Archaeology News: The Mystery of Giants of Monte Prama in Sardinia

 

If you’re interested in archaeology news, when you set foot in Sardinia, be aware that you will find yourself in one the world's largest outdoor museums and you will therefore be faced with a vast choice of cultural activities, depending on where you decide to spend your holiday.

 

If you are about to come to Sardinia on holiday for the first time, you should know that apart from its beautiful beaches and crystal clear seas, the food, wine and the traditional handicraft, Sardinia is a land of myths and legends. Among its many mysteries, we could not forget to mention the enigmatic Giants of Monte Prama, an archaeology treasure.

 

In early March 1974, in the countryside near Cabras (in the Sinis Peninsula), in a place known as Mont'e Prama, two farmers were preparing the land for sowing time, when they noticed the head of a statue emerging from the soil. They had no idea that they had just made one of the most important discoveries in Mediterranean archaeology in the last one-hundred years; and that was only the first one of a long list of finds related to Nuragic sculptures of the Giants of Monte Prama.

 

From then on, four various excavation campaigns led to the finding of over 5000 fragments of heads, torsos, arms, legs and shields, among others. Once put together, it was possible to reassemble up to 25 statues, between 2 and 2.5 metres tall, as well as different models of nuraghe. The statues have been divided into three groups: the boxers, bearing a sort of armoured glove and a shield on their head; the archers, carrying a quiver and the warriors, similar to the archers, but with some particular details, e.g. the body armour with vertical stripes. There are different theories about this archaeological enigma: some refer to the giants as guards of sacred tombs which are still to be found, or part of a large sanctuary, also still missing. Others assert that the statues date back to the X century b.C., while others disagree claiming they may be slightly more recent.

 

 

The well known Sardinian archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu, considered the maximum expert on the Nuragic Age, used to say that the Giants of Monte Prama still had a lot to reveal. We agree with this opinion and we are eagerly awaiting the results from the different excavation projects currently under way.

 

Previously, the statues and the model nuraghes were restored in the Centro di Conservazione e Restauro in Li Punti, Sassari. It is currently possible to see the Giants at the Museo Civico in Cabras and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Cagliari (National Archaeological Museum).

 

 

Giulio

 

Photo credits:

projects.aegee.org

obiettivosardegna.net

panoramio.com – Virgilio Petza

 

 

 

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