The Jewish Catacombs of Venosa

Giancarlo Lacerenza; Jessica Dello Russo; Maurizio Lazzari; Sabrina Mutino

Authors

Giancarlo Lacerenza

University of Naples ‘L'Orientale’

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1953-3328

Jessica Dello Russo

International Catacomb Society, Boston

Maurizio Lazzari

CNR - Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4511-9035

Sabrina Mutino

Archaeological Superintendence of Basilicata

Keywords:

Jews, Italy, Catacombs, Venosa

Synopsis

Publisher: UniorPress

Series: Miscellaneous

Pages: 252

Language: Italian

NBN: http://nbn.depositolegale.it/urn:nbn:it:unina-26503

Abstract: This first volume of the Judaica Venusina series is dedicated to the Jewish catacombs in the Maddalena hill in Venosa (Basilicata). It features eleven articles, divided into two thematic parts.

The first part brings together all the texts (by M.L. Nava, V. Cracolici, G. Di Pace, M. Di Lieto, M. Savarese, A. Mantrisi) elaborated upon during the conferences held in 2003 and 2009 on the occasion of the reopening of the catacombs, the proceedings of which have never been published. The texts, revised and integrated with additional information, illustrate in detail the methodologies that were followed, the research carried out, and the results obtained during the consolidation and restoration of the complex, carried out mainly in the early 2000s. Here, for the first time, among other things, new data on the so-called “Santa Rufina” catacombs make their scholarly debut, subject, in turn, on the same occasion, by extensive consolidation and restoration works. The section ends with an additional essay (by S. Mutino) in which an assessment is made of some of the conservation strategies adopted at the time.

The second part comprises four new contributions (by J. Dello Russo, M. Lazzari, G. Lacerenza, V. Muscio) presented on the occasion of a workshop on the catacombs held in 2019 at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. The texts offer, respectively, a full picture of the history of the Jewish discoveries in Venosa, from the early explorations to the rediscovery of “Santa Rufina”; a discussion on the geological and geomorphological aspects of the Maddalena hill; an excursus on the contents and characteristics of the epigraphic material found in the catacombs; and the presentation of a recent digitization of the main catacombs.

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Author Biographies

Giancarlo Lacerenza, University of Naples ‘L'Orientale’

Giancarlo Lacerenza is full professor of Biblical and Medieval Hebrew Language and Literature at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. He authored a number of studies in the field of Jewish history, epigraphy and philology; from 2007 he leads the Center for Jewish Studies. Since 2013 he is editor-in-chief of the Sefer yuḥasin ‒ Review for the History of the Jews in South Italy. Currently he carries out the research project “Jewish Venosa” and its editorial series Judaica Venusina.

Jessica Dello Russo, International Catacomb Society, Boston

Jessica Dello Russo completed graduate studies at the Vatican’s Pontifical Institute for Christian Archaeology in Rome with a thesis on ancient cemetery topography. She has collaborated on excavations in Ostia Antica and in Rome, as well as in her native Boston. Dr. Dello Russo’s research and publications are primarily concerned with the excavation and study of ancient cemeteries in Italy used by Jews. She is a director of the International Catacomb Society, overseeing the launch of the society’s digital platforms and public outreach programs.

Maurizio Lazzari, CNR - Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale

Maurizio Lazzari is a geoarchaeologist researcher since 2001 at the CNR - ISPC. His research activities are focused on natural and anthropic hazard and risk factors, aimed at safeguarding and conserving settlements and historical-monumental heritage of the Mediterranean area, with particular attention to landslides and triggering factors, geological and geomorphological mapping, soil erosion, preservation of historical and archaeological sites, monitoring, cultural landscape and UNESCO Heritage. He is the author of 150 scientific publications and coordinator for several national research projects.

Sabrina Mutino, Archaeological Superintendence of Basilicata

Sabrina Mutino, Ph.D. is an archaeologist specializing in the territory of Magna Graecia. She has collaborated with many national and international research projects, specifically on the investigation of sites at Serra and Rossano di Vaglio (Potenza), with coordination of the artifact study and a number of the excavation trenches. She is the author of numerous archaeological studies and of the monograph The Pre-Roman Settlement of Barrata (Edipuglia, 2006). After nearly two decades of collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendence of Basilicata for museum installations and cultural enhancement projects, Dr. Mutino was appointed in 2017 a staff archaeologist of the Italian Ministry of Culture. As inspector of the eastern area of the province of Potenza, Dr. Mutino is responsible for the scientific direction of the conservation and management interventions in MiBACT sites and of preventive archeology excavations in the area.