History of Modica

The area of Modica is an ancient prehistoric site and the first inhabitants were the Iberians, who lived in nearby caves, where they were found the remains of furniture and objects of daily use,  such as the Museum of the city offers an ample  evidence. Later the territory was occupied by the Sicanians and Modica in the Norman times  became an almost impregnable fortress, and it was ruled, under King Roger II (1095-1154), by Gualtieri (o) di Mohac, whom the king granted the feud.

The Norman conquest laid the basis for the feudal regime and determined  the spread of fitted castles, to protect the roads and large landed estates. With the conquest of the Swabians, Modica was escheated in the Royal state property and then was assigned to the family of  the"Mosca".  From the Swabians the city passed to the Angevin, and under this rule occurred the famous Sicilian Vespers. Around 1300, Modica passed by marriage to the famous family of  the Chiaramonte. In fact, Manfredi Chiaramonte (died in 1321), marrying Isabella Mosca in 1286, daughter of Frederick Count of Modica, prepared the ground for  the dominion of the County and he was granted the properties already confiscated from  Manfredi Mosca, Isabella's brother.

Therefore, it seems that around 1296 Frederick II of Aragon (1272-1337) assigned the County to Manfredo Chiaramonte  after seizing the feud from the Mosca (See E. Di Blasi, “Il paesaggio culturale della Contea di Modica”, “Dipartimento di Economia e territorio dell'Università di Catania”, Atti Asita, Catania, 2005: 1-12). However, the date 1296 was always  questioned by  scholars.

Recently, Antonino Marrone, after a pressinf philological analysis of the document, concludes that the famous diploma of 1206 dates back to 1335: "[...] It’s likely that the allocation of the County to Manfred occurred after the cessation of  theAngevin raid  in summer 1335, when it was already possible to check the loyalty to the King of Aragon  by other members of the Chiaramonte family, and in particular by  Manfredi (II) Chiaromonte (Captain of Palermo in 1322) . Another clue that leads us to place the compilation of the 'Descriptio' in the last months of 1335, rather than in the first months of 1336 [...]" (See Antonino Marrone, “Sulla datazione della 'Descriptio Feudorum sub Rege Friderico' (1335) ...”, in “Mediterranea”, “Ricerche storiche”, Year I, 2004: 137).

From 1296 to 1392 there was a massive expansion of the County, which started to control more than 47 estates, and the political and military power of which disconcertedeven the reign of the Aragonese. This is a typical example of feudal anarchy that reigned during the Aragonese rule in Sicily, where in fact the County of Modica was for many centuries the most powerful feud of the island, creating a veritable state within a state.

The excessive power of the Chiaramonte concluded in 1394, when Andrea Chiaramonte was beheaded for rebellion against the king Martin I of Aragon. Under the rule of  the Chiaramonte, the city experienced a notable increase in building. The patronage of  the Chiaramonte leaves a  sistinguished mark in civic  and religious buildings of Sicily. The county proceeded to the Cabrera and Henriquez-Cabrera, who made  Modica a powerful feudal state, very similar to a kingdom, and where the feudal lord enjoyed sovereign authority.

The County, in addition to Modica, included Scicli and Ragusa, Comiso, Ispica Camarina, Chiaramonte, Monte Rosso, Giarratana, Odagrillo, Pozzallo, Marsa and Murri. Were added in 1366 Malta, Gozo and Gomino; in 1374 the County of  Caccamo, Girgenti, Bivona, Naro, Delia, Mussumeli, Gibillina, Favara; in 1375 Castronuovo, Misilmeri, Muscari, Guastanello. (See F. Mainenti, “Bernardo Cabrera Conte sovrano di Modica”, in “Agorà”, VIII, 2002:  25).

It suffice  to say that in 1392 was granted to Bernardo Cabrera the so-called "mero et mixto imperio", which implied sovereign powers: “Comitatus, castra et loca praedicta vobis concedimus (...) cum mero et mixto imperio” ["We give you the County ,  castles and places aforesaid, which you will rule by sovereign powers "] (See G. Modica Scala, “I tribunali della contea di Modica”, in "Archivum Historicum Motycense", 1996, 2:  5).

In the early eighteenth century, the County went directly to Spain, until it lost its legal status in the early nineteenth century. Certainly a catastrophic event for the city was formed by the earthquake of 1693. The reconstruction of  Modica took place  in the first half of the eighteenth century, and it was re-built in Baroque style, which still constitutes the artistic salient element of the town.

With the unification of Italy (1861), Modica lost its role of capital in favor of Ragusa, becoming a town dedicated mainly to agricultural and commercial activities. In recent years, with the increase in cultural activities and enhancement of its significant artistic heritage, Modica is a city with considerable tourist attractions.

Etymology of Modica

About the origins of Modica, the discussions among the scholars were numerous and incongrous.  We can say that for many years the best accredited theory has been that of  the Phoenician origin of the city, but in recent years it has not enjoyed a very large favor. The  researches about the  "origins" are also linked to the etymological problem;   so, if we don’t agree in principle about the origins, the same etymological problem becomes evanescent and fundamentally irresolvable and inextricable. In fact, the connection between the  origins and etymology was always present in all the studies about Modica.

