The nuragic complex Sa Sedda ‘e sos Carros, located in the territory of Oliena, “literally means ‘crossing point of the carts’, a name dating back to the wood charcoal collection activities that characterized the site in the 19th and 20th centuries: it is a nuragic complex of exceptional architecture and engineering, created during the metalworking era and linked to the worship of water, a precious element in the arid limestone environment of theSupramonte, the Sardinian ‘dolomites’. The village ofthe Seat of the Carrosis nestled in the wild valley ofLanaittu, a spectacular natural backdrop within the territory of Oliena, reachable from the road that leads (going towards Dorgali) also to the national monument of the karst springthe Gologoneand the splendid caves ofthe Caveandthe Wind…It was an era in which man learned to extract and forge metals (bronze and iron), from which artifacts were found in the numerous circular and oval-shaped huts that make up the village. One dwelling stands out for its unique architecture and ritual function: it is the ‘fonte’, a circular space with internal walls made of two-colored squared blocks – white limestone and dark basalt – and a carefully worked floor. On the walls are carved in high relief heads of mouflon with a hole through which water, coming from the channel carved into the thickness of the wall, gushed into the round monolithic basin at the center of the floor. Near the hut, you will see a large circular stepped structure: it was the basin for ceremonial ablutions, religious rites that involved the use of sacred water. This structure changed over time in its purpose, becoming a storage place for bronze objects awaiting a new processing cycle…” (Sardegna Turismo).
The photos of the nuragic complex Sa Sedda ‘e sos Carros are by Prancesca Cossu, Pasquale Pintori, Sardegna che Passione, and Maurizio Cossu. The last images refer to the details of a taurine protome belonging to an askos in bronze sheet and the protome of a deer from a model of a boat, also found on the site.
