Cecilia Sandström: Encountering Environments. Natural conditions for subsistence and trade at Monte Polizzo, Sicily, 650-550 BC.
Culture and languages
Society and economy
The overall aim of this thesis is to deepen our knowledge about indigenous western Sicilians commonly called the Elymians and, ultimately, to recognise them as independent actors in Sicilian history. A vital part of this endeavour is to assess the Elymian role in regional trade and to evaluate the subsistence challenges they faced. Monte Polizzo, inhabited for just 75 years (625-550 BC), has been considered suitable as a model for discussing these topics. Situated in western Sicily it was strategically situated with an excellent vantage point between the Phoenician settlement of Motya, the Greek settlement of Selinus, and the indigenous settlement of Segesta.