Necropolis of Dessueri
The Necropolis of Dessueri is located on a canyon crossed by the Gela river.
The necropolis was discovered by Paolo Orsi at the beginning of the twentieth century. On that occasion 1500 tombs were registered, of the 4000 found to date, but the residential settlement was not discovered which was brought to light only during an excavation campaign carried out in 1992.
The style of the tombs of the necropolis is the same than that of the civilization of Pantalica and is dated between the 13th and 9th centuries BC. There are cave tombs , some reused in Roman times. The tomb chambers are elliptical or circular in shape with a continuous vault, with a double chamber and tholos vault. The entrance is rectangular, trapezoidal or oval, usually preceded by a short corridor, the dromos. The closure was ensured by stone doors or by a stone wall. Inside the tombs, remains of bodies interred in a fetal position were found, in rare cases lying down or on their side. The kit consisted of jugs, bowls, knives, razors or fibulae.
The residential settlement is located on Monte Mario, where there are wall structures of houses, including a building dating back to the 11th century -Xth century BC ..
Starting from the 6th century BC the site was abandoned, perhaps due to the arrival of settlers from Gela expanding towards the hinterland.
