Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'SiBadra'

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2013<br>The study investigated the involvement of parents in school governance in Sibasa Circuit. Among others the study found that parents experience various challenges with their role in this regard. School Governing Bodies struggle to maintain a full complement of the parent’s component. However, there are various ways and means that can be used in order to improve the situation. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches in both data collection and analysis. The result from the study indicates that lack of capacity is a challenge to parents in contributing positively towards the involvement of school governance. The findings of this study have shown that there is a major concern that parents need to be given the opportunity to make inputs in the school. The study shows that the level of capacity and lack of ownership by parents is still a challenge; however the interest to change the status is still available by the parents. The recommendations suggest the following: • Parents should first be made familiar with the South African Schools Act of 84 of 1996. If parents could be educated on this Act, they would know the duties of governing bodies and what is expected from them. • The training should be conducted among all chairpersons, secretaries and treasurers in order for them to be taught how to conduct their duties; Effective consultation should be introduced in schools in order to encourage parents to be involved in school governance. Establishment of parental association can improve the involvement of parents in school governance. Parental association must educate parent members about the importance of communication. They must know that they have to communicate with other parents who are not members of the school governing body, because their duty is to represent their interests. This will help to foster parent involvement in school. Lastly, the National Department of Education needs to review Section 27 of South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 to include remuneration of school governing body members. This section is the one that states that no remuneration must be given to people for governing body duties. Remuneration can help to motivate parents to participate fully in governing body duties.

This research addresses the novel application of design of experiment, artificial neural net-works and logistic regression to study the effect of demographic characteristics on the risk of acquiring HIV infection among the antenatal clinic attendees in South Africa. The annual antenatal HIV survey is the only major national indicator for HIV prevalence in South Africa. This is a vital technique to understand the changes in the HIV epidemic over time. The annual antenatal clinic data contains the following demographic characteristics for each pregnant woman; age (herein called mother's age), partner's age (herein father's age), population group (race), level of education, gravidity (number of pregnancies), parity (number of children born), HIV and syphilis status. This project applied a screening design of experiment technique to rank the effects of individual demographic characteristics on the risk of acquiring an HIV infection. There are a various screening design techniques such as fractional or full factorial and Plackett-Burman designs. In this work, a two-level fractional factorial design was selected for the purposes of screening. In addition to screening designs, this project employed response surface methodologies (RSM) to estimate interaction and quadratic effects of demographic characteristics using a central composite face-centered and a Box-Behnken design. Furthermore, this research presents the novel application of multi-layer perceptron’s (MLP) neural networks to model the demographic characteristics of antenatal clinic attendees. A review report was produced to study the application of neural networks to modelling HIV/AIDS around the world. The latter report is important to enhance our understanding of the extent to which neural networks have been applied to study the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Finally, a binary logistic regression technique was employed to benchmark the results obtained by the design of experiments and neural networks methodologies. The two-level fractional factorial design demonstrated that HIV prevalence was highly sensitive to changes in the mother's age (15-55 years) and level of her education (Grades 0-13). The central composite face centered and Box-Behnken designs employed to study the individual and interaction effects of demographic characteristics on the spread of HIV in South Africa, demonstrated that HIV status of an antenatal clinic attendee was highly sensitive to changes in pregnant mother's age and her educational level. In addition, the interaction of the mother's age with other demographic characteristics was also found to be an important determinant of the risk of acquiring an HIV infection. Furthermore, the central composite face centered and Box-Behnken designs illustrated that, individual-ally the pregnant mother's parity and her partner's age had no marked effect on her HIV status. However, the pregnant woman’s parity and her male partner’s age did show marked effects on her HIV status in “two way interactions with other demographic characteristics”. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) sensitivity test also showed that the age of the pregnant woman had the greatest effect on the risk of acquiring an HIV infection, while her gravidity and syphilis status had the lowest effects. The outcome of the MLP modelling produced the same results obtained by the screening and response surface methodologies. The binary logistic regression technique was compared with a Box-Behnken design to further elucidate the differential effects of demographic characteristics on the risk of acquiring HIV amongst pregnant women. The two methodologies indicated that the age of the pregnant woman and her level of education had the most profound effects on her risk of acquiring an HIV infection. To facilitate the comparison of the performance of the classifiers used in this study, a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was applied. Theoretically, an ROC analysis provides tools to select optimal models and to discard suboptimal ones independent from the cost context or the classification distribution. SAS Enterprise MinerTM was employed to develop the required receiver-of-characteristics (ROC) curves. To validate the results obtained by the above classification methodologies, a credit scoring add-on in SAS Enterprise MinerTM was used to build binary target scorecards comprised of HIV positive and negative datasets for probability determination. The process involved grouping variables using weights-of-evidence (WOE), prior to performing a logistic regression to produce predicted probabilities. The process of creating bins for the scorecard enables the study of the inherent relationship between demographic characteristics and an in-dividual’s HIV status. This technique increases the understanding of the risk ranking ability of the scorecard method, while offering an added advantage of being predictive.