Let's start with the oldest. Francesco Testa (“Opuscoli di autori siciliani”, Palermo, 1762, Volume VII: 337-338) wrote: [...] One believes that the name of Modica is commonly derived from an old city called "Motyca" by Ptolemy, or ‘Motuca’. Mugnos believes it of Phoenician origin, with the Phoenician name meaning "Strong Castle" [Italian “Castel Forte”]; although elsewhere he had said that it was so called from 'Motuchin', Captain of the ‘Lindi’  or ‘Geloi’ and  the founder of it.

The Arabs called  ‘Motuca’ with the term "Mohac", meaning 'profunditas' [depth] and 'pars Prostans Montis' [opposite to a part of the mountain], and thus they could allude to the site of the city, located precisely in a deep valley with a hill in the middle. Other names were Modica, Motuca, Motye, Mutuca, Mutic, Mothyca, Mohac, Motyce, Modices, Motic, Madica and Mitice [...]."  We parenthesize that "Motuca" was the Latin name of the city.

In the "Documents to serve the History of Sicily" (See,“Società siciliana di storia patria”, 1888, p. CXLVIII) we read: “Giacomo Maria d’Aquino (...) writes that Modica or Motuca is an ancient town  built by the Phoenicians.” And again G. Buonfiglio Costanzo notes that “the Phoenicians obtained the dominion of the sea, as told by Eusebius. They built 'Motuca' and Palermo in Sicily (See G. Bonfiglio, “Dell'Historia siciliana”,, Venice, 1604, I: 46). The Jesuit  Father G. Massa, wrote: "[...] Filadelfio Mugnos says the founder of Motica was ‘Motuchin’, Captain of the ‘Gelai’, or “Lindi” (...), but then he forgot what  had written earlier, saying that (...) Motuca was founded by the Phoenicians and the word "Motuc," in Phoenician language means 'Strong Castle' [...]" (See G.A. Massa, “La Sicilia in prospettiva”, Palermo, 1709, II: 116).

Even more recently we read in the “Archivio storico” that Motuca “ derives from the Phoenician word Motuc,  or "Castel Forte" (See“Archivio storico per la Sicilia orientale”, 1980: 504). M. Collura says with determination that “Modica was a Phoenician and Sicilian city. The Greeks called it 'Motyka' one hundred years after the foundation of Syracuse. Stronghold of the Saracens and Normans, it became a powerful county, boasting the title of   ‘Regnum in  regno’ [" a state within a state"]” (See M. Collura, , “Sicilia sconosciuta. Itinerari insoliti e curiosi”, Rizzoli, 1998: 168 ).

However, now the  Phoenician origin of Modica is not universally accepted by scholars, many of whom suppose that it had been founded by indigenous peoples, as the Elymians-Sicanians. Although some archaeological finds of Modica would think the city as a sort of "emporium" of the Phoenicians (See“Gruppo Archeologico Romano, in “Archeologia”, 1983, numbers 22-23:50-51), there are critical positions that reject "[...] the Phoenician origin of  Modica, and it is quite conceivable that the city has been one of the major villages of Sicilian or indigenous populations, together with other populations of Greek origin [...]" (See“Archivio Storico Siciliano”, 1905, Vol 30: 371).

Today, therefore, the received opinion is that "Motuca" is of   Sicanian  and Elymian origins. G. Sergi states that "[...] the name of Motye, Motyum, Motyca, Motycanus, has spread from west to east, and the center of the island, and it can only be Siculus, that is an original name of the natives "( See G Sergi , From Alba Longa to Rome ", 1934: 106). He afterwards adds: "So all the [Phoenician] etymologies fall." However, although no one today believes to  the Phoenician origin of Modica, the etymological research has never really abandoned the Phoenician "track"  and the results are, in fact, of  confusion and disorientation.

G. Nenci, returning recently about the question of the name of Modica, provides us a meaningful scene of uncertainty in which we are. According to the scholar, the etymological research outside the Phoenician-Punic proved itself unproductive, as well as the hypothesis of G. Alessio [for whom Modica derives from the Etruscan word "Moutouka" (cistus)] was not convincing. For this reason there was a "return" of the etymological research into the Phoenician area, which shown itself to be  “more intense and methodologically more  appropriate" (See G. Nenci, “Sul toponimo Mozia”, in J. De la Genière, “Studi sulla Sicilia occidentale in onore di V. Tusa”, 1993: 144). Interconnecting, therefore,  “Mozia” (Mitya) [which was often confused with Modica] and Modica (Mytica), the presence of  the typical Phoenician sequence “MT” implied the research of a possible etymology, which, however, was always elusive: "[...] More intense and methodologically more  appropriate  has been  the research in the Phoenician-Punic area, and on this way, opened in 1651 by the classic work by  S. Bochart,  essentially (...) Gensenius, Luynes, Movers, Cogley, and Ugdulena moved towards this way ...".

