Sebastiano Tusa

Sebastiano Tusa (2 August 1952 – 10 March 2019) was an Italian archaeologist and politician who served as councilor for Cultural Heritage for the Sicilian Region of Italy from 11 April 2018 until his death on 10 March 2019. Tusa also served as a professor of paleontology at the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples.

Biography

Sebastiano was the son of archaeologist Vincenzo Tusa. He had a degree in literature with a specialization in Paleontology from Sapienza University of Rome. As the manager of the Sicilian Regional administration since 1993 he was responsible for the archaeological section of the Regional Center for Design and Restoration. In 2003, during excavations he conducted in Pantelleria three Roman imperial portraits were found.

Abandoning field research, Tusa dealt with the administration of cultural heritage in the roles of the Sicilian Region, leading the superintendency of Trapani. In 2004 he was appointed as the first Superintendent of the Sea by the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Sicilian Region. He organized archaeological missions in Italy, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.

In 2005, he led the excavations at Motya, bringing to light, the submerged road that leads to the island, as well as structures identifiable as quays. In 2008 Tusa and Folco Quilici made a documentary film on the prehistory of the Mediterranean at Pantelleria. The excavations he promoted, and conducted in the field by Fabrizio Nicoletti and Maurizio Cattani, also confirmed the role of Pantelleria as a "crossroads for merchants" in ancient times.