Dissertation submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Education in the Department of Foundation of Education, Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2019.<br>This study investigated the effects of curriculum changes on Mathematics teaching and learning in foundation phase, in Sibasa circuit, in Limpopo province. The study made use of a qualitative approach by means of interviews. Purposive sampling was utilised to select participants for this study. Results show that: policy makers failed to involve different stakeholders before introducing the new curriculum, the department did not regularly convenes workshops, seminars, and conferences and even continued trainings for Mathematics teachers; there is lack of teacher learner support materials that makes changes in curriculum and affects teaching and learning in a negative way.

Thanks to its pedoclimatic pre-conditions and the great anthropogenic modification of the natural environment of the coastal plain due to the "integral bonification" (1930-1950), the territory of the Sibari Plain (Calabria Region, southern Italy), within a few decades, has turned from a marshy and malarial land into one of the most valuable areas of citrus production. The Sibari Plain accounts for 50% of the total production of clementines in Italy (Ismea, 2016). Here, the study of the "clementinization" of the Sibari Plain provides an expedient way to understand how and to what extent the territorialization processes have been useful in building social capital in the long run. Furthermore, this study provides an insight into the nature and role played by the specific social capital in the citrus economy of the Plain, especially in building cooperative networks for citrus marketing.<br>Gracias a sus precondiciones edafoclimáticas y a la radical modificación antropogénica del marco natural de la llanura costera, debido a la "reclamación integral" (1930-1950), el territorio de la Plana de Sibari (Calabria, Italia del sur), en pocas décadas, pasó tras ser un humedal afectado por la malaria a una de las áreas de más valor para la producción de cítricos. Aquí se realiza el 50% de la producción total de clementinas italianas (Ismea, 2016). El estudio de la "clementinización" de la Plana de Sibari ha sido un expediente para comprender cómo y en qué medida los procesos de territorialización, en un lugar específico y en el largo plazo, han generado capital social. Con este enfoque se investigarán las características y el papel que juega el capital social territorial específico en la economía citrícola de la Plana de Sibari, especialmente en la construcción de redes cooperativas para la comercialización de clementinas.

The morphology of Lake Sibaya is a product of an ancient fluvial system that drained a coastal landscape dominated by aeolian processes. The sedimentary processes within the lake are driven by wind generated currents. The dominant sedimentary process is one of lake segmentation, whereby prograding bedforms isolate the lake into smaller water bodies. The prograding bedforms include cuspate forelands and sand spits. The size and mobility of these bedforms is a function of sediment availability and current regime. The bathymetry of Lake Sibaya is discussed, with emphasis on geomorphic features derived from the ancient aeolian landscape as well as features related to modern sedimentary processes. The presence of underwater knickpoints and terraces indicate that lake level fluctuations have been common in Lake Sibaya. It is during lake highstands that large volumes of sand are eroded from aeolian dunes which surround the lake and made available for shoreline progradation. Ancient dune topography is preserved to depths of 20 m below water-level within the lake. Surface sediment distribution maps were compiled from 515 grab samples and thirteen core samples. Fine grained, well sorted, coarse skewed quartz sand comprises the majority of the surface area of the lake floor. Gyttja is the other dominant sediment type and accumulates in palaeovalleys and depressions on the lake floor. Sediment distribution in Lake Sibaya is discussed in terms of modern lacustrine processes as well as inherited sedimentary characteristics. The stratigraphy of the sediments underlying Lake Sibaya was investigated using a Uni-Boom seismic profiling system. Seismic profiles were compiled by identifying acoustically reflective surfaces that show regional development. Thirteen seismic overlays were prepared, and are illustrated as west - east and north - south seismic profiles. Five sequences ranging in age from late Cretaceous to Holocene were identified from the seismic profiles, and are described in terms of sequence stratigraphic principles. The seismic sequences were interpreted within a lithostratigraphic framework and are presented as a series of idealised geological sections. Thirteen sediment cores were collected from the Lake Sibaya area in order to ascertain the accuracy of the stratigraphic interpretation of the seismic records, to investigate reflective horizons identified from seismic records and to collect dateable material. Interpretation of the sediment cores reveals that a proto Lake Sibaya existed on drowned dune topography, during the period ± 43500 BP to ± 25500 BP prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. During the early to mid Holocene the Lake Sibaya site was occupied by a saline lagoon which underwent isolation from the sea ± 5030 BP. Since the mid-Holocene the lake has evolved to totally freshwater conditions and has undergone little sedimentation. The geological evolution of the Lake Sibaya area is discussed in terms of the geometry of the identified seismic sequences, the sedimentary characteristics of these sequences and the radiocarbon dates provided from the sediment cores. Palaeo-environmental conditions during the accumulation of the sedimentary sequences is discussed where fossil remains permit.