Nestled between the waves of the crystal clear sea and the mountains, Sardinia contains a thousand-year-old mystery. Guardian of ancient testimonies of human civilization, the island is dotted with enigmatic nuraghi, mysterious sacred wells, impressive temples and spectacular giants’ tombs.
Visiting these archaeological sites offers a unique experience to tourists, capturing their interest with the charm of the unknown and the rich millennial history of Sardinia.
Let’s discover together the following archaeological sites:
- Nuraghe Losa;
- Nuraghe Tanca Manna;
- On Nuraxi in Barumini;
- Nuragic village of Tiscali;
- Sacred well of Santa Cristina;
- Sacred well Sa Testa;
- Domus de janas;
- Tombs of the giants.
Nuraghe Losa
The nuraghi are characteristic fortresses of pre-Roman Sardinia, mostly in the shape of a truncated-conical tower with door architrave and corridor of access to a single internal circular chamber covered with dome concentric rings.
The nuraghe Losa, in the municipality of Abbasanta in the province of Oristano, is a remarkable and well-preserved nuragic monument.
The keep of the nuraghe dates back to the fifteenth-thirteenth century BC, while the bastion, the antemural and the walls are dated to the thirteenth – late twelfth century BC. Despite a decrease in the use of the site during the first Iron Age, it was not completely abandoned. There is evidence that it was also used for funeral purposes in the 7th-8th centuries AD. Built entirely of basaltic rock, the nuraghe Losa has a central keep and a trilobed bastion, surrounded in turn by an antemural. The nuragic complex, including the village, is enclosed by a vaguely ellipsoidal wall of 172 x 268 meters.
From 1989 to 1994 new investigations were carried out on the keep and the bastion.
Located 304 meters high on a plateau of basaltic rock near the town of Abbasanta, the nuraghe Losa is clearly visible along the SS 131 Cagliari – Sassari, at the junction for Nuoro – Olbia (SS 131 bis). Nearby are also the remains of a tomb of giants.
Nuraghe Tanca Manna
The nuraghe Tanca Manna, located in Nuoro, is an imposing megalithic structure dating back to
to the middle Bronze Age.
Set in the homonymous nuragic park, it offers a spectacular panoramic view of Mount Ortobene and the city. Characterized by a thòlos dome, the nuraghe is mainly built with granite rocks and masonry composed of rough blocks of granite.
A thòlos dome is a type of domed or semi-domed architectural structure, commonly used in ancient architecture, particularly in ancient Greece.
The term “thòlos” comes from the ancient Greek and means dome.
In general, thòlos domes are considered one of the hallmarks of ancient Greek architecture and have influenced the development of later architecture throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond.
Inside the chamber of the Nuraghe Tanca Manna there are two opposite niches, one of which was damaged by vandals. The 2005 excavations in the surrounding area revealed over 150 nuragic huts, requiring restoration work to consolidate the base of the structure. This nuraghe is just one of the many megalithic monuments that dot the territory of Nuoro and Barbagia, evidence of the strong presence of the nuragic civilization in this part of Sardinia.
Foto : unsplash
On Nuraxi in Barumini
Su Nuraxi, also known as a nuragic village, is located in Barumini, in the province of South-Sardinia. Built around a four-lobed nuraghe of the sixteenth-fourteenth century BC, the site developed between the thirteenth and sixth centuries BC, becoming one of the largest Nuragic villages on the island. The oldest structure of the nuraghe includes a central tower with three overlapping rooms, built with basalt blocks between the seventeenth and thirteenth centuries B.C.
In the Late Bronze, four towers were added around the central one, joined by a curtain wall with an upper gallery, all overlooking an internal courtyard with a well. During the Iron Age, the complex was surrounded by a pentalobate curtain wall.
The nuraghe reflects a complex social structure, with walls made of overlapping blocks to indicate a certain hierarchy. Doors and windows were designed for functionality, with thicker lintels in the middle to distribute weight.
Main functions include camp surveillance and social gathering. The village around the nuraghe, with about fifty huts, served various functions, including meetings of the chief and assemblies. During the excavations, important finds were recovered, confirming that it was inhabited continuously until the first century BC.
The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On Nuraxi in Barumini
Su Nuraxi, also known as a nuragic village, is located in Barumini, in the province of South-Sardinia. Built around a four-lobed nuraghe of the sixteenth-fourteenth century BC, the site developed between the thirteenth and sixth centuries BC, becoming one of the largest Nuragic villages on the island. The oldest structure of the nuraghe includes a central tower with three overlapping rooms, built with basalt blocks between the seventeenth and thirteenth centuries B.C.
In the Late Bronze, four towers were added around the central one, joined by a curtain wall with an upper gallery, all overlooking an internal courtyard with a well. During the Iron Age, the complex was surrounded by a pentalobate curtain wall.
The nuraghe reflects a complex social structure, with walls made of overlapping blocks to indicate a certain hierarchy. Doors and windows were designed for functionality, with thicker lintels in the middle to distribute weight.
Main functions include camp surveillance and social gathering. The village around the nuraghe, with about fifty huts, served various functions, including meetings of the chief and assemblies. During the excavations, important finds were recovered, confirming that it was inhabited continuously until the first century BC.
