The mystery of the Nuraghic people
Despite the many traces left as a legacy, almost nothing is known about the Nuraghic culture. It flourished during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, from 1800 BC to 300 BC, gradually giving way to the Carthaginians. The specialists agree that the people of the nuraghes who occupied the island descend from previous civilizations. We know, however, that it is not a people who came by sea with its habits and customs, since no other equivalent trace has been discovered in the Mediterranean basin. In the absence of written traces - writing did not appear on the island until the Phoenicians - no testimony has been found to document the way of life of this people. Consequently, we don't know what they called themselves and if they were even aware of forming their own culture. The different civilizations that succeeded each other in the Neolithic period have left numerous archaeological remains that allow us to follow their evolution: sedentarization, the appearance of ceramics, the cult of the dead, stone statuettes, the development of agriculture, animal husbandry, weapons and defensive elements... When the Nuraghic civilization began, the men had left their caves long ago and were gathered in small villages. The various tribes communicate between them and exchange. But it is also the period when the need to protect themselves is felt. The first defensive structures appear during the pre-nuragic civilizations of Monte Claro and Abealzu-Filigosa. The habitats are installed in steep areas, defended by thick walls. The metal, silver and copper, has been worked for at least 1500 years. Then, why the Nuraghic civilization has so much marked the ancient history of Sardinia?
Characteristics of the Nuraghic civilization
The characteristic feature of the Nuragic civilization is the nuraghe, also known as nuraxi in Sardinian. This is a dry-stone tower whose shape evolved over time. Nuragic culture specialist Giovanni Lilliu distinguishes three main periods. Nuraghic I, between 1,800 and 1,500 BC, saw the appearance of the first proto-nuraghes. These were megalithic constructions known as "corridor nuraghes", shaped to fit the terrain. Low, semi-buried, the interior is traversed by one or more corridors, and sometimes includes a small chamber. Very little remains from this period. It's possible that the stones were salvaged to build nuraghes in later periods. Nuraghic II extends from 1500 to 900 BC. The towers grow in height and take on a conical shape. The interior houses one or more tiered chambers covered by a false vault. These are known as "tholos nuraghes", a reference to the circular buildings of ancient Greece. The Nuragic III period, from 900 to 300 BC, saw more complex and imposing constructions. Towers were added to the main nuraghe, linked by surrounding walls. The largest of these complexes include an inner courtyard and well, as well as several defensive walls. They resemble the ancestors of our castles. The countless remains of nuraghes that watch over Sardinia bear witness to a unified civilization. Whereas there used to be disparities between north and south, now the Sardinian island has a unique way of life, but this does not mean that there is a sense of unity between the different villages or a feeling of belonging to a nation. Sardinia was organized into small communities under the authority of a chief. The chief is often depicted as a shepherd, wearing a cloak and carrying a gnarled staff. His power of domination extended to his village, the route taken by the herds and sometimes to a port, when the village was close to the sea. He is responsible for ensuring the continuity of his community, which implies security. Nuraghes are military elements, designed both to impress their neighbors and to defend themselves in the event of attack. Their increasingly imposing and sophisticated evolution suggests the persistence of conflict and the need for greater protection. The nuraghe allows surveillance and control of strategic points: access routes, streams, arable and grazing land... Archaeologists agree that the nuraghe now fulfils both a civil and military function, and possibly a religious one. It served as a fortified residence for the head of the community, and enabled inhabitants living outside the walls to protect themselves in times of need. The Nuraghic III period corresponded to the Phoenician and Carthaginian invasions, and it was also necessary to face dangers from the sea. Nuraghic civilization was also characterized by its funerary architecture. All over Sardinia, you'll find giant tombs, long covered corridors designed to house the dead and guarded by imposing dolmens. Other interesting constructions include well temples, which, like Stonehenge, were also astronomical observatories. The Nuragic people worshipped water. Broken vases have been found at the bottom of sacred wells, along with bronze votive statuettes near springs and wells. From the late Palaeolithic onwards, water and fertility cults were often attributed to the Mother Goddess and the bull respectively. A closer look at the shapes of giant tombs and sacred wells reveals a double symbolism: bull's head and female sex. Could the Nuraghic civilization have achieved an alliance between these two divinities? Are the religious symbols of the bull and the Mother Goddess found in other civilizations contemporary with the Nuraghic era, often in opposition or competition? It's possible that in ancient Sardinia, the masculine and feminine were united in the sacred. The degree of symbolic abstraction and the complexity of the religious phenomenon would have been far more advanced than previously thought, and than we know from other Western European civilizations of the same period. In an Italy that is sometimes too busy elevating Roman civilization to the pinnacle and regarding it as founding, as excavations continue and historians and archaeologists gain international recognition, the stones are gradually coming out of their silence...
