Butera (Sicilian: Vutera) is an Italian town and a comune in the province of Caltanissetta, in the southern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the comuni of Gela, Licata, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It has a population of 4,653 (2017) and is from Caltanissetta, the province's capital. Etymology The etymology of the name Butera is debated. One hypothesis is that the name is of Arabic origin. Butera was called Butirah by the Arabs, which means "steep place". The Arabic demonym al-Buthayri was used to refer to a person from Butera (Arabic: Buthayr). Butera is also a common name of people in Rwanda (East Africa) where most of men and boys are given this name as a sign of strength. Another would suggest that the name "Butera" is of Greek origin, and several contemporary scholars tend to reject the Arabic theory of Butera's etymology. This is upheld by Giovan Battista Pellegrini, who claims that "The Arabic form for Butera, always with the interdental, should be an indication of a Greek etymon with / d / (the etymological assumptions from Arabic do not satisfy)". Upholders of a Greek origin for the Butera have suggested that the word may come from bothèr (shepherd), boutherès (country which permits for summer pasture), boutyros (butter merchant) or bouteron (butter). B. Pace himself has asserted that the term, aside from boutherès, may derive also from the Graeco-Byzantine word patela (plain), which refers to Butera's location. Archaeology In the area of "Piano fiera" (a new neighborhood built below the old town) where a prehistoric necropolis still stands, is a construction called "dolmen cysts" made of stone slabs assembled in cubiform manner (a style found also throughout Sardinia). Used also in the Greek period, the monument is associated with cult practices, both Hellenic and indigenous, and characterised by the positioning of human remains inside urns (Gk: enchytrismόs) which, in turn, were placed inside these small chambers. The history of this territory, at the time of Greek colonization, is not documented by ancient historians, and can only be reconstructed on the basis of archaeological research. Until the eighth century BC the tombs of Piano fiera do not show any relationship with the Greek area, but starting from the second half of the seventh century they were associated with rich grave goods imported from Greece. History The origins of Butera date back to the Early Bronze Age.