Cava dei servi, Early Bronze Age dolmen near Modica, Sicily.

Cava dei Servi is an Early Bronze Age burial chamber near Modica consisting of four upright stone slabs and three angled stones forming the roof structure. The site measures roughly 3 square meters and sits on a natural slope with preserved remains that have been protected for study.

This burial structure was built around 2200 BCE and contained human bone fragments along with pottery from the Castelluccian culture. The findings demonstrate early burial practices and how communities in Sicily lived during this ancient period.

The dolmen's name comes from the semicircular layout of rectangular slabs set upright in the ground, with three more tilted to narrow the roof and form a false dome. Similar funerary architecture appears in Spain, Sardinia, Puglia and Malta, linking the Iblei to a wider Mediterranean tradition. A large overturned slab, once the monument's ceiling, slid to the ground and covered human teeth and bones with Castelluccian pottery sherds.

The site sits on a natural slope and has limited visitor access since it remains under protection for research purposes. It is best to ask locally about current conditions and visiting options before making the trip out.

This is one of the few dolmen-like structures in the Mediterranean that still holds organic remains such as bones. This preservation makes it an exceptional source for understanding burial rituals in this region.