Necropoli pre-ellenica di Contrada Stefanelli

The Iron Age necropolis of Contrada Stefanelli lies on the slopes near Gerace. Its rock-cut chamber tombs, some with benches along the sides, belong to the Iron Age and contain grave goods now represented in the town’s Civic Museum.

Why it matters

The necropolis preserves evidence of communities that lived in the area during the Iron Age. The chamber tombs and their grave goods document an agro-pastoral community with connections beyond the local area.

What to notice

The tombs are regular chambers cut into the rock, with side benches for burials and grave goods. Objects associated with the cemetery include impasto pottery, a boat-shaped bronze fibula, Greek and Corinthian pottery, Syro-Phoenician scarabs and an ivory bracelet. The Civic Museum of Gerace displays finds from the necropolis, including enlarged photographic panels that show the site.

Context and history

The necropolis forms part of the broader Iron Age archaeological record of the Locride. Its chamber tombs and grave goods document Iron Age communities in the region and the exchanges that linked them with the eastern Mediterranean and other parts of Europe.