18a: Not far from the megaron temple “Sa Domu ‘e Orgia”, at Esterzili, on the crest and slopes of Monte Santa Vittoria, are the ruins of a remarkable Nuragic village of circular huts, enclosed in a space partially enclosed by Cyclopean walls, as well as a Nuraghe, a megalithic enclosure and a sacred well that draws from the spring of Monti ‘e Nuxi, famous for its very fresh water.
A four-step staircase leads up to the well, which is covered by a tholos structure. Above the staircase, a series of five lintels reproduce its inverted motif (the classic inverted staircase of sacred wells). A second room consists of a circular hut, the elevation of which has been preserved up to the lintel at the entrance. Inside, a seat runs around the entire circumference, interrupted by two lithic slabs, possibly the remains of a ritual basin, placed orthogonally to the interior perimeter. The floor of the complex (very well preserved inside the hut) is particularly interesting. It is made up of perfectly interlocking limestone slabs.
The whole complex is bordered by a series of low walls decorated with fishbone motifs.
The photos of the Monti ‘e Nuxi nuragic complex in Esterzili are by Giovanni Sotgiu and Lucia Corda.
