Although the Grotto of Addaura in Sicily remains closed to the public, its prehistoric cave art is a source of fascination to many. Bernard Vassallo delves into recent archaeological findings.

The grotto of Addaura is a complex of three natural caves sited on the north-eastern flank of Monte Pellegrino at Palermo in Sicily. The importance of the complex is determined by the presence of cave incisions dated between the Epigravettian and the Mesolithic.

The entrance to the cave.

On the flank of Monte Pellegrino, which dominates Palermo, south-west of the beach of Mondello, 70 metres above sea level, there appear a number of caves and cavities in which were found bones and instruments used for hunting, which attest to the presence of man, who inhabited them, starting from the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic.

The finds are now kept at the Archaeological Museum in Palermo. Their importance, however, is due to the presence of an extraordinary collection of cave incisions which adorn the walls, and which constitute a unique case in the panorama of prehistoric cave art.

The finding of the graffiti at Addaura is recent and has been absolutely by chance. The three caves that constitute the complex of Addaura in the massif of Monte Pellegrino had already been studied by paleontologists, since the skeleton of a baby elephant had been found in them.

It was after the landings in Sicily and the arrival at Palermo in 1943 that the Allies, in search of a suitable site, had chosen the caves as a deposit of munitions and explosives.

The incisions on the walls.

One of the caves features a vast and rich collection of incisions, datable between the final Epigravettian and the Mesolithic

The accidental explosion of the arsenal at the end of the war caused the crumbling of the walls of the main cave and the collapse of a diaphragm or skin of rock, bringing to light the graffiti which had until then been covered by the layers of time. The graffiti were carefully studied by Jole Bovio Marconi, whose studies were published in 1953.

Since 1997, the caves of Addaura have no longer been open to visitors; the site has been closed because of the danger of rock falls given the instability of the rock base. Until today, measures for safety have not been put into effect.

And yet, their attractions remain. One of the caves features a vast and rich collection of incisions, datable between the final Epigravettian and the Mesolithic, portraying humans and animals. Among a multitude of bovines, wild horses and deer, a scene dominated by the presence of human figures is featured: a group of people, disposed in a circle, surrounds two central figures with covered heads and their bodies visibly bent backwards.

It is precisely on the identity of these two figures and on the significance of their position inside the group, that the most contrasting hypotheses have been proposed. According to some experts, these would be acrobats effecting games requiring a particular skill.

According to others, this portrays a rite, requiring the sacrificing of two persons led by a shaman.

To support this interpretation, we find the presence of ropes around the neck and on their side, constraining the body into an unnatural and painful position. This may be the case of a rite of autostrangulation, a phenomenon attested to by other cultures.

If we had to follow this explanation, the two masked figures, who surround the two sacrificed persons, would have to be read as shamans, assisting at a rite of initiation.

The incisions of Addaura represent a figurative cycle of the highest interest due to the unusual attention dedicated to the scenographic representation of the ambience, a high point in all palaeolithic art.

The treatment of the human figure, even against the background of the stylistic current present in the Mediterranean basin, in particular at Lévanzo (Grotta del Genovese), and in the Franco-Cantabrian province, and while employing the same techniques, in the Addaura Grotto, is something absolutely new for stylistic modules.

These cave incisions are from about 10,000 BC. They lie on the same mountain as the revered sanctuary of Saint Rosalia, which is also found in a cave high up the mountain, 430 metres above sea level.

The place name Addaura sounds Arabic, and must be similar to the Maltese Id-Dawra, meaning ‘the turning’, referring to some round phenomenon on the site or in its surroundings, possibly the steep hill climb itself.