Rural settlement strategies in Roman Sicily. New forms of settlement and economy beyond the cities

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Rebecca Klug
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564863751

In Roman times, Sicily was not entirely urban. While the urban area flourished on the north and east coasts, new forms of settlement emerged on the south coast, leading to a lively rural area despite the lack of towns. A varied settlement pattern of vici, villas and farmsteads developed, forming complex settlement systems. The new port towns on the south coast were also an important part of these systems. The habilitation focuses on the different forms of settlement and economy in rural Sicily, particularly with regard to the lack of urban centres on the south coast and inland and the emergence of large rural settlements with a central character. The three Göttingen projects (Gela, Kamarina and in the hinterland of Agrigento) form the basis for this. The new settlement types were found not only on the south coast, but also in other parts of Sicily. Although the settlement forms are comparable in all areas, there are still different characteristics in the settlement structure. For example, the vici on the south coast and inland play a different role from those on the heavily urbanised north coast. On the south coast and nland, they have to take over the functions of the missing towns and provide a certain level of infrastructure for rural areas. Looking beyond Sicily, the development in southern Italy, especially in Puglia, is easily comparable with that of Sicily. In central Italy, on the other hand, there are already major differences, both in terms of the settlement system and the chronological development. The much higher level of urbanisation in central Italy is probably the cause of these differences. In Spain and Greece, on the other hand, villas and farmsteads also seem to play a greater role and vici, if present at all, are of secondary interest. In Spain, as in Italy and Sicily, the presumed vici tended to be located in areas far from the towns, so that they probably had central functions there as well. Differences in the existing settlement forms can be attributed mainly to the degree of urbanisation. In highly urbanised landscapes, the settlement pattern is clearly characterised by villas and farmsteads, whereas in areas without urban centres, the much-discussed vici play a central role, providing the infrastructural conditions for a flourishing rural area.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants