Nuragic settlement of Monte Elias
The nuragic Fort Monte Elias ( Italian Complesso Fortezza nuragica Monte Elias ) is located near Tergu in the province of Sassari in Sardinia .
The large, once inhabited complex, surrounded by a wall, dates from 1400–1000 BC. It was still frequented in Roman times, as evidenced by the discovery of ceramics and two grave steles from the Punic tradition. One of the steles shows the face of the deceased with whiskers and mustache in striking realism. The presence of people on the territory in pre-Roman times is documented by 15 nuraghi in the region. It is worth mentioning the Nuraghe Tudderi on the highest hill in the city.
The fortress is surrounded by walls up to 5.0 m high and around 120 m long. The wall consists of medium-sized stones arranged in regular rows. Different sections with different consistencies remained. The best preserved one is the north-eastern one, where the wall takes a curvilinear course, possibly corresponding to a built-in tower. In the middle sector, near the access from the plateau below, the wall forms a “blind spot”, probably to protect the access. Halfway down the slope are the remains of a second, perhaps earlier, fortification made of large square blocks. Inside are the remains of numerous huts of a village that stretched to the top of the plateau. The area yielded some isolated orthostats and fragments of stone basins.
The construction deserves special attention: there are many almost everywhere along the coast: Antigori, Cabu Abbas, Casteddu de Fanaris, Fort Doladorgiu , Ferricci, Sa Mandra Manna , Saurecci and others. The places give the impression of strategic nuraghic fortresses. The archaeological excavations of Monte Elias are still ongoing.
- Monte Elias
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See also
Web links
- Description (Italian)
- Video Nuraghe Tudderi
Coordinates: 40 ° 53 ′ 1.3 " N , 8 ° 42 ′ 36.7" E