<br>Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

Rutile, although not a major component of detrital heavy mineral deposits, is a valuable source of titanium oxide. Theoretically rutile is pure titanium dioxide (TiO2) and should form white or colourless tetragonal crystals with a density of 4.25gm/ml. However, natural rutile although tetragonal, displays a variety of colours ranging from red through brown to black, yellow or blue, variable density between 4.23 to 5.50g/ml as well as a range in the magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity. In addition to these variations exhibited by natural rutile, samples from detrital heavy mineral deposits normally contain, in addition to homogenous grains, composite grains, in which rutile is intergrown with one or more mineral species, commonly quartz, feldspar and ilmenite. The Sibaya Formation, like most detrital heavy mineral deposits, has a polymictic source, and as such contains rutile grains formed in many different chemical environments. Homogenous rutile grains display a chemical variation with a preference for the select few elements, which are compatible with the rutile cyrstallographic structure. The ions that substitute for titanium (Ti4+) in the crystal lattice are a reflection of chemical environment in which the crystal formed. The size and charge of the Ti4 + ion greatly restricts the species that may enter the rutile crystal lattice, with Sb3 +, V3 +, Fe3 +, Cr3 +, Sn4 +, M04+, W4+, Mn4+, 8i5+, Nb5+, Ta5 +, Sb5 +, V5 +, being theoretically compatible with the size and charge of the Ti4+ ion. Electron microprobe analysis of detrital rutile grains from the Sibaya Formation, KwaZulu-Natal show that elements, Nb5 +, Ta5+, A13+, Zr4+, Si4+, Fe3+, Cr3 +, and V5 +, commonly substitute for the Ti4 + ion. However, Sb3+, Sn4+, M04+, W4 + and 8i5 + were not present at detectable levels implying that the provenance area is not enriched in these elements. Although the high Fe3+ values were expected in the rutile grains, as Fe3 + is common in many rocks, the high Si4+ values encountered were not expected, as Si4 + is not normally compatible with Ti4 + ion, as noted by their distinct separation in rutilated quartz. The anomalous Si4 + content of certain grains suggests that within the provenance area rutile bearing rocks formed under unusual conditions, such as high pressure, temperature and silicon activity where the high charge density of the Si4 + ion would favour the inclusion of Si4 + into the rutile lattice. The chemical variation of the rutile grains causes significant variation in the magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity, and thus has marked effects on mineral processing, which relies heavily on magnetic and electrostatic separation techniques. The data presented indicates that individual homogenous rutile grains displays significant range of chemical composition, commonly containing other oxides from a fraction of a weight percent to well over 10wt%. Data plots of TiO2, FeO and 'other' oxides (Nb2O5, Ta2O5, A12O3, ZrO2, SiO2, Cr2O3 and V2O3), showed that many of the more magnetic rutile grains appeared to be FeO enriched and contained a higher proportion of 'other' oxides. However, some grains that just had higher proportions of 'other' oxides and a lower FeO content were also magnetic. Thus magnetic susceptibility although strongly influenced by the presence of FeO, can also be enhanced by the substitutions of other oxides. The vast majority of rutile grains from the electrostatic fractions were relatively TiO2 pure, and contained low concentrations of 'other' oxides. However, some grains did have slightly enhanced SiO2 and V2O3 concentrations, which appear to enhance the conductivity of the grains. Four main colour groups were differentiated from the population of rutile grains from the Sibaya Formation, these being, reddish brown, black, blue and yellow. No single oxide seemed solely responsible for the colour of rutile grains. However, the red rutile grains had a slightly but significantly higher Cr2O3 and Nb2O5 content, whereas black rutile grains appeared to be V2O3 and Nb2O5 enriched. The blue colour of rutile grains appears to be influenced by a combination of SiO2, Al2O3 and Nb2O5 substitutions. The yellow rutile grains had slightly enhanced FeO and Nb2O5 concentrations. Although these differences are very small, trace quantities of certain elements and different combinations of elements can have a strong effect on