Dolmeni Toomb Fo Giants

The Dolmens, Tombs of the Giants, and Nuraghi of Sardinia
Author(s): Duncan Mackenzie

Source: Papers of the British School at Rome, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1910), pp. 89-137
Published by: British School at Rome
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40310276 .
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THE DOLMENS, TOMBS OF THE GIANTS, AND NURAGHI
OF SARDINIA.
OUR campaignof 1908 in Sardiniabegan at the end of September

and lasted altogethertill the middle of November. On the 13th of
October I was joined by Mr. F. G. Newton,architectto the British
School,whoseskilfulhandiworkin the shape of manydrawingsof the
dolmens,Tombs of the Giants,and Nuraghiwe visitedtogetherthere
will be occasion to admire in what follows. On October 20 the
DirectorarrivedfromMalta and joining forceswithus stayed in the
island till November8, when the duties of the School called him
back to Rome. To him we were able to announceseveralinteresting
discoveriesand our exceptionalgood luck continuedrightto the end of
oursojournin Sardinia.
The retiringBritishAmbassadorin Rome, Sir Edwin Egerton,
followedour varyingfortuneswith his usual enlightenedand cordial
interest.Again in the island we experiencedmany deeds of kindness
and hospitalityboth frompersonsin authorityand fromthe simple
villagersof the mountains. Unfortunately forus ProfessorTaramelli
was absent at the ArchaeologicalCongressat Parma,and a long and
severeillness- now happilyrecoveredfrom - deprivedus of the pleasure
and profitof CavalièreNissardi's companyon one or other of our
various rounds. Once more we experienced at Gennamariand at
Iglesias the courteoushospitalityof the Hon. T. A. and Lady Idina
Brassey. While at Gennamariwe wentin companywith Mr. Brassey
and Mr.P. R. Papillonto visitthe greatGiant'sTomb of San Giovanni
nearArbus.1
1 For thistombsee *
mypaperon The Tombs of the Giants and the Nuraghi of Sardinia in
theirWest EuropeanRelations,' reprintedfromAlemnon,vol. ii. fasc. 3, 1-31.

9o The British School at Rome.
The Nuragheof Voes.
The NuragheofVoes whichis shownlookingnorth-west in PL I. Fig. i

lies in the midstof theBitti uplands and in the territory of Nule at a
of
distanceoftwohoursfromthevillage Osidda in a southsouth-easterly
direction. The Nuragheis surrounded by a maze of sheep-folds on the
southand westsides. The northand east sidesare free. To gainan idea
of the buildingas a whole it will be necessaryto drawattentionto the
Plans shownin Fig. i (below to left). What we have beforeus is a
massivetriangular buildingof a strongly characterwithentrance
fortified
on thesouthside. On the groundfloorare fourcircularchamberswith
beehiveceilings. The principalone is at the centreand thethreeothers
are withintheanglesof the triangle. The roundingoffof theseangles
simplyreflects thecircularshapeof thechamberswithin. The
externally
advantages of rounded external contoursover sharp angles is amply
illustratedhere. And we knowwhat a rôle the roundedbastionplayed
all through thelaterhistoryof fortification
in Europe.
Let us thenimagineourselvesas entering by the nowbadlypreserved
outerportalon thesouthside. We findourselvesin a small courtelong-
ated rightand left,and opento thesky. At eitherend of this courtis a
doorwayleadingintoa circularchamber,one withintheleftand one with-
in therightend ofthebase ofthetriangle. We, however, pass righton in
frontand entera second doorway. This formsthe entranceto a short
corridor of.massivearchedconstruction havinga guardian'snichehalf-way
along on the righthand side and a stair galleryof similarconstruction
goingup to theleft. Goingon we entera circularchamberwith'beehive
ceiling,a nicherightand left,and a thirdniche at the back end of the
room. This chamberis entirely dark except for the dim lightwhich
entersby thedoor.
The stairgoingup to theleftin the passage and windingup to the
rightin the thicknessof the wall once led to an upper storeywitha
centralbeehive chambercorresponding to the lower one. This upper
chamberis no longerpreserved.To judge, however,by the analogyof
manyotherNuraghithe upperchamberhad a windowand probablyalso
a centralhearthin themiddleofthefloor. In thatcase the beehiveroof
wouldhavehad in thecentrean apertureforthe exit of thesmoke. In a

