Nuraghe La Prisgiona

The Nuraghe La Prisgiona is a nuragic archaeological site (occupied from the 14th until the 9th century BC), located in the Capichera valley in the municipality of Arzachena Costa Smeralda in the north of Sardinia. It consists of a nuraghe and a village comprising around 90-100 buildings, spread across 5 hectares. Findings from this site are in many cases unique in Sardinia, particularly with regard to decoration and use. Due to the large extent and number of buildings the site is considered unique in North-East Sardinia. There is also some evidence for occupation during Roman and medieval times. The Giants' grave Coddu Vecchiu is located nearby.

Architecture

The nuraghe presides over an area of several square kilometers, with its prominent role confirmed by the size and the complexity of the architectural structure itself. The nuraghe is a complex nuraghe, of tholos (beehive tomb) typology, rather unusual in Gallura. The monument has a central tower (the keep) and 2 side towers, forming a bastion.

The keep has an entrance defined by a massive lintel of 3.20 m length. The central chamber has a false dome, which is more than 6 meters high, with three niches in its interior. The bastion is further protected by a curtain wall that encloses a large courtyard.

Also within the bastion is a well, which is over 7 meters deep and still functioning today. At the bottom of the well many ceramic artefacts were uncovered. Among them are many pitchers of the askoid typology, finely decorated and with traces of ancient repairs, giving evidence of their great value. The pitchers were not meant to simply hold liquids, but are clearly destined for other purposes. This unusual find prompts questions as to why these vessels were abandoned at the bottom of the well, and whether the may have been used during rituals.

The “meeting hut”, a peculiar round building, is located just a few meters from the well, which perhaps is not coincidental. The ring shaped bench with 16 seats in the meeting hut may have been used by leaders or other people of rank (secular or religious). The importance and the exclusivity of the place is further confirmed by the discovery of a vase of unusual form and decoration. The vase was probably used to hold a special beverage, perhaps a decoction or an unusual distillate, whose consumption may have been restricted to a limited number of people, perhaps the 16 people attending meetings.

Address

Arzachena, Italy

Details

Founded: 1300-800 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Italy