Da Hykkara a Carini: l'insediamento di contrada San Nicola (scavi 2016-2021)

The late antique and medieval settlement of Contrada S. Nicola, identified as the Hykkara station along the Via Valeria, mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini, occupies a strategic position within the road network that connected the plain of Carini, protected to the south by the western end of the mountains around Palermo, with the hinterland and the coastal settlements overlooking the Gulf of Castellammare. Following a series of preliminary explorations that confirmed the site’s importance, the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. of Palermo, in collaboration with the Società ArcheOfficina, initiated archaeological excavations in 2016. In 2021, a convention was established between the Soprintendenza, the Department of Culture and Society of the University of Palermo, and the Municipality of Carini to promote research activities at this significant site. Here are the results of the first five excavation campaigns, revealing interesting phases of life spanning from the late antique period to the full medieval era.