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Sabellaria species are among the most important frame-builders in temperate, shallow marine areas. These polychaetes are suspension feeders able to build bioconstructions using sand and shell fragments cemented with a sticky mucous. Such feature makes these invertebrates “unusual bioconstructors”, as they do not produce calcium carbonate. Sabellaridae reefs are widespread in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast of Europe, but their sedimentological aspects are still poorly known. Over short time intervals, these bioconstructions can rapidly alternate between phases of growth, stasis and destruction during different seasons. In this paper, we compare reefs of two Sabellaria species (S. alveolata—Ostia, Roma and Tyrrhenian Sea, S. spinulosa—Torre Mileto, Foggia and Adriatic Sea) found at two different sites along the Italian coast. We describe the morphology of worm tubes at the macro- and microscale. Similarities and differences are discussed based on eco-biological features and physical environmental conditions. This work shows a measurement and observation scheme for this type of bioconstructions that has been verified at both the macro- and microscale and which was shown to be useful for defining evolutionary trends of sabellarian bioconstructions. The monitoring parameters were identified and verified over a long period.

Three classes of medieval lead-tin-glazed ceramics (protomajolica, transition enamel pottery and white enamel pottery), from the archaeological site of Castello del Monte in Montella (Avellino, southern Italy), were investigated. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (OM and SEM-EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) were carried out on ceramic bodies, coatings and decorations in order to outline the technological features and define the nature of glazes and pigments. The aim of this work, in addition to delineating the features of production, is to confirm the archaeological hypothesis that transition enamel pottery produced between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, although having much in common with the protomajolica, is in fact a version of white enamel pottery, characterised by morphological and ornamental diversity. Our results show that both ceramic bodies and coatings feature different structural and compositional characteristics, linking the three ceramic classes and making it possible to confirm the archaeological hypothesis that transition enamel pottery can be defined as a ceramic class with transitional features between protomajolica and white enamel pottery.