Archeology, oil lamp with erotic scene re-emerges from excavations in the Nisseno

Caltanissetta – An important find emerged during some excavation works in the Manca district in Vallelunga Pratameno, in the province of Caltanissetta. The find consists of the remains of a lamp depicting an erotic scene and which probably dates back to the 1st century AD, as evidenced by a similar find found in Pompeii. «The precious lamp is a further testimony of the extraordinary richness of the Sicilian cultural heritage and of a site that is giving away numerous and important finds. Our island confirms itself as an inexhaustible reservoir of history and culture to be further enhanced and made known to the world »declared the regional councilor for cultural heritage and Sicilian identity, Alberto Samonà.

The discovery took place during some archaeological surveillance works, arranged by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Caltanissetta, as part of the doubling of the Catania-Palermo railway line. The archaeological excavations, started in July 2020 and still in progress, have already brought to light the remains of an extensive complex from the Roman-Imperial age. It is probably a domus belonging to a wealthy owner who lived between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and divided into pars rustica and pars dominica with a large peristyle, of which substantial parts of the colonnade remain.

«The lamp is a new, precious testimony that comes from a site, the discovery of which represents an exceptional event. In fact, there are no other settlements of this type in the area. At the moment, work is underway to calculate the exact dimensions of the domus: an extension of 600 square meters has been ascertained but the overall size is far greater »declared the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage of Caltanissetta, Daniela Vullo. The oil lamp, the latest discovery in chronological order, is added to the many finds from the Roman age, attested between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, already found and classified in the same excavation site.