“Anatomizzare i contesti”. Topografia, stratigrafia, tipologia. Il caso dell’ipogeo ellenistico-romano di contrada San Giuliano (Siracusa, scavi 1949-1956)

This paper presents the preliminary results of the study and reassessment of the grave goods materials from the San Giuliano hypogeum (Syracuse). The analysis provides a typological, technological, and functional overview of the ceramic material and associated objects from the funerary context. Technological and typolo- gical data offer insights into patterns of consumption between the Hellenistic and Imperial periods, within the broader framework of Roman Syracusae and Mediterranean exchange networks between the 2nd century BC and the 2nd century AD. Particular attention is given to imports from the Eastern Mediterranean, including transport amphorae and fine tableware, which attest to the continuity and intensity of contacts with the Ae- gean and Anatolian regions and highlight Siracusa’s central role within wider commercial networks. The pre- sence of Ephesian and Rhodian products, already documented in other funerary and domestic contexts of the city and its territory, reflects a complex economic system shaped by the interaction between local production and imported goods. In this context, the material evidence from San Giuliano emerges as a valuable indicator of exchange dynamics and strategies of social display, illustrating how access to goods perceived as ‘exotic’ contributed to the construction of social prestige among specific groups involved in trade and commerce in Roman eastern Sicily.