidentale nel contesto mediterraneo
Kaulonía, Caulonia, Stilida (e oltre), IV. Il santuario di Punta Stilo. Studi e ricerche, 2017
Le armi di Athena. Il santuario settentrionale di Paestum, 2017
le armi di athena il santuario settentrionale di paestum LE ARMI DI ATHENA IL SANTUARIO SETTENTRI... more le armi di athena il santuario settentrionale di paestum LE ARMI DI ATHENA IL SANTUARIO SETTENTRIONALE DI PAESTUM
Metal objects by Azzurra Scarci
Antike Welt, 2025
Fragmented objects are an everyday occurrence in archaeological work. The fragmentary nature of f... more Fragmented objects are an everyday occurrence in archaeological work. The fragmentary nature of finds often makes it difficult to assess them precisely. However, intentional damage can provide valuable insights into the rituals and social practices surrounding the deliberate destruction of votive offerings in Greek sanctuaries. A current research project at the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie in Mainz is systematically investigating, for the first time, the traces of fragmentation on selected bronze objects from the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia, as well as the intentions behind them.
Studia Hercynia, 2025
Sanctuaries during the 1 st millennium BC in the Mediterranean supported numerous formative socio... more Sanctuaries during the 1 st millennium BC in the Mediterranean supported numerous formative socio-political and economic processes extending far beyond cultic ones. Among their various roles, they functioned as in-between grounds and stages for (re)making social (self)image through community meetings, and identity expression and negotiation. A large body of material offerings at sanctuary deposits, including copious amounts of metal votives, represents these social dynamics in the archaeological record. Here, we focus on the permanency and materiality of metallic dedications as a proxy to examine three Greek and Etrusco-Roman sanctuaries as cultural settings of social antagonism. First, bronze fibulae offered at the sanctuary of Enodia and Thavlios Zeus in Thessaly, central Greece (9 th-7 th c. BC), show the importance of expressing community identity through metallurgical technology. Next, iron weapons dedicated to the sanctuary at the Greek subcolony Kasmenai in Sicily (6 th c. BC) illustrate the dynamics between Greek and local populations. Finally, inscriptions on bronze statues from the sanctuary at Bagni di San Casciano near Siena (2 nd c. BC-1 st c. AD) reveal the socio-political dynamics between the Etruscans and the Romans. Overall, this detailed investigation of metal votives attests to the opportunities for (inter-)cultural communication in the context of ritual behaviour at Greek and Etrusco-Roman sanctuaries, which served as safe spaces for the commingling of group identities leading to social negotiation and tolerance.
A new project at the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie in Mainz is investigating the phenomenon of ... more A new project at the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie in Mainz is investigating the phenomenon of fragmentation of copper alloy votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia. By using a variety of methodologies, thousands of fragments have already been analysed to to gain insight into the function and significance of this phenomenon, when and how the objects were destroyed, and the reasons why they were recovered in large numbers.
e -Forschungsberichte des DAI 2023 · Faszikel 2, 2023
Fragments are part of everyday archaeological work, but their evaluation
and interpretation in th... more Fragments are part of everyday archaeological work, but their evaluation
and interpretation in the literature and different disciplines sometimes
diverge widely. The project »Fragmentation of votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia – research on the background of a ritual practice« at LEIZA in Mainz aims to understand the meaning of the phenomenon of fragmentation of copper-based votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia by applying a multi-perspective method. This paper presents the concept and the first results of the project.
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Books by Azzurra Scarci
Lo studio, condotto secondo quattro linee di ricerca portanti - quantitativa, tipologica, contestuale e rituale – ha permesso di individuare casi di peculiarità, di coincidenza o di differenza formale rispetto ad armi rinvenute nella Grecia propria e in Italia meridionale. La disamina dei contesti di rinvenimento e la lettura dei possibili rituali d’offerta ha contribuito poi ad arricchire e ad articolare il quadro di conoscenza del santuario già reso noto nei precedenti volumi di questa stessa serie (Kaulonía, Caulonia, Stilida (e oltre), I-IV, 2001-2017).
Ancient weapons by Azzurra Scarci
results of the material analysis. Typological comparisons found in specimens from southern Italy, Greece and even from the Danube area allow us to set these spear- and javelinheads typologically between the 8th and 5th centuries BC.
deposizione della tomba 669 di Lavello. Bollettino di Archeologia Online. Roma (Italy): Direzione Generale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio, ISSN 2039-0076
Metal objects by Azzurra Scarci
and interpretation in the literature and different disciplines sometimes
diverge widely. The project »Fragmentation of votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia – research on the background of a ritual practice« at LEIZA in Mainz aims to understand the meaning of the phenomenon of fragmentation of copper-based votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia by applying a multi-perspective method. This paper presents the concept and the first results of the project.