The consequence of these studies was a real "proliferation" of assumptions, most of them conflicting with each other. Even if all scholars started from a Semitic context, they got to various proposals, such as "[...] 'Metuha' (id est “ 'protensam' propter Chersones longitudinem” (Bochart); 'muddy', a term derived from a Goddess called 'Mot' (De Luynes); 'spinning wheel' (Gensenius, Movers, Ugdulena, Schröder), from a root that indicates 'filter'. It is this etymology that has had more luck [...]" (See G . Nenci: 144). Other hypothesis, described as "extravagant" by Nenci, then took to etymologies as " hand spinning" and "thread";  in this connection Nenci comments: "It 's amazing that in support of the etymology connected with the ‘hand spinning’ and the “thread’  are taken as proofs the suggestion of Diodorus [90-27 BC] (14, 53, 3) to the ‘euthétes polyteleis’  [with particular reference to the textile industries] of Mozia and the weights  for the  handloom  found in the island, as if they were indicative of particular textiles activities in Mozia; when it is known that in all the ancient cities were found plently of weights for the handloom   [...]".

Finally, the same G. Nenci, about the etymology of Mozia (involving  for similarity of the name also Modica), proposed a solution that returns to the ancient legend of the foundation, according to which Mozia was founded by Hercules, who called "Motya" the new city in honor of the nymph "Motya" who revealed to him the names of the thieves who  stole his ox. This is therefore the etymology of Mozia, of undisputed Phoenician origin, to which is tied for "similitude" also "Motuca", which, however,  does  not have a Phoenician origin.  Of this fact  critics are perfectly convinced.

In this connection Giustolisi observes: "[...] There are conflicting authoritative opinions  which favor a pre-Phoenician etymology . The analogy of Mozia with other places in Sicily, such as 'Motyca' or 'Motyon', hardly reached by the Phoenicians,  suggests a different origin. The root 'mt' of this name, in my opinion, can be attributed to a North African element that  perhaps has a direct reference to the name of the nymph [called 'Motya'], who, according to the legend trasmitted by Hecataeus ( and quoted by Stephen of Byzantium),  denounced to Hercules the author of the theft [of his ox] "(See V. Giustolisi," Cronia,  Paropo and Solunto”, 1972: 11).

Giustolisi, about these remarks, was preceded by Gaetani, who just believed  that "Motuca" had a Sicanian origin, and he said: "[...] Modica, a city located in the ‘Valle di Noto’, is the capital of a county with the same name. It takes its origin from the ancient city of "Motuca", built by the Sicilians, or by the Sicanians [...]" (See F. E.  Gaetani, "Della Sicilia nobile", Palermo, 1759, II:  1-2). Therefore, assuming the  "Sicanian" origin of "Motuca" and that the  Phoenician  etymology failed (See above G. Sergi), however stands  the attempt to penetrate the meaning  of the  "indigenous" term  “Motuca.”

We found no studies about this topic; however, some recent linguistic studies recorded that the name "Motuca" is a name typically of  Italian area because of the radical sequence "uk-", "ok-". The terms that have this particular sequence are “Al (u) r (c) a”, “Ar (u) (c) ia”, and  “Mot (u) (c) a” (See“Le radici prime dell'Europa”, edited by G. Bocchi, - M. Ceruti, Paravia B. Mondadori, 2001: 217). Established the “Italianity” of  “Motuca”, we must now ask ourselves what is its meaning. The term, as we have seen, seems to be of "indigenous" origin; or, when we use this term in Sicily we must think to the Elymians [“Elymi”]  and the Sicanians [“Sicani”]. We also know that many modern theories and ancient historical evidences confirm a "relationship" between the Ligurians and the “Elymi-Sicani.” In fact, according to the ancient tradition the Ligurians moved to Sicily.

Here is the focal point of the possible meaning of the term “Motuca.” In the Ligurian and upper-Italian area,  “[…] the term 'Motic' derives from the root ‘-motion’, with the meaning of ‘manliness’', ‘courage’ (...) and the word is attested in Gaul, especially in the form ‘Motucus’ and also the feminine 'Motuca' […].” ( See “Ligures celeberrimi: la Liguria interna nella seconda età del ferro”. Atti del convegno internazionale, Mondovi, 26-28 April 2002, International Institute of Ligurian Studies, 2004: 24 footnote 70). Among other things, this etymology, tied to the concept of "manliness," "strength" and "courage",   relates perfectly with the legend of the mythical foundation of the city, which, in fact, according to the myth, was founded by Hercules, the  mythical hero, "manly", "strong" and "courageous" by definition. In conclusion, if our observations are correct, "Motuca" should mean "the strong city," a definition at the bottom very close to the meaning that the Arabs gave to Modica, calling it "Mohac" or “Castel Forte” [“Strong  Castle”].