Dolmens, Tombs of the Giants, and Nuraghi of Sardinia. 91
large Nuraghelike the presentone the upper floorwithits possibility

of windowswas probablythe living part of the house. The greater
security of theupperstoreyis in accordancewiththe fortress characterof
thebuilding. The groundfloorwas verylikelyoccupiedby the guardians
and dependentsand the men folk generally. There also would have
been the householdstoreroomsand cellars. The threebeehiverooms -
one withineach of thethreeroundedbastion-like cornersofthebuilding-
are probablysuchcellars. The one on therighthandside of the entrance
courtis ofexceptionalinterest. It is of oval shape in itsgroundplan. In
the thicknessof the wall on the oppositeside of it is a smallwatch-room
witha loop-holein the outerwall. If the aperturewas not originally
therewe mayhavesimplyto do withone oftheusual secrettreasure closets.
The greatestsurprisehere,however,was the long curvingcorridoror
galleryon thelefthand side,by whichwe are able to leave the chamber.
Overhalfwayalongit is a loop-holeforlighton therighthand side. On
gettingto the end of the corridorwe emergeinto a beehivechamber
whichturnsoutto be theone in the northend of the building. Part of
theceilingof thishas fallenin.
On thelefthandside and about a thirdof the wayalong reckoning
fromthe entranceto this chamberis an exit door. Fromthisa gallery
answering to theone just describedgoes alongin thethicknessof thewest
wall of thebuilding,butto one's surpriseit stops shortbeforecorningto
the chamberon the lefthand side of theentrancecourt. This probably
meansthatthe gallerywas used as a retreat,possiblyforwomenfolk in
time of war. The entranceto it could in that case be guarded from
withinby one or twomen.
Let us now returnto the entrancecourtand to thechamberon the
lefthandside of thatjust referred to. The roofof this has fallenin and
theentrancecorridor fromthecourtis blocked. In therighthandwall of
this corridorwe could,however,make out that a stair-gallery wentup,
witha perceptible to theleft. In thelefthandwall the stair
inclination of
some wayup is a doorwaywitha shortpassage. This emergeson a long
corridorwithinthe west wall of the buildingsimilarto the one just
describedand almostvertically aboveit The prolongationof the stair
corridor pastthisdoorway forms a deep nichefromwhichthe staircould
be guardedin timeof danger.
PI. I. Fig. 2 gives a view of the Nuraghelookingnorth. In front

92 The British School at Rome.
towardsthe leftare the massive remainsof the outside wall of the chamber
to the left of the entrance court just referredto. The dark hole which
appears higherup a littleto the leftshows the ruinedsection of the upper
galleryof which we have been speaking. The entrance fromthe stair of
the lower chamberis just withinon the righthand side.
The arrangementof the upper gallery as a whole will best be under-
stood by referenceto the Plan shown in Fig. i (below to the right). Here
to the leftappears the ruined south end of the gallery,whichmay or may
Fig. i.- Nuraghe of Voes (Plans and Sections).
not have been a niche. Proceeding along the passage, we leave the
entrancefromthe stair of the lower south-eastchamber referredto behind
us on our right. As we approach the north end of the building along
this gallery our passage turnsat a wide angle to the right. The prolonga-
tion of the firstsection of the corridorformsa niche opposite the angle
referredto. Having turned to the right we proceed for some little
distance and then turna second somewhatwider angle again to the right.
On our lefthand side is a second niche fromwhicha spy-holecommunicates
withthe ceiling of the northground floorcella. We now realize that the
furthercontinuationof the gallery is in the thickness of the east wall of

