Coddu Vecchiu

The giant grave of Coddu Vecchiu near Arzachena in Gallura in Sardinia.

The giant tomb Coddu Vecchiu is located near Arzachena in the province of Sassari in Sardinia . The buildings mentioned in Sardu Tumbas de sos zigantes and ( Italian Tombe dei Giganti - plur.) Are the largest prenuraghic cult structures in Sardinia and are among the latest megalithic structures in Europe . The 321 known giant tombs are monuments of the Bronze Age Bonnanaro culture (2,200–1,600 BC), which is a precursor to the Nuragic culture .

Type sequence

Structurally, giant tombs appear in two variants. The systems with portal steles and exedra are of the older type. In later systems, the exedra consists of a rectangular facade made of processed and layered stone blocks, instead of monolithic steles . The giant grave of Coddu Vecchiu is an older type of facility (with a portal stele).

The megalithic complex was excavated by Editta Castaldi in 1966 . It is considered part of an archaeological triad, the remaining parts of which are the Nuraghe La Prisgiona , about 600 m to the southeast, and the Nuraghe Demuro, only 20 m away. Only a few rows of stones remained from the latter. It was a complex nuraghe. In addition to the central tholos , it had at least two other towers in a walled bastion.

Coddu Vecchiu
The two-phase system Coddu Vecchiu
The giant grave of Coddu Vecchiu
Model with portal stela exedra
Interior view of the chamber looking towards the access
The two-part portal stele with the bezel in the upper area

description

The still good appearance (best preserved facility of its kind) is the result of two construction phases. First a kind of box or gallery was built. Later the exedra was placed in front of it. It consists of the phallic central stele and an arched, row of vertical panels that form the facade. It is held in place by a vaulted wall made of medium-sized stones behind it, which also connects the exedra with the older gallery via an intermediate chamber. The height of the central stele, which is only made in two parts in this system and in the lower plate of which the access to the chamber is located, is 4.04 m, its width is 1.9 m at the bottom. The two adjacent panels on the side are already significantly lower. They are supplemented on the sides by (once) six even lower panels. As with the nearby, twice as large complex by Li Lolghi , the front facade forms the most remarkable element of the monument.

The gallery behind it, which looks rustic compared to the exedra, is 10.0 m long on the outside, which corresponds to a smaller variant of the giant tombs, and 3.5–4.0 m wide. It encloses a relatively tight, rectangular chamber, the inner side of which is made of granite blocks . The ceiling is formed by lintel panels. The outer front of the gallery section, which is visible today and was previously probably hidden in a hill, is formed by rows of medium-sized stones. The amount of medium-sized stones led to the thesis that there was once a tumulus that covered the structure.

The paved floor, preserved only in the central part, follows the natural slope of the terrain. The excavated material confirmed a cultural sequence that corresponds to the various construction phases. The majority of the artifacts were found in the area of the exedra because the internal part was cleared out at different times and the remaining material was robbed. Pans, bowls and plates with comb decorations and vases with necks bent back were found. All of this belongs to the last phase of the Bronze Age and Nuragic culture . But there are also fragments of vases with the typical decoration of the Bonnanaro culture .