Torre culture

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Main Sardinian-Corsican types
Comparison of Corsican torras and Sardinian nuraghi
The rows of stones of Palaggiu also known as Campu dei Morti (cemetery)

The Torre culture on the Mediterranean island of Corsica takes its name from the tower-like buildings, the torri , which were built in southern Corsica from the Bronze Age from around 1,600 BC. Was built. Probably under the influence of the Sardinian Bonnanaro culture , originated primarily in the Ornano / Sartenais area and around the probably in the 9th century BC. City of Porto-Vecchio (Old Port) founded in the 4th century BC , the 16 towering nuragic buildings of the culture. But only the Nuraghe Albucciu near Arzachena shows similarity with the Torri.

It is believed that the Torre culture established itself on the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio. Here are the remains of towers that have no defensive character (Torre von Torre, Torre von Ceccia). From there it gradually advanced into the core areas of the megalithic figures, as evidenced by radiocarbon dates. The advance appears to have been violent. There is evidence of disputes in Filitosa. The megalithic village was destroyed; smashed the statue menhirs and used them as building material for their own monuments.

The typical torre consists of Cyclops masonry with one room and resembles a beehive hut on a wide base as it also occurs in southern France. However, its basic scheme was often modified by including natural rock, passages and side chambers in the system. The wide, large entrance covered by a lintel leads to the main chamber (cella), which was closed at the top by a false dome ( cantilever vault ). The height of the tower varies between 3.0 and 7.0 meters, its diameter could reach 15 meters. The central building is surrounded by a wall that forms a raised platform around the tower that is only interrupted by the entrance. Thick layers of ash in various monuments suggest fire cults or crematoriums. They are out of the question as residential and defense towers because they are too small in contrast. Torrenic buildings are:

Menhirs

A characteristic of the different Corsican cultures is the anthropomorphic menhir or statue menhir . While initially very simple small menhirs stand in and near the megalithic complexes ( stone boxes ), they later become independent, become larger and transform into statue menhirs, who can show a carved armament in the south of the island (also in pictures of women). When the Corsican megalithic came to an end, statue menhirs were only erected in the northern part of the island (Nativu-Partimonio, Luzzipeiu-Calanzana, Capu-Casincu).

The French archaeologist Roger Grosjean , who gave the culture its name, drew a comparison with representations at the mortuary temple of Ramses III due to the depicted armament . from Medinet Habu in Egypt . The Shardana warriors of the bas-reliefs there showed similarities with statues by the megalithic sculptors. Newer research opinions reject the "Schardana theory" and assume that the Torrean culture emerged from the further development of an island culture. Around 1,000 to 800 BC the traces of the megalithic and Torreaner are lost.

The building techniques of the Sesiots on Pantelleria , the Talayot ​​culture on the Balearic Islands and the nuragic culture of the same time on Sardinia are comparable to those of the Torre culture.

literature

  • Roger Grosjean : The Megalithic Culture of Corsica. In: Looking around in science and technology. Vol. 64, H. 13, 1964, ISSN  0041-6347 , pp. 403-407.
  • Roger Grosjean: Filitosa. Stronghold of prehistoric Corsica. Archaeological demolition. Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, Strasburg 1978, ISBN 2-900472-03-2 .
  • Adalbert Graf von Keyserlingk: And they froze in stone. Early mystery sites in Corsica as the seeds of our time. Verlag Die Pforte, Basel 1983, ISBN 3-856360-66-2 .
  • François de Lanfranchi, Michel-Claude Weiss: La civilization des corses. Les origines. Éditions Cyrnos et Méditerranée, Ajaccio 1973.
  • Sibylle von Reden: The Megalithic Cultures. Evidence of a lost original religion. Major monuments in England, France, Ireland, Corsica, Malta, Northern Europe, Sardinia, Spain. 3. Revised and changed new edition. DuMont, Cologne 1982, ISBN 3-770110-55-2 .
  • Jürgen E. Walkowitz: The megalithic syndrome. European cult sites of the Stone Age (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 36). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2003, ISBN 3-930036-70-3 .

Web links