thebuilding. Thereis a narrowloop-holeto theleftjust neartheend and
oppositethisto therightis a sunkentreasurecloset. At theend is a spy-
holecommunicating withthesouth-east chamberon thegroundfloor.
The curiousfeatureaboutthisuppergalleryis that,afterwe haveonce
emergedfromthestairleadingup fromtheentrancecorridor of thesouth-
westchamber, it has no directcommunication withanyotherroom. The
spy-holes referred to are intotheceilingof the groundfloorcellas. The
gallery midwaybetweenthe lowerand the lost upperfloor. It is this
is
midwayarrangement whichis shownin the plan. Accordingly we see
therealongwiththe gallery,notthecellason theupperfloor,but a horiz-
ontalcutin a plane across the beehiveceilingsof the chamberson the
groundfloor. The uppergalleryis placedvertically above the galleryof
thegroundfloorand it mimicsthearrangement ofthat,butin theopposite
direction.Where the lowergallerybegins,this ends. Like the lower
gallerybutto a greaterdegreeit has to be regardedas a secretpassage of
retreatintimeofwar.
Fig. 1 (Section AA) gives a sectionfromeast to west across the
centreof the buildingshowingthe relationof the lower and upper
galleriesbothto each otherand to thelowerand upperfloors.
In Fig. 1 (Section BB) we havea similarsectionfromsouthto north
acrosstheruinedentrancecourt,thecentralchamberand the cella at the
northor back end ofthebuilding.
The massivefortress-like characterof the constructionwill best be
realizedby reference to thepictureof PL II. Fig. 1,whichshows the east
side wallofthebuildingas one looksin a directiona littlenorthofwest.
In front is thecurveroundtothesouthand west of the south-east cella to
therightof theentrancecourt. Behindto therightin the picture,where
hangthegreatmassesofivy,is theruinednorthcellaofthefortress referred
to above.
A massivebuildingwithlong flightsof wall of this kind is veryfar
removedfromthesimpleoriginaltypeof strongroundtowerwhichis all
thatis presentin thecase ofa greatmanyofthe Nuraghi.
TheNuragheofA rile.
The kindofsimplestrongtowerof circularshape referred

to is well
by theNuragheofArileshownon PL II. Fig. 2.
illustrated

The Nuraghe is on the countryroad fromNule to Osidda, 25 minutes

distantnorth-eastof Nule and only a fewpaces offthe road to the right.
In its quiet environmentof level oak woodland and dreamyundulating
meadow it resemblesmore the countryseat of a rural chief than it does
a fortress. Yet the building is of a very massive character, as can be
well seen from the Ground Plan shown in Fig. 2 (on the right below.)
It combines a certain simple elegance with its strength. Its entrance is
high,its corridor,its guardian's niche to the right,and its stair up to the
Fig. 2.- Nuraghe of s'Aspru (Plan) : Nuraghe of Arile (Plan and Section).
left are more than usually spacious. The central chamber itselfwith its
three niches symmetricallyarranged has a fine appearence. The little
closet opening offto the rightof the righthand niche is a somewhat rare
convenience,and if meant fortreasurecould be well guarded if these niches
themselveswere used to sleep in at night. If we take the building,with
its carefulconstruction,as a whole,it gives the impressionof having been
built at a time when the architectureof the Nuraghi was already,so to
say, a fineart.

