Project Kepos: Phoenicians in Ischia? Traces of Levantines at Pithekoussai

The Kepos Project – Meetings on Archaeology and Landscape returns, an annual cycle of conferences promoted by the Walton Foundation and the La Mortella Gardens. With an interdisciplinary approach, it offers a reflection on Italy’s and the world’s extraordinary cultural heritage. Curated by Dr. Mariangela Catuogno, this year’s edition is dedicated to the centenary of Lady Walton and her work as the creator of an extraordinary place such as the La Mortella Gardens.

After the success of the first event, dedicated to the royal patronage of the English Garden at the Royal Palace of Caserta, the second meeting—focused on archaeology—will take place at Villa Arbusto on May 7 at 7:00 PM.

The conference will provide an important contribution on the current state of studies regarding the Levantine presence attested in the settlement of Pithekoussai and will be delivered by Massimo Botto, Research Director at the National Research Council (CNR) and Professor of Phoenician-Punic Archaeology at the OrSa Specialization School.

The nature and ethnic composition of the community that settled on Ischia in the second quarter of the 8th century BC—defined as Euboean by classical authors—remains at the center of ongoing debate among specialists. Based on the extensive data collected by Giorgio Buchner and David Ridgway in the necropolis of San Montano, it has been possible to identify the presence—not only of Greeks and local individuals—but also of Etruscans, Italic peoples, and “Phoenicians” in the broadest sense of the term, referring both to people from the Syro-Palestinian area and to groups from the Levantine coasts who took part in the wide and complex process of expansion westward promoted by the powerful city of Tyre. This process involved various actors recruited both in the East and in the central-western Mediterranean.

However, not all scholars agree that Phoenician merchants and craftsmen were permanently active at Pithekoussai. Drawing on the archaeological and epigraphic evidence available, and referring to the most recent lines of research on the topic, the meeting will aim to clarify the multiethnic and multicultural nature of Pithekoussai, highlighting the contribution of the Eastern component.

Following opening remarks by Alessandra Vinciguerra, President of the Walton Foundation and La Mortella Gardens, Professor Massimo Botto will present on the topic. The event will be moderated by Dr. Mariangela Catuogno, Scientific Director of the Kepos Project.