Photo: Davide Mauro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Gibil Gabib

Archaeological area on a hill south of Caltanissetta, with the remains of a village, fortification walls and Greek-period necropolises; visitable by reservation only.

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About the museum

Gibil Gabib, whose name probably derives from the Arabic Gebel Habib, is a hill at about 615 metres above sea level south of Caltanissetta, overlooking the valley of the River Salso. The first traces of settlement go back to the Serraferlicchio culture (3rd millennium BC), followed by a settlement linked to the Castelluccio culture. In the 7th century BC the indigenous settlement was strongly influenced by Greek Gela; around the middle of the 6th century BC it passed under the control of Agrigento, which turned it into a fortified outpost to defend its territory. It was abandoned after the 3rd century BC, and in the Byzantine period it was used as a necropolis.

Excavations began in the 19th century and were resumed in the 1950s and 1960s by Dinu Adamesteanu. On the plateau a hut of the Late Bronze Age, part of the village and stretches of the walls, reinforced with towers in the 4th century BC, are visible. On the rocky slopes lie the necropolises: rock-cut tombs of the Bronze Age, pit tombs of the Greek period and, on the eastern side, a 4th-century BC necropolis with ustrina (cremation areas).

In a flat area at the entrance an antiquarium displays the materials from the excavations. The site is part of the Parco archeologico di Gela.

Highlights

6th-century BC fortification walls with 4th-century BC towers
Hut of the Late Bronze Age
Necropolis with rock-cut and pit tombs
Attic and red-figure vases from the tombs
Antiquarium at the entrance to the area

Operated by: Parco archeologico di Gela