The road of the nuraghes
Today there are about 7000 remains of nuraghes in Sardinia, and it is thought that there was at least the double. The island has undertaken great efforts to safeguard and enhance the heritage of a civilization considered the founder of Sardinian culture. An unofficial itinerary, connecting Cagliari to Torralba through a 300 km route, allows to get acquainted with this unknown civilization.
Cagliari. If the region of Cagliari was inhabited during the Nuraghic period, there are no visible remains. On the other hand, the Sardinian capital is home to a formidable National Archaeological Museum that gathers unique pieces of this civilization. It is the largest Nuraghic collection in the world.
Nuraghe of Barumini. Classified in the world patrimony of the Unesco, the nuraghe of Barumini is among the best preserved megalithic monuments of Europe. Real emblem of the ancient Sardinia, the photo of the site is taken again on numerous tourist brochures. The site is occupied from the XIII century B.C. and the construction of the central tower dates from the end of the Nuraghic II. It is 15 meters high and has two floors still intact. Its hemicycle-shaped inner courtyard houses a well. The 4 side towers and the surrounding wall that connects them were added later, probably around 700 BC. The circular piles of stones outside the enclosure are the remains of the houses.
Nuraghic sanctuary of Santa Vittoria. To the west of the village of Seri. This Nuraghic temple takes its name from the small church built nearby. It includes a temple-well with an atrium and a sacrifice pit, an enclosure of festivals where the pilgrims gathered and the hut of the priest.
Is Paras. At the exit of the village of Isili. The nuraghe of Is Paras is one of the most beautiful examples of nuraghes in tholos. Its high vault of 12 meters is particularly harmonious. The archaeological site also includes a domus de janas or "circle of fairies" dating back to the Neolithic.
Tomb of the giants of Aiodda. South of Nurallao. Not much remains of this Nuraghic tomb. The steles of the ceiling and the entrance have collapsed. On the other hand, the oblong corridor is well preserved.
Menhirs and dolmens of Laconi. 20 minutes north of Nurallao, you have to go a little further north, in the countryside, to admire the menhirs of Pedra Iddocca and the dolmen of Corte Nora. Laconi, nicknamed "the village of the menhirs" houses a very interesting Museum of the prehistoric statuary in Sardinia.
Fordongianus. A long crossing of the desert is necessary before joining new nuragic sites of importance. On the road from Laconi to Fordongianus, via Ruinas, you can stop at the domus of janas Genna Salixi. In Fordongianus, another time, another style, beautiful Roman baths await you.
Archaeological site of Santa Cristina. South of Paulilatino. It is here that the most beautiful example of temple-well of Sardinia is found. The Sardinian archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu described it emphatically, finding such balanced proportions and an unequalled geometric composition for a work dating back to the first millennium BC. The site also includes a "meeting hut" which is accompanied by a dozen rooms that probably served as housing. 200 meters away, a second site hosts the nuraghe Santa Cristina dating back to the Nuraghic II.
Nuraghe Losa. South of Abbasanta, 10 km north of Santa Cristina. This nuraghe of the beginning of the Nuraghic II is one of the best conserved. In addition to the base of the tower very present, one distinguishes clearly the bastion and the wall that surrounds the village. The whole is built in basaltic rock.
Necropolis of Filigosa. To the north of Macomer. The necropolis of this civilization that preceded that of the nuraghes is among the archaeological sites of importance in Sardinia. It includes also the nuraghe of Ruggiu.
Fountain of Lumarzu. Near the small village of Rebeccu, east of Bonorva. This fountain of the nuragic period refers to the cult of the water then in force. It is actually a stone construction leaning against the spring. The water filters through the stones and fills a basin topped by a small domed chamber. The fountain is preceded by an esplanade which was probably covered and framed by benches. A few hundred meters from this fountain is the important domus of janas Sant'Andrea Priu.
Nuraghe Santu Antine. To the south of Torrabla, on the SP21. Of the numerous nuraghes of the region, that of Santu Antine is the most emblematic. Very well preserved, its central tower in stone of trachyte of 17,50 meters high impresses. It is possible to visit the maze of staircases and corridors inside the tower and to admire the two floors with tholos dome. The third floor has collapsed. The tower is framed by three other towers of lesser importance. The village huts have retained their circular foundations. The rectangular buildings date from the Roman period. It seems that the site of Santu Antine was inhabited until the Middle Ages.
Torralba. 5 minutes north of the nuraghe Santu Antine. The small village of Torralba marks the entrance to the valley of the nuraghes. Many of them are in a bad state of conservation, even in complete ruin. The village houses the Museum of the Valley of the Nuraghes which preserves in particular the result of the excavations carried out in Santu Antine.
