Thapsos culture
The Thapsos Culture is defined as the civilization in ancient Sicily attested by archaeological findings of a large village located in the peninsula of Magnisi, between Augusta and Syracuse, that the Greeks called Thapsos.
I believe I have demonstrated the influence, albeit in a smaller scale of Mycenaean architecture in front of burials of the islet Magnisi; here that influence affirms for the most part. - Paolo Orsi.
Archaeological studies
Scholars have determined that the period in which it flourished is between 1500 and 1200 BC, the so-called Middle Bronze Age. The Thapsos civilization developed in the entire Sicily although the main centers, which were sometimes enclosed by a fortification wall, were along the coast.The Thapsos Culture was the subject of great interest of scholars like Paolo Orsi and Luigi Bernabò Brea. The research of Voza have confirmed the existence of three evolutionary phases:
- Thapsos I prior to Pantalica Culture,
- Thapsos II coeval to the latter,
- Thapsos III until the end of the Bronze Age.
The material culture includes dark surfaced ceramic, often decorated with incised motifs or with cords that form festoons. Characteristic are the large bowls with high horn-shaped feet, bowls, jugs and cups with bifurcated handles.