From the guide dedicated to the nuragic complex of Palmavera in Alghero, published by Alberto Moravetti for the Delfino publisher, some excerpts regarding the excavations carried out by Antonio Taramelli are reported. After completing an initial excavation campaign in the necropolis of Anghelu Ruiu in 1904 and exploring the nearby nuraghe Sa Lattara – a single-tower reduced to a few rows – Taramelli decided to excavate one of the many nuraghi that stood in the Nurra of Alghero “and which, being close to the sea, could offer hopes of discovering, along with indigenous materials, elements of ancient imports.” The choice fell on the nuraghe Palmavera because “the dominant and at the same time sheltered position of the nuraghe, no less than the grandeur of its remains, and the relative accessibility from the provincial road, made that building worthy of greater attention, so I deemed the choice appropriate among the numerous nuraghi of the region for conducting the excavation.” Although the nuraghe Palmavera then presented itself as “a grandiose pile of disturbed stones,” Taramelli identified among the ruins and the shrub vegetation both the outer wall and the extensive village that developed around the main core “and towards the main road and beyond it.” The excavation, conducted by a team of workers “already seasoned” from the excavation of Anghelu Ruiu and directed in the field by Taramelli himself, assisted by F. Nissardi, lasted four weeks and aimed “to precisely mark the boundaries of the nuragic construction and the parts that constituted it, as well as the sequence with which these parts had emerged.” The investigations involved the chamber of the mastio, the courtyard, the various environments of the bastion, and only partially the added tower. In the chamber, a higher level was found with “some fragments of pottery from the Spanish age and of Hispano-Moorish character… and some medieval coins” resting on a layer of pottery fragments from the Roman and Punic age. Then, after removing “almost two meters of filtering layer, the primitive state” was reached, with an average thickness of about half a meter that exclusively yielded nuragic ceramics – sometimes with lead restoration clamps – fragments of pure copper panels, shards, and fragmented bronze objects (dagger and sword blades, rings, pins, etc.), amber, spindle whorls, grinding stones, pestles, lamps, shell ornaments, and wild boar teeth, etc. Almost in the center of the room, near two seats against the left wall, there was the hearth where “still upright in a position of use, a large pot with expanded handles stood, fragmented at the neck and rim.” Next to the hearth, “fragments of three pieces of limestone, worked with great accuracy” were found, which when placed together formed a sort of cylinder with a protruding frame (…) and a central hole…” which, in Taramelli’s interpretation, could constitute “the support of a table, of a domestic altar linked to a cult associated with the preservation of fire” (…omissis). The excavation of the nuraghe Palmavera by Taramelli effectively constitutes the first exploration of a nuraghe conducted with scientific criteria, obviously reported at the beginning of the century. In fact, not only did the excavator proceed with a stratigraphic method, distinguishing the succession of cultural levels – certainly the “primitive layer” of the nuragic period must have been more articulated – he left control testimonies, described both the architectures and the materials found with accuracy, was attentive to associations, but also concerned himself with acquiring from the materials all the information that other sciences could offer him” (…omissis). “This building,” states Taramelli, “with its complex arrangement, with the careful structure of the buttress, with the skillful distribution of the stairs, the entrance corridor, the courtyard, and the storage areas, clearly revealed the characteristics of a inhabited and frequented building, within which one could circulate safely and store a considerable amount of material: at the same time, the height of the walls, their robustness, the difficult communication with the outside, such as the arrow slits of the tower, the multiple and complicated locking systems at the entrance, showed the concern to make the entry as difficult and dangerous as possible for the assailant. The residential character, evident from the structures of the building, was also vividly confirmed by the materials provided by the excavation.”
The photos of the nuraghe Palmavera, in Alghero, are by Sergio Melis.