colour. Apart from Fe3+, no single element; appears to be solely responsible for variations noted in the physical characteristics (magnetic susceptibility, electrostatic conductivity and colour) of homogenous rutile grains from the Sibaya Formation. However a combination of substituting elements appears to influence magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity. An enhanced Fe3+ content normally increases the magnetic susceptibility although combinations of other elements may have the same effect on Fe3+ poor grains. In general terms, the purer the rutile grain, the more likely it is, to be non-magnetic and conductive. Substitutions of 'other' oxides appear to decrease the conductivity of rutile grains. The relationship between grain colour and chemistry is also not very clear, verifying the widely held view that grain colour is often the result of more than just mineral chemistry.<br>Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2002.

This mini-dissertation seeks to investigate the harm caused by mob justice to people who are endowed with the right to life that is entrenched in the Bill of Rights. The investigation is done against the backdrop of an elaborate Bill of Rights that makes the right to life inviolable in democratic South Africa. It exposes the factors that underlie the growing incidence of mob justice in the country and the implications of this phenomenon for legal and policy options. The mini-dissertation proceeds from the understanding that the state has a duty to protect the right to life and that mob justice is unconstitutional and violates the right to life and its associated rights like the section 35 rights, right to dignity and so on. It is necessary that the state acts upon this phenomenon so as to fulfil its constitutional duty to protect the right to life. Beyond the analysis of the incidence of mob justice in South Africa, an effort was made to proffer viable strategic responses to curb the phenomenon in the short and long terms.<br>Thesis (LLM) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2014

The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park (GSLWP) World Heritage Site, is one of the most important remaining protected areas for the conservation of Crocodylus niloticus (Nile crocodile) in the Republic of South Africa Although crocodiles are present at low densities in some of the wetlands throughout the GSLWP, at Kosi Bay and Lake Sibaya, the majority is found at Lake St Lucia Concern about the status of the crocodile population at Lake Sibaya prompted a quantitative assessment of the present situation to direct appropriate management action to secure the future viability of this population Due to the complex nature of crocodile surveys, and the paucity of available scientific literature in South Africa, a literature review of global crocodilian survey techniques provided the basis for a survey strategy to determine an index of relative abundance of the crocodile population at Lake Sibaya The population was estimated in 2003 through aerial and spotlight surveys and nest surveys were conducted in 2003 and 2004. The highest count dwing the 2003 aerial surveys was 36 crocodiles, suggesting a decline of 66% during the past 13 years in the population index based on earlier surveys. Sixty five crocodiles were cowlted during the spotlight surveys, 72% more than the highest aerial count (excluding hatchlings), which indicates the importance of using a combined survey approach. A correction factor of 1.72 was calculated for future aerial surveys and the population is estimated at 112 crocodiles, \\-ith a variance of22.49 and standard error of 4.47. Three nests were found during the 2003 nest survey, but none during 2004. Crocodiles rarely produce every year in the wild, and the Lake Sibaya population might display a low reproductive frequency, similar to the nearby Lake St Lucia population Sixty three potential nesting areas were identified and evaluated in terms of their relative suitability for nesting. These sites could play an important role in increasing the population to support a sustainable use progralllffie at Lake Sibaya. Despite legal protection, the population is clearly under threat as a result of direct and secondary pressures. To secure the future viability of this population, I recommend that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife develop an integrated crocodile management plan through collaboration with The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Authority and the local communities adjacent to Lake Sibaya, where the conservation and increase of crocodiles will benefit the communities that are dependent on the lake for their daily livelihoods. The likely alternative might be extinction of this important predator from the largest freshwater ecosystem in South Africa's first World Heritage Site.<br>Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

