Gli Arabi ad Amantea: elementi di documentazione materiale

Abstract

This paper presents some objects of Islamic origin found at Amantea (Calabria, Italy), which was and Arab Emirate in the ninth century and was in contact with the Islamic regions of the Mediterranean Sea until at least the eleventh century. A historical-archaeological research project was recently set up by a team of the University of Florence and the University of Calabria in order to investigate the effects of the Islamic presence in the region and its impact on the local culture even beyond the period of the Emirate. Notice of written evidence on the Amantea settlement is given, and an analysis of the toponymy is provided. The material evidence mainly consists in an inscribed fragment of tombstone which is discussed in the context of similar finds from other regions of Italy, Sicily in particular. The find of a group of glass tokens and a coin from Khurasan is also dealt with.