THE ARCHAIC SIGNS
Sicily, the heart of the Mediterranean, has incorporated Eastern motifs into its decorative repertoire since the Bronze Age. Early Bronze Age (2200-1800 BC) vases in the Partanna-Naro style can be compared to the production of the civilization of Castelluccio di Noto (SR), revealing strong links with the Aegean and Anatolia. The necropolises of Naro and Partanna, located west of the Belìce and Platani valleys, serve as a cultural bridge between East and West. The elegant hourglass vases are adorned with geometric motifs—lozenges, grids, triangles—painted in brown on yellow or reddish backgrounds. The Greco-Hellenistic leaf shoot motif (4th century BC) laid the foundation for the arabesque, which in Islamic culture evolved into a decorative element where plants like acanthus or vine are no longer recognisable.