The new democratic government in South Africa introduced an education system that focused on quality and equality for all. The introduction of the new education system intended to remove inequality in the schooling system. The new education system was been accomplished through phasing out school fees and introducing a no-fee school policy. The aim of the no-fee school policy was to redress the imbalances of the past and to attract the poor and orphans to access education without paying mandatory fees (Wilderman, 2009:32). The no-fee policy came with interesting ideas for relieving pressure on both parents and learners. It attracted many learners who had dropped out of school in many years. This led to a dramatic increase of enrolment in no-fee schools. However, Borkum (2009:1) sees the disadvantages of the increased enrolment as overcrowding that reduces the quality of education, increases lawlessness in schools, and insufficient resources such as textbooks. The major challenges faced by these schools is the delay in releasing provincial funds, inadequate state funding, and loss of income from school funding. These make no-fee schools vulnerable, affecting quality of education and influences on the enrolment pattern of learners (Nsapato, 2007:2). Against this background, the study aimed to investigate factors influencing poor enrolment in a no-fee school in the foundation phase and to suggest strategies that could be used to overcome these challenges. The study adopted a qualitative research method and its design was a case study. Four educators were purposeful selected on the basis of three years teaching experience in a no-fee school in the foundation phase. Data collection strategies were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Data analysis was done according to a systematic process of coding and categorising. Gathered data was categorised into constituent parts for coding purposes. Ethical issues considered were the following: permission to conduct the study, informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity. Participants’ confidentiality and anonymity were maintained by using pseudonyms in the report. The voluntary nature of participation and the absence of punishment for withdrawal from the study were emphasised prior to commencement of the semi-structured interviews. The issue of trustworthiness in this study was considered through the following: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. The data analysis from semi-structured interview revealed the following: the no-fee school policy has a negative impact on parents because parents were no longer involved themselves in the education of their children. The overburdened infrastructure has a negative effect on quality of education and the enrolment status, deterioration of quality of education in no-fee schools force parents to withdraw their children and register them to better schools, cooperation amongst stakeholders is necessary for the improvement of quality of education, teachers’ remuneration should also be improved and the maintenance of professionalism through discipline. Findings from document analysis revealed that poor enrolment in no fee school was caused by high rate of absenteeism in all registers. This compelled educators to withdrew learners’ from class registers hence poor enrolment figures in no fee schools. Staff meeting minutes revealed that enrolment of learners in no-fee schools could be improved through improvement of teaching and learning and the provision of adequate infrastructure and the reinforcement of the no-fee school policy packages such as the National School Nutrition Program in order to attract more vulnerable learners to these schools. Based on the findings, the following strategies are recommended for improving poor enrolment in no-fee schools: strengthening collaboration amongst the stakeholders in education; maintenance of discipline; enforcement of professionalism among teachers; continuous training of all stakeholders; and punctual disbursement of funds to no-fee schools.<br>Educational Leadership and Management<br>M. Ed. (Education Management)

This thesis addresses issues of anti-dumping law and practice from a critical and juridical analysis position. In particular, the thesis seeks to determine whether the South African anti-dumping regime is compliant with the anti-dumping regime of the World Trade Organization (hereafter WTO), and to consider possible solutions for addressing instances where the South African law is not WTO compatible. The thesis departs from the hypothesis that the WTO merely requires functional equivalence of the implementation of national legislation on anti-dumping, and not the verbatim adoption of WTO jurisprudence and relevant provisions of the Agreement on the Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994 (hereafter URAA), into the legislation of State Parties. Some of the provisions of the URAA are not completely clear, and are cast in convoluted and complicated technical jargon, leaving loopholes that may be justifiably exploited by State Parties. The study in this thesis was achieved through the critical analysis of legislation and relevant legal documents, case law and contemporary literature. The primary research paradigm used in this study is interpretive and analytical, which is the same as qualitative research methodology. The legal comparative research method, with a historical component, also played an important role in this study. The literature study undertaken