At the foot of the Giara di Gesturi, east of the Monte Arci, in the region of the Marmilla near Barumini lies the nuraghe Su Nuraxi. This nuraghe was the subject of one of the most important excavations under the direction of the archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu, the first post-war archaeologist to use the modern methods and who laid the basis of the knowledge on nuragic Sardinia. Lilliu himself was born in Barumini and was familiar with it's immediate surroundings including the hill that contained the remains of Su Nuraxi. The site can be visited with a guided tour and has been placed on the list of world heritage of the UNESCO because of it's exemplary status it obtained through the work of Lilliu. 
 Panorama from the nuraghe of the
surrounding fertile lands
Because of it's location Su Nuraxi provides a beautiful panorama of the surrounding fertile lands and the valleys between the hills stretching towards the Campidano and the Monte Arci. It gives a sense of the strategic position the nuraghe and the village had. The nuragheThe central tower of the nuraghe was built in the bronze age, between 1500 and 1300 BC. It has been estimated that the tower measured 19.5 metres high and had three floors. The whole structure has been entirely built from blocks of stone without the use of any cement. 
The inner courtyard with the doorways
In a second phase, between 1300 and 1100 BC, the nuraghe was enhanced with four towers and a central court. The court contained a waterwell. The four towers are positioned approximately in the four cardinal directions: north, south, east and west of the central tower. In the third phase between 1100 and the eight century BC the complete structure was enforced with a large wall, making it an impenetrable bastion with an entrance several metres above the ground. Around this structure a wall with a number of secondary towers was built, probably acting as an extra defensive measure. From this phase are also the oldest foundations of huts. With the arrival of the Phoenicians and the Punics, families built their houses around the nuraghe, using also the space between the nuraghe and the outer wall, a sign of the decreasing importance of the nuraghe as a defensive bastion. The nuragic village became more important.
Narrow corridors and stairways
lead through the thick walls of the nuraghe
To enable visitors easy access a staircase has been placed to reach the main entrance. Narrow corridors and stairways lead through the thick walls up to the battlements and down again to the central court. The central court contains a waterwell, covered to avoid falling in. One of the large stones used to create the overhanging terrace has been placed there. All towers are reachable from this central court, including the entrance of the second phase afterwards closed by the thick walls. The upper corridors are not accessible due to the perilous condition of the ruins. After all the nuraghe is built without cement and the uppermost stones can get displaced. 
The tholos form of the ceiling
of one of the towers
The central tower is really impressive with it's large round chamber and tholos formed (false cupola) ceiling. It contains two niches. Three of the towers have their entrances facing the courtyard. On the inside the loopholes of the second phase are still visible, later these were closed by the outer wall. Once these loopholes provided a source of light. The northern tower is reachable through a narrow corridor running alongside the outer wall of the central tower. It is a very dark space illuminated only by the artificial lights placed there to illuminate the corridor. Within the chamber of the northern tower there is a second well of which the exact function is unknown. The nuragic village
At the centre of the picture one
of the lower secondary towers and behind
it the hut of the assembly
Most of the structures and foundations of the nuragic village, especially those between the outer wall and the central nuraghe, are dated back to Punic times. Several rooms formed one housing structure where a family would live. The lower towers also have loopholes, facing outward (see photo). Just on the outside of the outer wall, facing the entrance of the nuraghe is the hut of the assemblies with it's circular bench in stone. 
The circular room with (water)bassin and
round bench and behind it the opening of
an oven or heating place
In front of the hut in later times a sort of antichamber was added. In two of the housing structures a peculiar room has been found containg a circular bench and a bassin in the middle. It is thought that this room was dedicated to religious functions. Next to it half round openings have been found that have been indicated as ovens or heating places.
The large stones that were used
to create the slightly overhanging platform
on top of the nuraghe
Large stones that have been used to create the overhanging platforms or terraces of the nuraghe have been placed side by side on the edge of the site. Many of these stones were found at the foot of the large nuraghe but also near many other nuraghi. Bibliography1. Lilliu, G. e R. Zucca 2001: Su Nuraxi di Barumini, Sassari
2. Lilliu, G. 2006, Sardegna Nuragica, Nuoro
3. Lilliu,G. 2003: La civiltà dei Sardi dal paleolitico all'età dei nuraghi, Nuoro Address: Barumini; tel. +39 070 9368128 Opening times: summer may-june 9:00-19:00, july-august 9:00-19:30, september 9:00-18:30; winter: october 9:00-17:30, november 9:00-16:30; december-february 9:00-16:00, march 9:00-17:00, april 9:00-18:00 Prices: € 4,20 ; € 3,10 groups and students; € 2,10 children from 6 to 17 years e-mail: comunebarumini@tiscalinet.it website: www.comune.barumini.ca.it
|
Please don't print this page unless you really need to