Abini

Sardinian bronzetto - demon of Teti

The nuragic sanctuary of Abini (old name "Sa Badde de sa Bidda"; German  "the city in the valley" ) on the banks of the Talaro, north of Teti in the province of Nuoro in Sardinia, was a place of worship of the Sardinians during the Nuragic culture .

The complex consists of a nuragic settlement and a sacred area within a temenos , which enclosed a well sanctuary ( Italian Pozzo sacro ), which was probably used from the late Bronze Age to the Iron Age (1300 to 600 BC). In the area between the 10th and 7th centuries BC. Many bronzetti were made, including the "Demon of Teti" (with four arms and four eyes), which are in the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari.

In 1865 a boy convinced some farmers to dig in the ground where remains of old buildings had appeared on the surface. The excavation yielded votive offerings of bronze . In the same year Giovanni Spano (1803–1878) described the bronzes that were acquired by the scholar Efisio Timon. In 1878 they were found in a large container with terracottas and other bronzes. The site was later investigated by Philip Vivanet, who found the sacred precinct and its temple. During the excavations of 1929/31 under the direction of Antonio Taramelli (1868-1939) the holy area with the holy well and the village next to the holy area were exposed. The penultimate excavation on the site was carried out in 1981, with the discovery of new round huts and various other buildings. The last excavations so far took place from 2000 to 2002, during which mainly anthropomorphic and vascular ceramics were found.

The nuragic settlement of S'Urbale is nearby .

See also

• List of prehistoric and protohistoric archaeological sites in Sardinia

literature

• Ettore Pais : Il Ripostiglio di Bronzi di Abini. Presso Teti. In: Bullettino archeologico sardo. Serie 2, Jg. 1, 1884, pp. 67-181, ( digitized version ).
• Filippo Nisardi: Intorno ai ripostigli di bronzi di Abini e di Forraxi Nioi. Lettera al prof. E. Pais. In: Bullettino archeologico sardo. Serie 2, Vol. 1, Suppl. 2, 1884, pp. 3-29 , (special print. Sn, Cagliari 1884, digitized ).

Web links

• image
• Description ital.

Coordinates: 40 ° 8 '43.9 "  N , 9 ° 5' 34.6"  E