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All Italy Campobello di Mazara Cave of Cusa
AO Edited

Cave of Cusa

The ancient Greeks abandoned this quarry to escape Hannibal's devastating invasion.

Campobello di Mazara, Italy

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Pieces of columns left abandoned.   Ruggero / Atlas Obscura User
Chisel marks are still visible today.   Ruggero / Atlas Obscura User
The quarry.   Ruggero / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned blocks of stone.   Ruggero / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the year 409 B.C., invading Carthaginian forces led by Hannibal Mago swept into what is now Sicily. Up until the attack, the Cave of Cusa had been an important quarry for 150 years. Most of the buildings in the nearby ancient Greek city of Selinunte were constructed from limestone hewn from these pits. 

Desperate to escape the oncoming devastation, the ancient Greek laborers fled the scene, abandoning their tools and carved stones in the process. Today, visitors to this designated Sicilian Archeological Zone can still see roughly 60 blocks of chiseled limestone left behind. The remnants include whole columns that were never transported to their final destination. 

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A car is essential to reach the quarry.

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January 25, 2023

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Archaeology Quarries Stone Ancient
Cave of Cusa
Via Ugo Bassi, 37
Campobello di Mazara, 91021
Italy
37.619811, 12.722366
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