Articles by Andrea Iacovella

The archaeological aim of this paper is to demarcate the groups of graves within the particularly random distribution of a Greek archaic cemetery: the west necropolis of Megara Hyblaea, excavated by Paolo Orsi in 1889. The methodological aim is to observe the behaviour of four different statistical analyses applied to the same data. The selected methods take the variable of space into account, meaning: the exact location where each data has been measured (a grave is a unit). Finally, concerning graves and their location, the following question is posed: is it possible to build one typology of archaeological characteristics through the description of the procedures with which the space has been occupied?

The aim of the study is to observe the random distribution of graves, characteristic of Greek cemeteries in the archaic period. Of the three computing tools that were used, only the data analysis is explained here. The results were displayed in the topographical space, using the x,y coordinate of each grave. The definition of archaeological variables designated to data analysis has increased through the analysis of the vocabulary used by the archaeologist. Correspondence Analysis was used for the study of grave goods, and Multiple Correspondence Analyses for the study of burials characterised by the grave goods structure of the previous analysis. This report concerns one aspect of the results: the 178 child burials described by the archaeologist. The study shows four groups characterized by different archaeological patterns. Each group was inserted in the topography of cemetery. The internal outlines delimited by the groups are the components of the distribution model. The last result is extended to include other structures concerning the archaeology of death.

The aim of the study is to observe space and time variations in the occupation of Sicilian funerary settlements from the 9th to the 1st century BC The data have been extracted from a complete examination of archaeological reports. They define geographical and archaeological characteristics of 240 settlements. From archaeological to statistical data there is an alteration of variable status which represents a new field for archaeologists. The matrix summarises the settlements’ occupation in 50 year periods by presence-absence; this gave rise to a Correspondence Analysis. The time of occupation has been preferred to a relative chronology based on cultural facies. One additional variable distinguishes the cemeteries where the graves with several burials dominate over those having individual burials. The results of the analysis prove that the space and time variations in the two types of funerary settlements described oddly follow the outline of historical events in relation to autochthonous and colonial spheres. In particular it shows the alterations of autochthonous funerary customs owing to more archaic cemeteries which were to be reused later on. In the historical sphere, the analysis leads us to question the acculturation phenomena. What was happening in Sicily towards the beginnings of 5th BC? Did autochthonous funerary customs disappear because of the adoption of Greek culture, or is it getting more difficult to establish a difference from the ancient colonial culture?