Idea #746 – Exploring the great rock-necropolis of Pantalica in Sicily
The necropolis of Pantalica is a Late Bronze Age necropolis located in the province of Syracuse, Sicily. It has more than 5,000 rock tombs, near open-air quarries. Most of the tombs are dated over a period ranging from the 13th to the 7th century BC, which corresponds to the Late Bronze Age. The Pantalica site was exploited for about five centuries, until the time of the Greek colonization of Syracuse.
The vaults, of variable dimensions, are dug in a relatively soft rock, generally in the shape of an elliptical oven, sometimes rectangular, and in a rounded vault. They are often preceded by a vestibule and a corridor of planted stones.
The site was the subject of archaeological excavations for the first time in 1890 and then in 1897 by the archaeologist Paolo Orsi. Four areas were then identified: in the northwest, 600 vaults; to the north, 1,500 tombs; to the south and southeast, two sectors with fewer burials. Other excavations followed one another in the following century. The site gave its name to the “culture of Pantalica”. It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with Syracuse.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Nécropolis of de Pantalica, Sicilia, Italia