and the critical analyses made of the South African anti-dumping regime show mixed findings. The South African antidumping regime was found to have both positive aspects and problematic aspects when compared with WTO regulations. Some of the critical areas of the South African anti-dumping regime are WTO compatible whilst others are not. In some areas the South African anti-dumping regime has adopted functionally equivalent provisions to the provisions of the WTO law. However, the practice of the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) is sometimes fraught with inconsistencies. The compatibility of the South African anti-dumping system with the WTO regime came close to being examined by the WTO on 1 April 1999 in the dispute of South Africa - Anti-dumping Duties on the Import of Certain Pharmaceutical Products from India based on allegations that the method for calculating normal value used by the ITAC was found to be inconsistent with the URAA. Similarly, the conformity of the procedures and findings of the International Trade and Administration Act (ITAA) in anti-dumping cases came under attack in the cases of Algorax v The International Trade Administration Commission and others, and Scaw v The International Trade Administration Commission and others, respectively. Finally, the thesis ends with recommendations in response to the challenges identified and key submissions made throughout the analysis. Key recommendations include the broadening of the concept of interested parties to include registered trade unions and trade union federations; introducing an explicit and mandatory "public Interests" provision to ensure that South Africa's anti-dumping administration is free from political trappings in the form of the involvement of the Minister of Trade and Industry; introducing the new section 31 bis of the ADR in order to allow the initiation of anti-dumping petitions by a registered trade union or trade union federation; providing procedural guidelines for self-initiation of anti-dumping petitions by the ITAC; increasing transparency in anti-dumping proceedings and enquires; setting realistic time-lines for all anti-dumping processes and ensuring compliance with the same; improving the institutional and functional capacity of the ITAC; amending section 18.3 of the ADR to allow search and seizure operations pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 and the Customs Act; having a clear provision on verification visits confidentiality and a clear provision on producer knowledge; introducing a clear provision in the ADR dealing explicitly with zeroing pursuant to Article 2.4.3 (ii) of URAA; and the introduction of duty refund procedures. It is hoped that the recommendations made in this thesis, which are in the form of suggested legislative interventions required to upgrade certain areas of South African anti-dumping law and practice to be fully WTO compliant, will influence the introduction of suitably crafted anti-dumping legislation in South Africa. It is further hoped that the thesis will become an invaluable source of information for practitioners and students, and a critical source on the best practice for the imposition and implementation of anti-dumping measures. Moreover, the thesis will add to the body of academic writing on South African anti-dumping law.<br>Thesis (PhD.(Law) North-Wets University, Mafikeng Campus, 2011

La ricerca non ha l’ambizione di dipanare le complesse problematiche legate alla tradizione frammentaria, recentiore, stratificata e spuria su Pitagora nel disperato tentativo di individuare un filone più genuino di altri, utile a ricostruire il profilo del filosofo nel VI secolo a.C. Il lavoro si limita invece a isolare e analizzare alcuni aspetti incentrati sulla tradizione attestante il ruolo di Pitagora negli anni del suo soggiorno in Italía e Sicilia, nel tentativo di ricontestualizzarli al periodo storico di appartenenza. Tuttavia tale operazione non può essere correttamente intesa se isolata dall’opera di “riedificazione” della figura del filosofo effettuata dalla scuola di Aristotele. Difatti si deve proprio ai due discepoli dello Stagirita, Aristosseno e Dicearco, il primo sistematico tentativo di ricostruire la biografia di Pitagora collegando le vicende del filosofo a quelle magnogreche e siceliote. In particolare è il primo a fare di Pitagora il nomoteta poleico di orientamento antitirannico e antidionigiano, e il nuovo ecista dell’Italía e della Sicilia non più in chiave coloniale. Sempre in tale ottica si può leggere l’origine tirrenica del filosofo, così come il probabile tentativo effettuato dallo stesso di persuadere Policrate a deporre la tirannide e il rifiuto di accogliere la tradizione, inclusa quella del maestro, che faceva di Sibari la polis sopraffatta dal lusso, contrapponendole quella mirante a farne una delle città rese libere da Pitagora. L’operazione patriottica compiuta da Aristosseno nel tentativo di liberare l’Italía e la Sicilia dal passato coloniale riformulandone la storia pare legarsi infine a quella dei Neoplatonici, in particolar modo Giamblico, i quali recuperano la versione del Tarantino nell’estremo tentativo di “salvare” la filosofia dal Cristianesimo.

