The archaeological site of Polizzello or mountain of Polizzello
was a site inhabited probably from the eleventh to the sixth century BC
The name apparently derives from the tyrant Polyzelus.
According to another thesis the name derives from the Greek πολις Ειθηλος (Polizzello), although so far there is no archaeological evidence that may indicate the presence of a Greek settlement in the area.
The site is located on a hill at 877 m above sea level and is near
Mussomeli
Mussomeli (''Mussumeli'' in Sicilian) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy.
History
Mussomeli is claimed to have been founded in the 14th century by Manfredo III Chiaramonte with the name Manfredi, but later ...
in the
Province of Caltanissetta
The Province of Caltanissetta ( it, provincia di Caltanissetta; scn, pruvincia di Nissa or ; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Caltanissetta'') is a province in the southern part of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilia ...
.
The site is great for a human settlement for its easily defensible position and for the presence of water sources. It consists of two plateaus of which the upper smallest one is home of
Acropolis
An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
and place of the first protohistoric and archaic settlement, moreover; the site has an east–west orientation with a single access from east.
Historically, the site had three significant phases:
# Early Bronze Age (19th–16th centuries BC), of which remain some chamber tombs of
Castelluccio period and a circular hut with ornaments placed on the eastern side of the mountain.
# 11th–9th centuries BC with the creation of an
Acropolis
An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
placed on top of the hill.
# 8th–6th centuries BC, period of maximum development of the center, of which remains a monumental fence that runs along the edge of the terrace on the hill and a series of circular buildings:
Sacelli, places of worship. Inside which exceptional historical artifacts have been found including the Polizzello helmet of Cretan workmanship and a clay figurine of ithyphallic warrior (The Warrior of Polizzello).
Of the fifth century BC are the remains of the House of Temenos. This is a residential building with multiple rooms.
See also
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Castelluccio Culture
Castelluccio culture is an archaeological feature dating to Ancient Bronze Age (2000 B.C. approximately) of the prehistoric civilization of Sicily, originally identified by Paolo Orsi on the basis of a particular ceramic style, in the homonymous vi ...
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Monte Grande (Palma di Montechiaro)
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Vassallaggi
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Castelluccio di Noto
Castelluccio culture is an archaeological feature dating to Ancient Bronze Age (2000 B.C. approximately) of the prehistoric civilization of Sicily, originally identified by Paolo Orsi on the basis of a particular ceramic style, in the homonymous vi ...
Notes
Further reading
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External links
La Civiltà Castellucciana
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Dario Palermo e Davide Tanasi, Diodoro a Polizzello
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{{Archaeological sites in Sicily
Ancient peoples of Sicily
Prehistoric Italy
Bronze Age sites in Europe
Archaeological sites in the province of Caltanissetta
Archaeological sites in Sicily