Prehistoric Cave of Uzzo

The presence of human in the territory is documented by graffiti, paintings and lithic materials of prehistoric age, found in numerous caves. Some incisions are visible on the walls of the Uzzo cave, inside the Zingaro Reserve, which has also provided fragments of vases, flints, obsidian, as well as twelve human skeletons and animal bones.

The Uzzo cave is one of the most important prehistoric sites of the entire Sicily. On his inside it have been found traces of human presence back to 10,000 years ago as well as several animal remains, rhinos, lions and mammoths, probably from earlier. The objects found, including work tools, have allowed us to reconstruct the habits in prehistoric times and the human evolution itself. The community that occupied the cave consisted of a small group of hunters who lived in the area. The cave was built to serve as a shelter for the night and as defence against ferocious animals. Over the centuries the community learned how to cultivate the land and feed on the fish that existed in the sea, very close to the cave. From the analysis, the human remains recovered from the excavations carried out in the cave traces back to the Mesolithic and they are now preserved at the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo.