History and etymology of Favignana

It is a consolidated commonplace believe that Sicily had been "exclusively Greek." In fact, Sicily, "before" the Greeks were conquered by the Phoenicians. About this historical reality spoke us  Thucydides (460-397 BC), who observed (VI, 2) that "[...] then the Phoenicians also inhabited the coasts of Sicily, having occupied the headlands and the nearby islets, because of trade with the Sicules. However, when the Greeks arrived there in large numbers by sea, leaving Sicily  they lived in Motya,  Soloenta and Panormos [...]". One of these "islets" inhabited by the Phoenicians was Favignana.

It was called by the Greeks "Aigousai", while the Romans (Pliny [23-79 AD]) called it "Aegusa", namely the “island of the goats”, and according to some scholars it would be identified with “Ogigia”, on which Ulysses landed to hunt wild goats. And then it would have given its name to "all" the Aegadian Islands [“Aegusa non modo “Aygà” vel “Aygài” (unde “Aygàtes”), se etiam 'Aighelìa' dicta fuit”], or “Aegusa was called not only ‘Aygà’ or ‘Aygai’ '(from which ‘Aegadian Islands’), but also 'Aighelìa”  (See "C. Ptolomei 100-175] Geographia" edidit C. Muller, 1833: 410). An ancient commentator of Cornelius Nepos (100-30 BC) also wrote: [...]Eo nomine dicebantur insulae tres Siciliae inter et Africam, Lilybaeo promontorio objectae, scilicet Phorbantia, Aegusa, et Hiera; hodie Levanzo, Favagnana et Maretimo [...]"; or, "with this name were called three islands between Sicily and Africa, in front of Promontory Lilibeo, that is Phorbantia, Aegusa and Hiera; now Levanzo, Favignana and Maritime” ( See “Cornelii Nepotis Opera”, edited by El. Johanneau et J. Mangeart, Venetiis, Antonelli, 1837: 419-420).

The etymology of the modern name, or “Favignana”, derives from "Favonius", the "Zephyr", the West Wind. In fact, E. Von Wollfin and A.S. Miodonski explained: "[...] Aegusam quae nunc dicitur  Favignana vel Favognana (...) causa vento Favonio [...]" ("Aegusa, which is now called Favignana or Favognana, because of the Zephyr) (See C. Asinii Polionis "De bello Africo Commentarius", Teubneri, 1889: 3). However, according to Giovanni Alessio, it would be a praedial name in -anum: "[...] The name Favignana island looks like a name from a possible praedial-name ‘Favonius’ "[...]"( See G . Alessio, “Fortune della grecità linguistica in Sicilia”, Flaccovio, 1970: 49). Favignana, whose name refers to the Greeks and Latins, however, was a land of the Phoenicians, and it was a “nerve center of the Carthaginian power, concerned to exercise effective control of the Sicilian Channel (...) Favignana (…) was an integral parts of the control system provided by the Carthaginians in the central Mediterranean.

 

In particular, Favignana and Marettimo were explicitly mentioned in classical sources for military operations that bore in 241 BC the battle between the Carthaginians and Romans under Lutatius Catulus, a battle that decided the fate of the War of Carthage against Rome. At the present state of research, the only Favignana, haunted until the Neolithic period, retains signs of the Carthaginian settlement with subterranean tombs and a neo-Punic inscription engraved on the rocky walls dating from the  II-I century BC [...] "(See A. Acquaro, “Cartagine. Un impero sul Mediterraneo”[" Carthage. An Empire in the Mediterranean Sea”], Rome, Newton Compton, 1978: 127-128).

With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Vandals, Goths and  Arabs  arrived in Sicily (fifth century AD). These latter ruled in Sicily from the late ninth century, and a proof of the Arab presence in Favignana is the area of  the so-called “Torretta” ["Small Tower"], built precisely by the Arabs, like the towers of St. Catherine and St. Leonard. After the Arabs, the Normans came, and in Favignana Count Roger (1031-1101) built the fortress of “San Giacomo”.

To the Normans followed the Swabians, and during the late thirteenth century Favignana was ruled by the family of the Abbate, a "Seigniory of Pirates”: "[...] Even Al-Idrisi (1099-1165) said that Favignana offered  convenient landing places (...) Inhabited in Norman times only by a hermit who lived 'in a kind of castle' in the island's highest point (...) Favignana during the Swabian age will have a real fortress, and it  was entrusted to the Abbate, the  dominant family in Trapani from the first half of the thirteenth century. During the reign of Frederick II of Swabia (1194-1250) the Abbate established diplomatic relations with Africa and exercised various forms of control over the islands between Sicily and Africa, starting  from Favignana and Pantelleria to Malta (...) The Abbate was a “Seignoiry of  pirates”, and in  1227  Palmerio Abbate  attacked and looted a Saracens ship in the port of Trapani [...]" (See AA. VV., “Studi in onore di Giosué Musca”,  Dedalo, 2000: 479-480).

From 1498 to 1590 Favignana was ruled by the Filingeri, then by Giacomo Brignoni, and finally by the Pallavicino (See V. Amico, “Dizionario topografico della Sicilia” ["Topographical Dictionary of Sicily”], 1855: 442). In the mid-nineteenth century Favignana was acquired by the shipowner Vincenzo Florio, who built a cottage now housing  the Museum of the 'Antiquarium' and he opened  to start to the "Tunny net", still active. Even today, the fishing and tourism are the main sources of income of the Favignana inhabitants.