Dolmens, menhirs and steles : Corsican megalithism
Megaliths are prehistoric monuments composed of isolated massive stones, such as menhirs, or arranged to form groups, such as dolmens. This phenomenon appeared in Corsica as early as the first human settlements, and developed particularly during the 2nd millennium BC, notably in Sartène, on the Cauria plateau. The star of this site is the Fontanaccia dolmen: at 2.60 m long and 1.80 m high, weighing over 15 tonnes, it is the best-known and best-preserved megalith on the island.
Dolmens (also known as tole, stazzone or casarone) are nicknamed "the table of sin" or "the Devil's forge". A fine example can be found in the commune of Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda: the Monte-Revincu dolmen. Alignments of menhirs (stantare, petre arriti, pile, petre longhe, colonne) are popularly known as cimiteri d'i Turchi or d'i Mori (cemeteries of the Turks or Moors). After a short nature walk, a representative group can be admired at the Col de Pinzu in Vergine.
The island also boasts a number of statue-menhirs, i.e. stones bearing representations on their face - a feature that some researchers claim is specific to the island. Unlike other megaliths, they are viewed in a positive light, sometimes even considered protective. Fine examples of this can be found at Filitosa, one of the island's most famous megalithic sites. Occupied for over five millennia, this site bears witness to the various human occupations from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages.
Cucuruzzu, witness of the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages
Cucuruzzu is a monumental Bronze Age site (2nd-1st millennia BC) located at an altitude of 700 meters on the Levie plateau in the Alta Rocca region. Restored in 1991 by the State, it is now open to the public and bears witness to a period of which few traces remain. It also shows how elements from different eras can cohabit and even blend, forming curious ensembles.
After a short walk through unspoilt Mediterranean forest, we come to the casteddu of Cucuruzzu, part of a group of around twenty similar monuments discovered in Corsica (Araghju, Cuntorba, Foce et Balestra, Torre, Tapp, etc.). These buildings, both refuges and communal granaries, served as territorial checkpoints. A few metres from the Cucuruzzu casteddu is the Capula fortification, a medieval building at the foot of which a statue-menhir has been reused in medieval masonry.
Around 7 km from the archaeological site, the Musée de l'Alta Rocca brings together collections from excavations carried out on the site and elsewhere in the region. On display are artifacts from cultures from the 8th millennium BC to the Middle Ages, as well as one of Corsica's oldest human remains: the Dame de Bonifacio or "doyenne des Corses".
Aleria and Mariana, ancient cities
Alelia was founded by the Phoceans in 565 BC, then taken over by the Romans in 259 BC to become Aleria, although remains attest to human occupation since the 6th millennium BC. Along with Mariana, it is one of the largest Roman settlements on the island. These Roman ruins were first described by Prosper Mérimée in 1840, after his inspection trip to Corsica. But it wasn't until the 1950s that the first large-scale excavations were undertaken, during which the forum and part of the settlement were uncovered. Today, two temples, two baths and more than ten cisterns can also be admired. Numerous artefacts from the excavations are on display at the nearby Musée Départemental d'Archéologie.
The city of Mariana, in Haute-Corse, is a little more recent: it was founded in the 1st century BC by general Caius Marius. Situated on the island's eastern coastline, it was a strategic point for controlling maritime trade routes and served as an interface with the interior. The town covered an area of around 20 hectares, extending over an entire territory comprising burial grounds, two necropolises (Murotondo-Palazzetto and I Ponti), agricultural settlements in the commune of Lucciana and a port area at the mouth of the Golo. The ruins that can be seen today, dating from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, are located south of Canonica Cathedral. They represent approximately one tenth of the ancient city and are distributed on either side of a road that took part in the orthonormal plan characteristic of Roman cities. The floors of some of the most notable dwellings are adorned with beautiful mosaics. Next to the archaeological park, a museum will soon be opening to house the collections of artefacts discovered during the excavations.
Corsican archaeology, a field of the future
Corsica's current wealth in terms of archaeology suggests that many other surprises await us. With each new development programme, new finds come out of the ground. For example, at the end of 2019, as part of preventive archaeology work, an ancient site in the heights of Bastia was unearthed. This is a first in the agglomeration, all the more exciting as it is the remains of a pivotal period that played a major role in the history of the island, but about which we have little information: the end of the Roman period, between the 4th and 6th century AD. It consists of two housing units, one of which is bourgeois, unique and very well preserved. It is hoped that the site will one day become accessible to the public!
