Greek settlement and Sican habitation at Vassallaggi

Vassallaggi is a prehistoric Bronze Age archaeological site located in the province of Caltanissetta, in central Sicily. The site had a later flourishing after the 7th century BC as a phrourion (fortress). It developed over time on five small hills in close proximity to each other, representing an important example of a Greek settlement in central Sicily. Its strategic position is critical for controlling the central Salso river valley, and the site has a NE-SW orientation.

The earliest inhabitants of Vassallaggi were presumably the Sicans of the early Bronze Age, whose presence is indicated by red-painted pottery with geometric motifs from 2nd millennium tombs. Kilns typical of that group were also found nearby. However, no finds have come to light from the middle and late Bronze Age, suggesting that the site may have been abandoned at that time.

A Sican settlement eventually developed on the site in the 8th century BC, and it was conquered and colonised by the Greeks from Akragas in the 6th century BC. The most important discoveries in the rich necropolis date from this Greek period. Vassallaggi is now an archaeological site, the subject of excavation since 1905 which produced evidence for human habitation from the Bronze Age until the first centuries CE.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons