Dalla musica nelle riattualizzazioni drammatiche alle danze itifalliche: funzioni rituali e contesti delle terrecotte “teatrali” magnogreche e siceliote

This study explores terracotta figurines depicting dancers and musicians in Magna Graecia and Sicily through the lenses of archaeomusicology and the archaeology of performance. Moving beyond traditional iconographic descriptions, the research investigates the ritual and funerary functions of these artifacts, highlighting their role in dramatic reenactments and "ritual dramas." By analyzing specific case studies, such as the sanctuary of Fontana Calda at Butera and the necropolis of Lipari, the author discusses how grotesque, comic, and ithyphallic figures—often associated with the Dionysian and Demetriac spheres—acted as visual and symbolic anchors for ephemeral musical and choral events. These figurines, ranging from the "fat hetaira" playing the aulos to dancers with tympana and kymbala, served as both ritual offerings and enduring memories of sensory experiences. Ultimately, the study demonstrates how these "theatrical" terracottas functioned as "soundmarks" within sacred soundscapes, marking social transitions, fertility rites, and the hope for a blissful afterlife in the Dionysian mystery tradition.