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PANTALICA
Situated in South-Western
Sicily, between Syracuse and Caltagirone, one can visit the
remains and the ancient Necropolis of Hybla, known today by
the name of Pantalica.
This was the capital of the Reign of Hyblon, that the last
sovereign gave the Megaresi the possibility of founding Megera
Hyblaea, in 728 BC.
The City was founded in the 13th Century by refugees, probably
Sicani, escaping before the arrival of the Siculi, detaching
itself from continental Sicilian Italy and becoming more part
of the so called Castelluccio culture.
The birth of the Greek colony in Syracuse and its expansion
inland with the foundation of Akrai in 668 BC, probably determined
the end of the Reign of Hybla.
During the Greek period, it seems that Pantalica was not inhabited
apart from the occasional military garrison.
With the Barbaric invasions and the Saracen incursions, the
inhabitants sought refuge in Pantalica.
In Pantalica, one can visit the remains of the Prince’s
Palace or Anaktoron and around 5,000 tombs and artificial
honeycombed burial chambers.
The Prince’s Palace has a megalithic construction which,
demonstrating clear Mycenaean influences, is thought by Orsi
to have been built by Mycenaean workmen in the service of
the Prince. It was constructed between the 12th and 11th Centuries
BC, then reused during the Byzantine era.
Necropolises in Pantalica: the Necropolis of Filiporto (at
9km’s from Ferla): composed of a thousand tombs belonging
to the last period (9th-8th Century BC); the Necropolis of
the North-West: (12th-11th Century BC); the Necroplis of the
Cavetta (9th-8th Century BC) with its Byzantine habitation;
the North Necropolis (12th-11th Century BC).
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PANTALICA
Archaeological Site
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