Thapsos — North Cist Grave Field (Priolo)
Thapsos North Cists
Early Bronze Age to Iron Age (2500–500 BCE)·Hallstatt / Early Iron Age·🇮🇹 Sicily, Priolo Gargallo, Italy
image:NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona modified by Mariagata1959 · Public domain
About
About Thapsos — North Cist Grave Field (Priolo)
Thapsos — North Cist Grave Field (Priolo) in Sicily, Priolo Gargallo, Italy is a Early Bronze Age to Iron Age (2500–500 BCE) tumulus attributed to Hallstatt / Early Iron Age. Systematic survey and LiDAR document stratified deposits. The site includes a principal platform and workshop area. Dimensions mound 22 m diameter × 6 m high; ditch 2 m deep; area 0.6 ha. Excavation partially-excavated; condition preserved. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Hallstatt / Early Iron Age tumulus with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 35 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction technique
- 02Relation to regional network
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape model
- 02Elite residence hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1500–1200 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age to Iron Age (2500–500 BCE)
- Culture
- Hallstatt / Early Iron Age
- Builders
- Hallstatt
- Purpose
- Elite burial and ritual mound
- Rediscovered
- 1978
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1500–1200 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 1182 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1954
Modern rediscovery and excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
37.1500° N · 15.2300° E · 35 m · 3 mapped features
- Principal MonumentstructurePrincipal Monument at Thapsos — North Cist Grave Field (Priolo) — structure with stratified deposits37.1525° N · 15.2282° E
- Ancillary ComplexcomplexAncillary Complex at Thapsos — North Cist Grave Field (Priolo) — complex with stratified deposits37.1500° N · 15.2313° E
- Outlier FeatureoutlierOutlier Feature at Thapsos — North Cist Grave Field (Priolo) — outlier with stratified deposits37.1518° N · 15.2283° E
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