I was trying to keep track of all this migration into Sicily while Vito laid it out for me.
“Then,” he said, pointing his index finger in the air, “the Elymi sailed across the water from the area of Tunis to the west coast of Sicily. They took over some of the western habitat claimed by the Sicani and forced them inland. Now, those original settlers of Sicily – the Sicani – were squeezed between two newcomers, the Siculi on their east flank and the Elymi on their west flank.
“Invaders,” he added for punctuation.
Vito painted a picture of three warring tribes struggling for dominion over Sicily, centuries before the periods I had even considered in my research.
“When did all this happen?” I asked him.
“Well, let’s see,” he said, tapping his finger again and staring up at the ceiling.
