Castelluccio

an archaeological culture of the early Bronze Age (the end of the third millennium to the first half of the second millennium B.C.) widespread in southern and southeastern Sicily. The culture is characterized by small settlements (sometimes fortified), with elliptical dwellings partially dug into the ground, and by burials in catacombs, abandoned flint mines, or natural caverns. The pottery— amphorae and other vessels— is decorated with painted brown or black crisscrossed bands on a yellow or red background. The implements include flint tools with bifacial blades, axes made of basalt and greenstone, and grain mortars. Typical ornaments are pendants and beads made of stone, bone, and copper. Especially interesting are the bone plates, decorated with a series of small cones and delicate designs (possibly, schematized idols), which resemble those found on the island of Malta and in southeastern Italy, southern Greece, and Troy. The Castelluccio culture also displays ancient ties with the middle stage of the Helladic culture and with the culture of northwestern Anatolia of the end of the third millennium B.C.