Archaeological Site of Polizzello in Mussomeli
The village of Polizzello hosts an archaeological area of great importance for Mussomeli, the Archaeological area of Polizzello.
It is believed that the area was probably inhabited from the 11th to the 6th century BC. The site consists of two plateaus of which the upper, smaller one is the site of the acropolis as well as the place of the first protohistoric and archaic settlement.
The area from the geographical point of view has all the characteristics for the development of archaic settlements for the ease with which it is defensible and for the presence of sources of water.
Historically, the site had three significant moments: between the 19th and 16th centuries BC, the Ancient Bronze age, of which some cave tombs from the Castelluccio period and a circular hut with furnishings placed on the eastern side of the mountain have survived up to now; between the 11th and 9th centuries BC, the period in which the acropolis was erected on the top of the hill; between the eighth and sixth centuries BC, a period of maximum development for the center, of which there remain a monumental enclosure that runs along the terraced edge of the hill and a series of circular buildings: the shrines, places of worship where historical artifacts of high value have been found, including the Cretan helmet of Polizzello and a clay figurine of an ithyphallic warrior, known as the warrior of Polizzello; to the 5th century BC the remains of the Casa del Temenos, a multi-room residential building, date back.
