Monte Bubbonia, Archaeological site at Monte Bubbonia in Caltanissetta, Italy.
Monte Bubbonia is a 595-metre hill in the comune of Mazzarino, about twenty kilometres from Gela, formed by three platforms that descend from west to east, the westernmost being the highest. Its base is Miocene limestone covered by Pleistocene marl and red sand. A dirt road climbs the eastern side toward the summit.
Paolo Orsi discovered an ancient city on the westernmost terrace in 1904. Piero Orlandini later identified it as the Sican settlement of Maktorion, known from Herodotus 7.53. The ruins do not appear to predate the 6th century BC, which makes that identification uncertain.
The site displays remains of different settlement phases with cave tombs and dwellings that show how communities organized their daily lives. These structures reveal the ways people adapted to living on this hilltop across many centuries.
The site lies near the SS 117 road between Gela and Catania and is easily reached from Piazza Armerina. Preparation is useful since paths up the hill can vary in accessibility depending on the season and ground conditions.
The chamber dolmen, 2.2 metres long, lies just below the edge of the dirt track climbing the hill's east side toward the acropolis, not on the summit. Its form recalls similar structures in Sardinia and Apulia. The hill itself is capped by crumbly red Pleistocene sand over Miocene limestone and marl.
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