On the subject of the Bau Mendula nuraghe at Villaurbana, we are pleased to report an article that appeared in the pages of the Unione Sarda Online of 22 April 2024:
The site of the nuraghe is located between Mount Arci, land of obsidian, and Mount Grighine, in a hilly area rich in vineyards, olive groves and wheat fields. A fertile and centuries-old land of important production of wine, oil and especially bread, for which Villaurbana is also known nationally. Particularly at the foot of Mount Arci, the vegetation is characterised by holm oaks and oaks; there are numerous springs of very pure water: a breathtaking landscape frames the Bau Mendula nuraghe, which dominates a hill. As explained by Riccardo Locci, archaeological protection officer of the Soprintendenza archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio (archaeology, fine arts and landscape department): ‘The building was placed to control the vast plain in front of it, crossed by the rio Tumboi, and the penetration route to the inland areas. In connection with the numerous nuraghi located in the neighbouring hills, the monument was a stronghold of the territory management network set up by the communities that populated the slopes of the mountain during the Bronze Age’.
The nuraghe, which was already the subject of an initial stratigraphic investigation in the 1990s, has a complex structure in which the various construction phases and subsequent phases of reuse are evident. “The nuraghe, still largely covered by collapses and sediments, is built with large basalt blocks and consists of a central tower surrounded by a mighty bastion,” the scholar explains. “The bastion is divided into four lateral towers connected by curtain walls. Among them, the south-west side tower preserves the tholos roof of the circular room on the ground floor’. Further on, in the central tower, part of the floor of the first floor chamber is also visible, which can be reached via a partially collapsed spiral staircase. Behind the nuraghe is a multi-layered settlement, which has yielded evidence of life dating between the Bronze Age and the Late Antique period […].
The photos of the Bau Mendula nuraghe are by Marco Cocco and Bibi Pinna.
