Montessu Necropolis

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The bull horns

The necropolis of Montessu , whose name is derived from the mountain Monte Essu , is a well-developed collection of around 40 Domus de Janas in the province of Sud Sardegna in Sardinia . It extends over a kilometer in a wide basin in the hinterland of Villaperuccio in the southwest of the province of Sud Sardegna. The area is protected as the "Parco Archeologico di Montessu".

The village of the bearers of the Ozieri culture (4000–3200 BC), who are believed to be the builders and first-time users of the Copper Age rock tombs , was discovered on the plain. As the excavations show, the facilities were subsequently used in chronological order by the cultures of Abealzu-Filigosa , the Monte Claro culture , the bell beaker culture and the Bonnanaro culture and, if necessary, expanded.

The smooth front sides of the necropolis are carved out of the rock and, compared to the small entrances and some window-like openings, gigantic. The systems, which are almost always provided with vestibules or dromoi , have one or two cells. Angular forms of entrances and rooms alternate with oval and curved floor plans that are limited to the sulki . Some of the complexes in the wide basin through which the Rio Palmas flows have symbolic-decorative paintings and the typical impressive ornamentation of geometric motifs, false doors and concentric circles and bull horns . The rainwater collects in some of the chambers that are open at the top today.

Delimiting Temenoi and smaller menhirs and Baityloi are represented and in the nearby village of Terrazzu is the Luxia Arrabiosa , over five meters high, the second largest menhir of Sardinia. The museum in Santadi shows the finds from Montessu .

The stalactite cave Grotte Is Zuddas and the Punic necropolis Pani Loriga are nearby .

See also

literature

  • Alberto Moravetti, Carlo Tozzi a. a. (Ed.): Guide archeologiche. Preistoria e Protostoria in Italia . 2: Sardegna . ABACO, Forlí 1995, ISBN 88-86712-01-4 .

Web links

Commons : Necropolis of Montessu  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 39 ° 8 ′ 0 ″  N , 8 ° 40 ′ 7 ″  E