Il progetto di ricerca si pone come obiettivo lo studio della ceramica di produzione coloniale rinvenuta all’interno dell’Edificio V, uno dei cinque edifici che compongono l’area sacra ubicata sulla vetta del Timpone della Motta di Francavilla Marittima (CS). Il materiale ceramico analizzato, del tutto inedito e attualmente custodito presso i depositi del Museo Archeologico della Sibaritide, è stato rinvenuto durante le attività di scavo condotte tra il 1991 e il 2009 dall’équipe del Groningen Institute of Archaelogy (GIA). Al fine di avere una visione globale e allo stesso tempo minuziosa di un sito archeologico considerato nodo cruciale nel processo di acquisizione territoriale operato dai coloni achei durante la fondazione della vicina Sibari si è deciso di affrontare, accanto ad una disamina generale sia delle fonti storico-letterarie che mitologiche, uno studio relativo ad un inquadramento topografico dell’ intera area allo scopo di definire le evidenze archeologiche e materiali relative all’abitato, alla necropoli e all’area sacra. In particolare, una disamina articolata dei cinque Edifici ubicati sulla vetta del Timpone della Motta, ha permesso di comprendere le dinamiche insediamentali che, a partire dalla fine del secolo VIII a.C., risultano essere collegate indissolubilmente alle contingenze storiche della colonia achea di Sibari. Infatti tali fasi di vita susseguitesi sul Timpone Motta, dall’impianto del santuario greco - in concomitanza con la prima generazione dei coloni achei di Sibari- fino alla monumentalizzazione della prima metà del VI secolo a.C., hanno reso il santuario di Francavilla Marittima il maggiore polo cultuale della chora sibarita. In particolare, una trattazione più approfondita interamente dedicata alle successioni stratigrafiche pertinenti l’Edificio V ha evidenziato la presenza di diverse fasi di frequentazioni il cui arco cronologico è collocato nel Bronzo Medio (Edificio Va), si sussegue per tutta l’età arcaica con la sovrapposizione di tre edifici (Edificio Vb, Edificio Vc ed Edificio Vd) e prosegue sino agli inizi del V secolo a.C. (Edificio Ve). La successione stratigrafica si conclude con la realizzazione dell’ultimo edificio (Edificio Vf) corrispondente alla cosiddetta chiesetta bizantina. Lo studio sistematico del materiale ceramico, rinvenuto all’interno dell’Edificio V (fase Vc e Vd) la cui collocazione cronologica è compresa tra la fine del secolo VIII a.C. e i primi decenni del secolo VI a.C. (nello specifico nn. 253 frammenti di cui nn. 47 dall’Edificio Vc e nn. 206 dall’Edificio Vd) ha ben evidenziato i caratteri peculiari di una produzione che, analizzata come classe autonoma, si ispira per forma e sintassi decorativa a modelli propri della madrepatria e che, solo in un secondo momento, seguirà una produzione autonoma. L'attuazione di un rigoroso metodo di classificazione tipologica e morfologica ed uno studio legato ad aspetti connessi con la produzione hanno permesso la comprensione dei caratteri della produzione coloniale nell’area e di avanzare la proposta di ubicazione di un ergasterion per la produzione delle ceramiche funzionali strettamente connesse alle esigenze dell’Athenaion. Una ricerca, dunque, che si propone di fornire un piccolo tassello in più alla conoscenza di un edificio sacro la cui testimonianza di straordinario valore quale centro fondamentale per la comprensione delle dinamiche storiche, economiche e soprattutto culturali dell’intera area ci pare non possa prescindere dalla puntuale interpretazione delle tecniche e delle logiche artistiche delle produzioni dei manufatti locali in essa rinvenuti, le cui vicende storiche, economiche, di produzione e diffusione, sono strettamente connesse alle contingenze storiche della vicina colonia achea di Sibari.