And herewe mustbe on our guard. A simpleNuragheof this kind
represents,it is true,the originaltype out of whichspranga greatcom-
plex structure like the NuragheofVoes. But it is not necessarily
older
thanthat. Rather,we haveto conceivethe processof architectural devel-
opmentas one in whichthesimpletype ofthe NuragheofArile survived
alongsideofgreatstructural complexesliketheNuragheofVoes.
Fig. 2 givesa SectionAA ofthe Nuraghefromfrontto back showing
theactualstateofpreservation ofthebuilding.
The front is orientatedtowardsthesouth-east. The materialof con-
structionis thegraniteofthedistrict.
Nuragheof s'Asprit.
The Nuragheof s'Aspru,ofwhicha generalviewlookingwestwardis
shownin PI. III. Fig. 1,is situatedon the top of a great knoll with
graniteboulders, on the extremeverge,in the westwarddirection, of the
hillsofBenetutti just beforethesemerge with the of
plain Campo di Siana.
The hillis coveredwitha wood of wild and cultivatedolives and these
clusterthicklyround the Nuraghegivingit a romanticappearance of
desolategrandeur as itshoaryruinedbastionsemergefromthe shadowof
thewoodland.
The positionof the Nuragheis a commandingone. From its
eminenceit dominatesall thewide levelreachesof the Campo di Siana
to thesouth-westward, whileto thenorth-eastit musthavebeenin touch
withotherNuraghion the edge of the Bitti uplandtowardsNule. And
fromNule therecouldbe exchangeof signalsfarand wideover the pas-
toralcountry, as far indeed,we may be sure,as the great castle of the
uplands: the NuragheofVoes.
The Nuragheofs'Asprumusthavehad thesame strategic significance
forthenorth-east end of theCampodi Siana as the NuragheofVoes had
forall theBittiplateau. In thewholewideplainof Siana thereis nothing
I knowlike s'Aspruforgrandeurand importance.One mightevensay it
had thesame mastery of the Campo di Siana that thegreatNuragheof
Losa nearAbbasantahad of the Paulilatinoplateau,fromDualcheln the
north-east to Bauladuin thedirection of Oristano.
But the mastery was one that grewwith time,and thesignsof this
bothat s'Aspruand at Losa bringtheseNuraghiintostriking contrastwith

q6 The British School at Rome.
that of Voes. The Nuraghe of Voes, as we saw,and as its plan could

convinceus,was conceivedarchitecturally as all of one piece withoutany
lateradditions. This was not so at s'Aspru,as is evidentfromthe Plan
shownin Fig. 2 (on the left). Here we have,shaded dark in thePlan,a
circularstructure like the NuragheofArile,nearNule,whichI have just
described, and whoseSectionand Plan are shownin thefigureon the right
handside. It has,however, alreadylosttheperfect simplicityofthelatter,
forat s'Aspruthe centralcella is alreadysurrounded by a massivestrong
wallwhichbulgesportentously towardsthenorthand alreadyhas a separate
cella withina projectingbastionon thesouth-west side,as wellprobablyas
a smallopencourtin front.This wastheoriginalNuragheand to all intents
and purposesit represents thefirstadvanceon a simpletype,likethat of
Arilejust referred to. Besides this,however, we have,runningfromeast
to west on the southside,a great complexof massivebastions,shaded
light on the Plan, which representa later addition to the original
construction.
Except theelongatedbastionat theeast end thislaterconstruction is
all ofone pieceand evidently belongs to a time when the chiefsof s'Aspru
becameveryhighand mightyand could lay down the law to thewhole
of theCampo di Siana. The elongateddouble bastionon the east side
alreadyreferred to,whichlookslikea stilllateraddition,may in thatcase
indicatethepridethatwentbeforea fall. It evidently was meantto prop
up the massivebastion masked by it at a time when this,builtas it was to
an enormousheighton the steep slope,mayhave shownsigns of giving
way.
Towardsthe entranceon the south-eastside the Nuragheis partly
hiddenby great masses of graniteblocks and otherdébrisfallenfrom
above. The centralchamberon the groundflooris inaccessibleand
some excavationwould be needfulto bringout the main featuresof the
buildingon this side. But the greatNuraghe,still splendidin its ruin,
has well stood the vicissitudesof timeand the assaultsof men,and its
enormoussouthbastion, one ofthehighestin Sardinia,stillrearsitsproud
massmanymetresintotheair.
The Nuragheof s'Aspruis of exceptionalimportance, if fornothing
else, becausetypologicallyit illustrates so the
strikingly organicprocessof
additionoflaterto earlierelements ofconstruction, whichinturnpointedthe
to
way systematic architectural complexes all of a piece,likethe Nuraghe

ofVoes. The Nuraghiof Arile,s'Aspru,and Voes represent
respectivelyso
manyphasesin the processof organicarchitectural
development,butthey
notchronologically.The Nuragheof Voes forall we
do so typologically,
knowto the contrarymay not be a whitlater than that of s'Aspru,or
s'Aspruthanthe simpletowerof Arile. Indeed,the commodiousarchi-
tecturalsimplicityof the Nuragheof Arile may be a sign that it is, if
anything,laterthantheothertwo.
NuragheAiga near Abbasanta.

