Archaeometric identification of Maltese imports in prehistoric Sicily: Żebbuġ phase pottery from Licata-Caduta (Agrigento)

During the study of a pottery assemblage collected at the Sicilian site of Licata-Caduta (Agrigento), continuously occupied between the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, some ceramics presented typologies, fabrics and surface treatments alien to Sicilian repertoires and closer to Maltese productions. Sampled for petrographic (OM) and chemical (XRF) analyses one artefact turned out to be produced in Malta and imported into Sicily. The search for its chronological and cultural placement has led to the discovery of the first certified Żebbuġ phase import in Sicily.