The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The nuragic sanctuary of Santa Cristina, located in Paulilatino, province of Oristano, includes a well temple and a single tower nuraghe. The sacred well, built in the eleventh century BC, is surrounded by an elliptical fence and has a staircase of twenty-five steps that narrows down. The circular cell, almost 7 meters high, is built with precisely machined basalt blocks.
The structure may have served as an astronomical observatory, reflecting the moonlight every eighteen and a half years. Although some doubts have been raised, its excellent preservation and the archaeological importance of the site are indisputable. A sacred well is an archaeological structure typical of the Nuragic age in Sardinia, characterized by a well built of stone and used for ritual and religious purposes.
These wells were considered sacred because they were often associated with ritual practices related to water worship or local religious beliefs. They have been found in various archaeological sites in Sardinia and are considered important testimonies of nuragic culture and its spiritual practices.
Sa Testa sacred well
The Sacred Well of Sa Testa, in Olbia, is an important archaeological monument discovered in the 1930s by shepherds looking for water along the road from Olbia to Golfo Aranci. Built with blocks of granite and shale, it has a circular courtyard, a trapezoidal entrance and a staircase leading to the thòlos (semi-dome) where the source is located.
Its dating is uncertain, but it is believed to date back to the final Bronze Age. Finds found include fragments of cups and bronze objects. The Phoenician-Punic period is witnessed by fragments of pottery found and a statuette of juniper wood, interpreted as a xoanon. Roman finds include vases and amphorae, now preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari.
A xoanon is a statue carved from rough wood that represents a deity. These statues were typically used in ancient Greece and were often placed inside temples as objects of veneration.
The Sacred Well of Sa Testa is near the industrial port of Olbia along the road that leads from the city to the lido of Pittulungu.
The domus de janas
The domus de janas are prehistoric tombs dug into the rock, spread in Sardinia from the recent Neolithic to the Ancient Bronze Age, excluding Gallura. More than 2,400 tombs have been discovered so far, often linked together to form underground cemeteries.
The term “Domus de janas” translates as “fairy houses” in Italian, because the janas are mythological female figures. The first tombs date back to the fourth millennium BC, with the Culture of San Ciriaco, and spread with the Culture of Ozieri (late Neolithic 3200-2800 BC) except in Gallura. The Ozieri culture people worshipped the Sun, Taurus, Moon and Mother Goddess, with figurines found in tombs and places of worship.
The culture of San Ciriaco is an important archaeological phenomenon of the late Neolithic in Sardinia, active between 4400 and 4000 BC. It takes its name from San Ciriaco, a locality in Terralba, Oristano. Characterized by decorated ceramic artifacts and stone utensils, it highlights circular homes and funerary practices. This period reveals a complex society with agricultural economy and hunting, as well as a deep spirituality.
Archaeologists believe that the more complex domus follow a unitary constructive design, with a T-shaped or cross-shaped floor plan. Access is through a long corridor that leads to an antechamber, then to the central cell and finally to the funeral cells.
The successive prenuragic cultures used the domus de janas and some of them were also occupied during the Nuragic civilization and in historical times. A notable example is the necropolis of Sant’Andrea Priu in Bonorva, also used in Roman times and later as a church during the Byzantine period, when it was decorated with frescoes depicting stories of the Virgin, Christ and the apostles.
The tombs of the giants
Over the centuries, the structure has undergone an architectural evolution, passing from the type dolmenico to the type of rows with horizontal masonry and finally to the isodomia, with the addition of central doors architraved or made of trapezoidal plate.
Isodomia is a term used in architecture to describe a construction technique in which stones or bricks are arranged in horizontal rows of uniform height. This technique gives regularity and uniformity to the structure and is often used to create a pleasant aesthetic appearance.
The tombs of the giants served as a place of homage for the dead of the community, welcoming without distinction of rank the remains of the dead. Over time, they have been used as ossuaries to house the skeletons of the deceased, probably stripped before burial, as indicated by the traces found on the bones. The cults linked to these tombs are associated with the god Taurus and the goddess Mother, reflecting the principle of rebirth linked to death as part of the life cycle.
The tombs of the giants are found throughout Sardinia, but are particularly concentrated in the central part of the island, where there are about half, that is almost 400 tombs. In fact, up to 2003, 800 giant tombs were known. Some of the most interesting are in Capichera, Lì Lolghi and Coddu Vecchju, near Arzachena, Madau, near Fonni, and Tamuli, near Macomer.
The oldest tomb, called Su Cuaddu ‘e Nixias, is located in the territory of Lunamatrona (South – Sardinia). Built in the centuries 1700-1600 BC, it is a rare example of a tomb of giants with a stele in the center-south of the island.
The tombs of the giants are present in different areas of Sardinia, divided by province: Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano, Sassari and South Sardinia.
How to reach the archaeological sites
Before visiting the archaeological sites in Sardinia, it is advisable to inquire with the local authorities of the municipalities concerned, as these sites are distributed throughout the region.Some can be visited all year round others only during the summer months.
Copertina: Unsplash
