Su Nuraxi di Barumini, Italy

Su Nuraxi di Barumini, Sardinia.

The UNESCO site of Su Nuraxi di Barumini (Sardinian for ‘The Nuraghe of Barumini’) – located on the island of Sardinia, Italy – is one of the world’s most fascinating archaeological sites, a monumental window into an ancient and uniquely advanced Bronze Age civilisation.

The origins of the first humans to arrive on Sardinia are a mystery for archaeologists. Scholars suggest that they came from Tuscany, during the lower Paleolithic period (the Old Stone Age). Flint tools found on the island indicate that people arrived as far back as 350,000 BC. By the Neolithic period (about 6000 to 3000 BC), Sardinia was home to several tribal communities, who engaged in a flourishing trade in obsidian, used for making tools and arrow tips. Sardinian obsidian has been found as far away as France.

In the Bronze Age, these early communities were replaced by what scholars call the Nuraghic Civilisation. Though little is known, indications are that the Nuraghic Civilisation was particularly advanced for its period in history. The discovery of Mycenaean ceramics in Sardinia and Nuraghic pottery in Crete indicates that they engaged in a long-distance trade in tableware. Sardinia’s museums are populated with bronze figurines from this period, intricate sculptures of kings, warriors, farmers and sailors, that give us an insight into the lifeways of this long-ago civilisation.

However, the advancements of the Nuraghic civilisation are best encapsulated by the over 7000 nuraghe (towers and fortified settlements) found around the island of Sardinia. These tower-like complexes are unique to Sardinia, and archaeologists suggest that they were used to demarcate clan territory. Each clan’s nuraghe was used for a variety of purposes: for defense, for religious rites, and as a community meeting place. As Nuraghic culture became more complex, the towers became the centres of villages.

The distinctive ‘beehive’-like village.

Su Nuraxi di Barumini is among Sardinia’s best preserved nuraghes. To the west of the town of Barumini, the site grew around a central tower built in the Middle Bronze Age (around 1600 to 1400 BC), and people lived there, on and off, until the 3rd century AD. In its heyday, the settlement would have been overlooked by a central tower about 18.5 metres high (around 14 metres survives today), surrounded by four smaller towers. The outline of this structure can still be seen today. Surrounding the central monument is a second wall, which is in turn surrounded by a village of circular huts (around 50 are visible today; across all its phases there may have been more than 200), built in a pattern often compared to a beehive. Extraordinarily, elements of basic sanitation have been discovered by archaeologists.

The settlement was first abandoned in the 6th century BC, though intermittent occupation took place over succeeding centuries. New houses were constructed in a new style, with several small rooms and smaller stones. Following the Roman annexation of Sardinia in the 3rd century BC, most nuraghe went out of use, though evidence indicates that people lived at Barumini until the 3rd century AD.

The nuraghic structures near Barumini were buried for centuries. The site was rediscovered by Sardinia’s famous archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu, after torrential rains eroded the dirt surrounding the nuraghe. Lilliu excavated the site from 1950 to 1957. Today, UNESCO describes it as the finest and most complete example of a nuraghe complex. It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

One of the circular houses.

Su Nuraxi is a highlight of the Sardinia leg of Odyssey’s 25-day Mediterranean Islands of Malta, Sicily, Sardinia & Corsica tour. After three nights in Cagliari (Days 12 to 14), on Day 15 the group travels to Barumini for a guided tour of Su Nuraxi, then continues via Nuoro, at the foot of Monte Ortobene, to Fonni in the Gennargentu mountains. Our Sardinia itinerary shows how Barumini fits into the route from Cagliari to Olbia and Alghero, our guide to things to do in Sardinia covers the island’s other sights, and our 25-day Mediterranean Islands itinerary follows the whole journey from Malta to Corsica. Groups are up to 16 travellers, and solo travellers are welcome.

Articles about Sardinia published by Odyssey Traveller:

• About Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.
• Mediterranean Islands: Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.
• Empires Crossing the Mediterranean: 1130-1300
• as well as more articles on Italy here

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Sardinia:

• 48 Hours in Sardinia
• UNESCO: Su Nuraxi di Barumini
• Barumini: The Nuraghi
• A Tour of the Nuraghi, Sardinia’s Bronze-Age Mysteries
• Fondazione Barumini