The northeast of Sardinia is not just crystal-clear sea, white beaches, and unspoiled nature; near Costa Smeralda, you will find fascinating prehistoric heritage.
Precious legacies dating back about five thousand years, perfectly preserved just a few kilometers from Arzachena, a renowned tourist destination in Gallura. Here, a Neolithic civilization has left evident traces of its passage: this is the necropolis ofThe Walls, the oldest site in the entire territory, also known as the ‘tombs with circles’ (or the ‘circles of Arzachena’) due to the characteristic circular arrangement of the burial stones. According to scholars, it represents a type of necropolis found only in this area, so much so that the pre-nuragic culture that generated it is referred to as ‘gallurese’.
Arriving near the necropolis, you will observe four ‘dolmenic cists’, that is, small chambers constructed with stone slabs driven vertically into the ground, and an…covered alley, that is a gallery tomb in which there is no separation between the entrance corridor and the burial chamber. The width of the circles varies from five to eight and a half meters in diameter, defined by small slabs planted in the ground like knives and arranged in concentric circles. The rooms contained a mound of stones and earth with the graves inside, forming a series of small hills, one next to the other. Between them stood two large granite stelae vertically embedded in the ground – just like the menhirs – serving to mark the graves or represent the deities. At a short distance from the circles, you will see small lithic boxes, presumably intended to collect offerings at the time of burial. They are quadrangular in shape, made of stone slabs.
Inside the graves, the deceased was buried in a curled position and uniquely, unlike the rest of Sardinia where burials were generally collective. This type of burial represents one of the main peculiarities of the civilization that inhabited the area. The burial followed specific rituals, including painting the body of the deceased with red ochre. Pebbles with traces of this color have been found as evidence. Ochre, symbolizing blood, had a meaning of regeneration, thus used on the bodies as a good omen. The body was accompanied by funerary goods, consisting of ceramics, stone vases, axes, and beads of necklaces made of hard stone. The excavations have also revealed other rare and refined artifacts made of flint and steatite, including a finely crafted cup, some knife blades, and necklace beads also made of green stone. Some precious ornaments suggest that the deceased ofThe Wallsthey were important personalities within those peoples, accustomed to combat, even though society was predominantly peaceful and devoted to a pastoral economy. (Sardegna Turismo).
The photos of the necropolis of Li Muri are by: Diversamente Sardi, Marco Cocco, and Cinzia Olias. The graphic representation of the site’s floor plan is taken from Sardegna Cultura.