This fineNuragheis situatedin level,partlywoodlandand partly
pastoralcountry,at a distanceof an hour and a quarterto the north-
Fig. 3.- Nuraghe Aiga (Plan and Section).
west of Abbasanta. The immediateenvironment of the Nuraghe is

over-grown with and
ivy,laurel,briar, other scrub. To the northwards
the surfacerises graduallyso as partlyto conceal the level country
betweenthereand Macomer. In all otherdirectionsthe landscape is
surroundedby a panoramaof distant mountainsexcept to the south-
westin thedirectionof Oristano.
The Nuraghe,as seen fromthe Plan (Fig. 3), is strategicallyot
interestingdesign. Its portentousbastionsand outworksmay well go
to show that the neighbouring Lord of Losa did not haveit all hisown
way over the wide plateau. At firstsight one is apt to be in doubt
H

whetherthe bastions and outworksare not a later addition,as in

the case of Nuraghes'Aspru and of Nuraghe Losa itself. But they
are inclusiveof the centralcella, not an externaladditionon one side
as at s'Aspru. The whole has thus a more organicappearance than
eithers'Aspru or Losa, but muchless so than NuragheVoes, withits
consistentunityof construction. On the whole, until some clearing
throughexcavationpermitsa more definiteanswer,we must content
ourselveswith the conjecturethat the outworksmaybe a lateraddition
followingon thatmenaceto local peace representedby the great new
buildingoperationsat Losa.
As seen fromSectionAA twocentralcellas one above the otherare
preserved intact. Bothcellasare of simplenormalplan. There is,how-
: thelowercella has nottheusual nicheto the right
ever,one peculiarity
in theentrancecorridor. Insteadofthatthereis a deep nicheabove the
entrancewith an intervalbetweenthe coveringslabs of the lintelfrom
whichhostilepersonsentering belowcouldbe effectively attacked.
The upper cella the
repeats plan of the lower with the same normal
arrangement of nichesand a windowlookingS.S.E. The wide outwork
platform in front was probablycalculated to have its own strategic
'
is the volcanic' limestone
advantages. The materialof construction
whichis so commanin thewholeofthe Abbasantaplateau.
The NuragheFortressofNossiunearPaulilatino.
In viewof thedominating importanceattainedby Nuraghilike that
ofVoes or s'Aspruor Aiga overwide tractsof countryone is bound to
wonderwhetherthe folk of the prehistoric town-shipsever came into
collisionwiththelocal over-lords.
Considerations of this kind are apt to be awakenedby strategic
arrangements like thatof Nossiushownin Fig. 4.
This curiousfort is situatedabout thirty-five minutes north of
Paulilatinoand an equal distance to the left of the high road from
Paulilatinoto Abbasanta. It lies in the midstof the level,onlyslightly
undulatingplateau countryofvolcanicorigin,partlybush-landor prairie
thicket,partlymeadow-land, whichextendsall theway
field,and forest,
fromDualche in the north-eastto Bauladu south-westward towardsthe
lowlandplainofOristano.
The immediateenvironment of this singularmonumentis a labyrin-
thinemaze of sunnymeadow,darklingthicketand shadowywoodland.

