In 2012, various geophysical surveys were undertaken in Morgantina by a team from the University of Cologne, as part of a project under the direction of Sandra K. Lucore (AEM) and Monika Trümper (UNC Chapel Hill). The work was carried out under the auspices of the Parco Archeologico Regionale di Morgantina and the authority of the directors of the AEM, Malcolm Bell III (University of Virginia, Emeritus) and Carla Antonaccio (Duke University). The aim of the work was to provide a framework of data for further targeted excavation projects at Morgantina. As part of the geophysical work at Morgantina, all three common methodologies, GPR, magnetometry and resistivity were employed. The equipment used included a Geometrics G-858 magnetometer, a Geoscan Research RM-15 meter and a GSSI SIR System 3000. The survey grids were set out using a Leica System 900 RTK differential GPS system in conjunction with a Total Station Leica TCRA 1205. The survey focussed on three separate parts of the site: Contrada Agnese and the Agora on the Serra Orlando Ridge, and the Cittadella hill. The results confirm that the orthogonal grid plan, laid out on the Serra Orlando Ridge in the 5th century B.C., was largely respected in the following centuries and was adapted to the topography of the terrain in the densely built up Contrada Agnese quarter. On the Cittadella hill, the area of the Prehistoric and Archaic settlements, the survey data confirm the existence of an inner defensive circuit and small structures whose orientation follows the topography of the slopes; the western slope of the Central Plateau seems to have been much more densely built up (possibly well into the Hellenistic period) than the eastern slope. In all three areas of the site, the geophysical survey indicates significant features and areas of high interest for future excavation. In the Contrada Agnese area of Morgantina, the survey allows the reconstruction of a densely built up quarter that largely respects the layout of the 5th century B.C. city plan, but adapts it to the topography of the terrain. Walls and buildings were constructed right up against the cliff face of the Agnese Ridge, in the lower reaches of the area (insula W12/13S lots 1, 3, 5) as well as on top of the plateau (insula W12/13S, lot 8). While the cliff clearly caused and necessitated adaptations in the southern part of insula W13/14S, it cannot account for the unusual layout of the southern lots of the adjacent insula W14/15S. The survey provided evidence that the settlement extended further south, at least in the topographically irregular southeastern area. It could not be ascertained how far south the settlement extended, however, as the survey area was limited by the modern perimeter fence. In particular, the survey helped to highlight areas of interest for future excavations in the Contrada Agnese area, most notably in the southeastern area (insula W13/14S, lot 8 and further south, which may be revealing for the development of the entire quarter. Trial trenches on top of the Agnese Ridge plateau could further clarify the extent and layout of the settlement in this area. The presumable continuation of structures beyond the perimeter fence indicates that it would be interesting and worthwhile to pursue targeted investigation of private property outside the archaeological park, if feasible.

The South Baths and West Sanctuary Project (2013-2015) is undertaken by the American Excavations at Morgantina (AEM) under the auspices of the Parco Archeologico Regionale di Morgantina and the authority of the directors of the AEM, Malcolm Bell III (University of Virginia, Emeritus) and Carla Antonaccio (Duke University). It aims to fully excavate a Hellenistic public bath complex (South Baths) and an adjacent building, identified as the West Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore in the Contrada Agnese area of the ancient city. Both buildings were first excavated in 1971 and then again briefly explored in 2005, with excavations renewed in 2009 and 2010. The first field season of this new project (2013) focused on the South Baths complex, aiming to reconstruct the extent, design, accessibility, circulation patterns, decoration, bathing program, water management systems, overall function, date and developmental history of the building, as well as its relationship to the surrounding urban landscape of the Contrada Agnese area of Morgantina. Following a thorough cleaning of parts of the baths that had been excavated previously, work was extended into parts of the building that had not been studied systematically before. In terms of overall plan, the full extent of the building was identified both along its E-W and its N-S axis. It largely follows a rectangular plan (although this is not as yet fully defined) with a rectilinear interior layout. The design of the identifiable bathing rooms is unusual: the characteristic unit of tholos with two small ante rooms with benches, as known from the North Baths at Morgantina and the baths of Syracuse and Megara Hyblaea, appears to be absent. While a full assessment of the bathing program of the South Baths must await complete excavation of the building, even at this point it is possible to identify remarkable differences between the South Baths and North Baths (and other Sicilian baths complexes). Several rooms had opus signinum paved floors that remain in various stages of preservation. A particular focus lay on excavation of the bath furnace: the eastern part of this was excavated to a level of secondary use (as a cooking oven), in its western part the original levels were reached. It could be shown that room 9, previously incorrectly identified as a suite of two bathing rooms, actually served as a water reservoir.

