Elementi d'ornamento dal villaggio dell'età del Bronzo di Mursia (Pantelleria)

The protohistoric settlement of Mursia, located on the northwest coast of the island of Pantelleria (TP), flourished during the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE (c. 1750-1450 BCE). Due to its strategic position in the central Mediterranean, it must have represented a reference point and a landing site for sailors, acting as a crossroad for seafaring routes and the circulation of goods. This paper presents a preliminary macroscopic analysis of ornamental elements discovered at the Bronze Age site. The meticulous method of fine-mesh sieving (initially 5, then 3 mm), employed sistematically on all excavated sediment since the beginning of the investigations of the University of Bologna, has enabled the recovery of a large number of artefacts that would otherwise be difficult to identify in situ. At present, the settlement of Mursia, with its total amount of almost two hundred personal ornamental elements classified in several different types, stands out as one of the most important contexts in southern Italy and the Mediterranean. In addition to the beads made of materials available on the island (especially shell), some imported ornamental elements were identified already on the base of initial macroscopic analysis. The presence of faïence and glass beads confirms the central role of Mursia in the exchange dynamics between the eastern and central-southern Mediterranean. The research project will continue with microscopic and archaeometric analysis to validate the picture outlined so far and enrich future considerations with new data.