Dreamydistantvistasalluretheeye,and ifoneis notquitecertainofone's

all thetimeit is muchmoreeasyto gettothespotwitha guide
orientation
thanto getaway fromit withoutone.
Fig. 4.- Nukaghe Fortress of Nossiu.
The whole localityis heaped with stones which group themselves

in cairns here and therein a waywhichmakesone suspectat
together
H 2

ioo The British School at Rome.
oncethepresenceofa Nuraghetown. In the midstof thiswildernessof

stonesand lostas it werein an openingof the mazythicketcountrylies
concealedthelongforgotten toweredfortress ofwhichwe speak.
As is evidentfromthe GroundPlan shownin Fig. 4, whatwe have
here is not a Nuraghein the ordinary sense of thenamebuta strongly
fortified
quadrangular citadelof irregularrhomboidal shape,witha massive
roundtowerat each corner. The centre of the whole in thiscase is not
the main groundfloorbeehive chamberwhichformsthe trueheartof
every Nuraghe,but an open square or quadranglewith strongwalls
resembling a militarybarrack. The strongtowersat the cornersagain
are as much reminiscent of the Nuraghehuts of any village as they
are of the bastionsof a Nuraghe. These fourtowersare enteredfrom
withinthe quadrangleand each wall of that has a narrowdoorway
ofcommunication fromwithout. The convenience of a doorwayon every
side was meantto facilitatethe hasty of
retreat the inhabitantsinto the
citadelfromall quartersof the surrounding townin case of suddenneed.
It willbe observedthatin each instancethedoorwayis notplacedhalfway
along the wall to whichit belongsbut withinconvenientreach of one
ofthetowersand to the rightof the tower,lookingoutwardstowardsan
approaching enemy. The object of thislocationand distribution of the
doorwayswas to secureadvantageof the enemy'sshieldlessand exposed
rightsideon any attemptto enterthecitadelby force.
It willbe noticedthatoutsidethewestwallofthebuildingare indicated
the probable remainsof a second strongwall witha bastionat either
end maskingthe corresponding towersof the fortress on this side. This
secondwall is veryapparently a lateraddition. It willfurther be observed
thattowardsthenorthlimitofthequadranglearetracedtheoutlinesoftwo
Nuraghehuts,and to judge by certainindicationstheremay have been
otherswithinthe area. At any rate thereis sufficient space withinthe
enclosureto harbourmany womenand childrenof the town,and it is
probablethat the protection of these in timesof dangerwas the chief
function ofourcitadel.
So faras we know as yet therewas no Nuraghecastleat all about
to whichthetowncouldbe regardedas subjected.
Can we go the lengththen of conjecturing that in the BronzeAge
of Sardinia therewerevillages and townshipswhichwerenotunderthe
tutelageof the local chiefsof the Nuraghi? In that case a citadellike
that of Nossiu would have been a verynaturalmeans of self-defence

Dolmens, Tombs of the Giants, and Nuraghi of Sardinia, ioi
againstthe incursions of neighbouring local chiefs. We mustnot forget

that little morethan half an hour away to the north-eastward ruled
the potentlord of Losa, whose great Nuraghecastle with its massive
bastionsand outworks, is a prominent featurein the landscapeformany
milesaround.
The riseto domination overwholewideregionsofNuraghilike those
of Voes, s'Aspru,and Losa affordsfoodforreflection.Such domination
could hardlyhave been*establishedwithoutconsiderablerepressionof
oppositionon thepartoflocal chieftains.Could the chiefof Losa, it may
be asked,everhaverisento such powerin the land as is reflected in the
mighty additions to his castle, with no harm whatever to other local
? It may have been part of the cunningpolicy
chieftains ofthe lords of
Losa to bringtheneighbouring townshipsundertheirdirectsway. And
couldthiseverhavebeendoneexpeditiously exceptat theexpense of the
independent ? Butto deprivea township
local chieftains ofitsnaturalhead,
evenunderprimitive conditions, is to sow the firstseeds of futurerevolt
and theattainment ofcommunalindependence.It is theattainment ifnot
theprimitive possessionofsuchindependence thatwouldbest explain the
phenomena presented by townships with citadelsof a civic characterlike
thatofNossiuofwhichwe have beenspeaking.
The rock-cutDolmen Tombof Maone near Benetutti.