The South Baths and West Sanctuary Project (2013-2015) is undertaken by the American Excavations at Morgantina (AEM) under the auspices of the Parco Archeologico Regionale di Morgantina and the authority of the directors of the AEM, Malcolm Bell III (University of Virginia, Emeritus) and Carla Antonaccio (Duke University). It aims to fully excavate a Hellenistic public bath complex (South Baths) and an adjacent building, identified as the West Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore in the Contrada Agnese area of the ancient city. Both buildings were first excavated in 1971 and then again briefly explored in 2005, with excavations renewed in 2009 and 2010. The second project season saw further work towards completing the excavation of the South Baths complex, as well as first (renewed) excavations of the adjacent courtyard complex (West Sanctuary). A particular focus was on the careful excavation of the bath’s key feature, the bottle-shaped furnace beneath the secondary occupation level and cooking oven identified in the 2013 season, as well as the associated praefurnium, and the stokehold/service area identified as room 11. By the end of the season, the full extent of the baths complex was defined. It consists of 16 rooms, arranged in a rectangular grid, with a row of smaller rooms identified as shops running along its east face, i.e. along Stenopos W14. It is now clear that the baths follow a standard layout of Greek baths as found elsewhere in Sicily and southern Italy, with two distinct bathing sections. The layout of the South Baths is very similar to that of the nearby contemporary North Baths, located across the intersection of Stenopos W14 and Plateia B. The coexistence of two such similar buildings in close proximity to one another is unique in the entire Mediterranean. Perhaps the baths catered to different clientele, but at present there is no evidence to indicate if or how exactly bathers were differentiated: whether by gender, social status, financial circumstances, or any other criteria. It could be that the building excavated was less extensively decorated than the North Baths, although certain features of the South Baths and some excavated finds suggest that the building could have been equally well appointed. At present only the presence of shops in the South Baths distinguishes this complex from the North Baths, and their entrances on Stenopos W14 suggest that they might have functioned in relation to the large, probably public building located on the opposite side of the street (for more on this building see the reports by Alex Walthall on the 2014 and 2015 Contrada Agnese Project seasons). The 2014 excavations also extended south of the baths complex into the adjoining West Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore. Several rooms of this building had been excavated in 1971 and 2005, but only one of them completely (room 2). Despite significant clandestine disturbance, significant amounts of archaeological data had been recovered in the past, including material interpreted as a votive deposit in room 2. In the 2013 season room 6 was excavated completely, and the extent and interior layout of the building were defined in more detail than was available from the isolated trenches dug in 1971. The excavations revealed a dense sequence of several floor levels, currently unique evidence for Hellenistic Morgantina. At present, the building appears to consist of 9 rooms, two of which include small opus signinum paved structures in their corners. The newly identified rooms are to be excavated in 2015, a season that will also see the full definition of the structure’s extent.

