Messapia: Economy and Exchanges in the Land between Ionian and Adriatic Sea

Ever since the Bronze Age, the geographical position of Messapia, between the
Ionian and Adriatic seas, has enabled the development of relations characterised by
continuity within the framework of mobility in the Mediterranean. This volume
focuses on certain aspects of the economy in Messapia, with particular reference to
bio-archaeological themes (including livestock rearing and the consumption of animal
resources), textile production (applying archaeometric methods to residues of
fabric) and imports of luxury products from Greek cities and the Greek colonies of
southern Italy. The presence in grave goods of imported prestige items has been
investigated with reference to the forms of self-representation adopted by the
Messapian aristocracy in both funerary rituals and manifestations of power within
the settlements. The variety of religious manifestations in the Messapian world
constitutes a particular case study linked to cultural exchanges, which, thanks to
the recent discoveries of places of worship, can now be investigated in detail.
Important in this regard are the discoveries made in Castro, where the Athenaion ¿
linked to the myth of Aeneas¿s first landing on the shores of Italy ¿ was
identified.