Barumini Archaeological Park Tour – “Mysteries of the Nuraghian Civilisation”.
Su Nuraxi di Barumini is a prehistoric archaeological site located on the island of Sardinia near the town of Barumini. It is a well-preserved complex of megalithic towers dating back to the 15th century BC. In 1997, the unique site of Su Nuraxi, which is the most striking landmark of Sardinia, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Nuraghi in Sardinia is the name given to the prehistoric tower-shaped stone structures that were common in Sardinia from the 2nd millennium BC to the 13th century BC. Su Nuraxi is not the only surviving architectural monument. At present there are about 800 nurags with different degrees of preservation on the island, and in the past their number reached 20-30 thousand. Around these towers stone walls were erected and settlements appeared, which are commonly called nuragic villages. Disputes about the people who brought the culture of Nurag construction and had their own special language continue even today. Most likely, they were natives of the Eastern Mediterranean with a higher level of development. One of the most interesting is the discovery of the presence of the mysterious Etruscans during the period of nurag construction, for whom Sardinia was an intermediate point of migration from Asia Minor to Italy. The nuraghi were in use until the Roman invasion in the 2nd century BC, or more recently the 3rd century AD.
Su Nuraxi di Barumini is the most striking and complete example of Sardinian nuragic architecture.
The huge well in the centre of the courtyard of the complex (it still holds water) is remarkable. It reaches a depth of 15 metres and follows the shape of the nuragha, widening at the bottom to 4 metres in diameter and narrowing towards the top.
It is interesting that the excavations of the nuraghic village did not reveal any traces of property inequality.
It is known about the reigning cult of the goddess of fertility, inherent in all Mediterranean peoples, who venerated the earth, water and heavenly luminaries.
One of the most interesting archaeological mysteries is the so-called Tomb of the Giants. The Graves of the Giants (1500 B.C.) are huge blocks of stone that are set vertically in the ground. They are located a few kilometres from the area called Arzakena. In total, about 700 such monuments have been discovered
The study of Su-Nuraxi di Barumini allows us to draw conclusions that the stone complex was an important economic and political centre up to the 1st century BC, and its architecture was not inferior in complexity to the constructions of Great Greece. The objects found – tools, weapons, ceramics, bronze figurines and jewellery – open the door to the history of Sardinia and the ancient Nuragians, who still have much to surprise the modern world.