The South Baths and West Sanctuary Project (2013-2015) is undertaken by the American Excavations at Morgantina (AEM) under the auspices of the Parco Archeologico Regionale di Morgantina and the authority of the directors of the AEM, Malcolm Bell III (University of Virginia, Emeritus) and Carla Antonaccio (Duke University). It aims to fully excavate a Hellenistic public bath complex (South Baths) and an adjacent building, identified as the West Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore in the Contrada Agnese area of the ancient city. Both buildings were first excavated in 1971 and then again briefly explored in 2005, with excavations renewed in 2009 and 2010. In the South Baths final cleaning, excavation, and analysis of the building and excavated finds provided crucial additional insights. Complementing the 15 previously identified rooms, an additional room was revealed in the NE corner, verifying that the building was fully rectangular and included a suite of small entrance rooms with a main entrance on either Plateia B or Stenopos W14, or possibly both. In the service area the airflow system of the large bath furnace was further clarified by revealing particular features in the stoke hold. A drain identified in the southeast corner of a large multifunctional room explains the drainage system for the relaxing luxurious bathing wing. Study of the water management and heating system was continued, leading to preliminary reconstructions of the large bottle-shaped bath furnace. The main focus of the season was on the so-called West Sanctuary, the plan of which was fully revealed. The complex occupied a standard lot of the city’s orthogonal grid system with a surface area of about 18 x 20 m and included, in its last phase, 20 rooms that were organized around at least two courtyards; about half of the rooms were excavated down to bedrock. The main entrance was in the east from Stenopos W14, with a secondary entrance from an ambitus to the west. The complex clearly had a neighboring building to the west with which it partially shared a common wall. Four rooms were found to the south of the West Sanctuary complex that belonged to yet another building and have a conspicuously similar configuration as the northern rooms of the West Sanctuary. The West Sanctuary as well as the South Baths were built over an ancient quarry. The building has a complex stratigraphy with at least 4-5 main phases of use, reconstructed from the architecture and occupation levels. It was built in the 3rd century BC and possibly used after 211 BC. The identification of the building as a sanctuary goes back to the excavation of one room in 1971, where a dense assemblage of finds was discovered under an intact tile fall and identified as a votive deposit. This identification could not be confirmed this year by any conclusive finds such as built altars, (votive) benches, lustral basins, and votive deposits that were found in situ around altars, under intact tile falls (all features found in other, securely identified neighborhood sanctuaries of Morgantina (North Sanctuary, North Sanctuary Annex, and the South Sanctuary).

The South Baths and West Sanctuary Project (2013-2017) is undertaken by the American Excavations at Morgantina (AEM) under the auspices of the Parco Archeologico Regionale di Morgantina and the authority of the directors of the AEM, Malcolm Bell III (University of Virginia, Emeritus) and Carla Antonaccio (Duke University). It aims to fully excavate a Hellenistic public bath complex (South Baths) and an adjacent building, the so-called West Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore in the Contrada Agnese area. Both buildings were first excavated in 1971 and briefly explored in 2005, with excavations renewed in 2009 and 2010. The aim of the 2016 season was the complete excavation of the so-called West Sanctuary. While the plan (18 x 20 m, 20 rooms) had been fully revealed and about half of the building had been excavated down to bedrock in the 2015 season, in 2016 all remaining rooms were excavated fully or at least by half. The conclusion reached in the last year (see 2015 report) were largely confirmed, and the site was understood in more detail. It is possible to distinguish four major phases of use. In the first phase, dated to ca. 250 BC, the floor level of rooms, mostly lying closely above the bedrock level, must have differed significantly across the building, about 1.60 m from the northwest corner to the southeast. Only in the last two phases were these differences leveled, by significantly raising the floor level in some rooms. These last two phases can be dated to the late 3rd and possibly early 2nd c BC. It is not yet possible to determine whether the building was inhabited after 211 BC (when Morgantina was conquered by the Romans and given to Spanish soldiers). As in 2015, there are no clearly identifiable structures or contexts to suggest an interpretation of the building as a sanctuary. The only areas that can be identified in terms of their function are cooking areas in two rooms (rooms 5, 19), relating to different phases, and an industrial facility in the southeast corner room (room 20). This suggests that the building served as a residential quarter in all of its phases of use. The most remarkable find of the 2016 season were two burials, found in the northwest corners of the southwest and southeast corner rooms (rooms 16, 20), in similar positions: both skeletons were lying on their right side, facing north, and had been dug into occupation levels and deposited without any finds (grave goods). At present, the skeletons cannot be connected with any historical events or catastrophic scenarios that may have provoked the unusual practice of “deviant” intramural makeshift burials. After comprehensive documentation (including drawings, structure from motion models of all rooms, photogrammetry of all walls, and a top-view photo-mosaic), the site was completely backfilled. The building will be published in a monograph, once the pottery, small finds, and skeletons have been examined in a final study campaign in 2017.