The monument we have last describedhas takenus away fromour
of
originalsphere explorations and theactualorderofdiscovery.
We now returnto Nule on the vergeof the Bitti upland towards
Benetutti.From Nule one descendstowardsBenetuttiby a precipitous
gorgeofmassivegraniteboulderseitherby thesteep bridlepath or along
the windingcarnage road. Some littledistancebelow the village one
leaves the high road and skirtsalong the leftflankof the gorgeby a
narrowfootpath.The path begins to leave the gorgebehind,windsin
and outamongtheboulders,ascendssomewhatacrossa sortofsaddle,and
thendescendsintodifferent country.Steep pasturelandormeadowyknolls
and hollowsalternatehere with coppicesand woodlandon the bouldery
heights.
On a sunnyknollwithbushesoflentiskand wildoliveone leavesupon
one's rightthe muchruinedGiant'sTomb ofScorraVoes. Away in the
to therightacrossthesaddleand lost on its gigantic
distancestillfurther

mass of granite boulders stands the Nuraghe of Sisine commanding the

gorge and having within its ken the verge of the upland towards Nule
as well as the lowland countryas faras Nuraghe s'Aspru and the plain of
Siana beyond. Descending still along a spur of the foot-hillsamong the
rounded knolls one skirts the south slope of one of these. Here at a
distance of only about twentyminutes south of Benetutti we are shown,
peeping out from a thick growth of lentisk, the rock-cut dolmen tomb
of Maone shown in PI. III. Fig. 2.
The tomb was of a singular and very interestingcharacter. The
descriptionof the tomb given at Nule and of the great slab that covered it
had led me to expect a monumentof the dolmen type. In realityit turned
out to be .neitherproperlyspeaking a dolmen nor a rock-cuttomb but a
curious combinationof both.
What we see in the pictureis a large cover-slabshowinga grotto-like
interval below it. A great cover-slab of this kind is a featureof every
dolmen. In the case of a dolmen tomb this cover-slabformsthe roofof a
small rectangular (sometimes roughly elliptical) chamber, whose walls
usually consist of upright slabs planted in the ground, on which the
cover-slab of the roof is supported. In the best constructeddolmensof
advanced type the walls consistof fourof these verticalslabs, one shorter
one at eitherend and a largerone at either side. Several dolmensof this
advanced kind are known in the neighbouringisland of Corsica. The
range of these ideally constructeddolmens is a very wide one not only in
Europe but in North Africa and in Asia as far afield as the Deccan in
India. More usually,however,the sides consist not of one but of a series
of such slabs. Of this more ordinarykind a beautifulexample is that at
Fontanaccia in South Corsica, shown in PI. IV. Fig. I.1
At firstsight our tomb of Maone looks like such a dolmen as the
Corsican one half buried in the earth. On going inside, however,and on
closer inspection we find that the tomb, instead of being a cella with
verticalslabs, is partly hewn into the sloping rock,partlybuilt up above
with roughcoursed masonry,on the top of which rests the cover-slab.
This curious hybrid method of constructioncomes out veryclearly in the
Section of the tomb shown in Fig. 5. The masonrywhose functionit is to
support the cover-slab extends in frontand behind beyond the rock-cut
part of the tomb.
1 After
Mortillet,NouvellesArchivesdes MissionsScientifiques
iii. PI. XT. 1.

This rock-cutpart of the chamberitself,however,is rectangular in
as
shape, appears from theGround Plan (Fig. 5). Indeed,ifweconceiveda
Fig. 5.- Dolmen rock-cut Tombof Maone.
dolmentombas beinghewnentirelyinto a face of rockinsteadofbeing

chambertomb. Of such
builtwithslabswe shouldhave a truerectangular
chambertombsthereare manyexamplesin Sardinia. These go underthe

popularname of Domus de Gianas and will receivesome illustration

presently.
Our tombof Maonehas,in frontof thecella and at a higherlevel,a
small chambernarrowingtowardsthe entrancewhich is not entirely
coveredby theroofslab. This featureis absent in the truedolmen,but
an antecellaof whichit seemsto be reminiscentis usuallypresentin the
rock-cutchambertomb. The littleantecellain its turn introducesthe
necessityfora secondcover-slab againwith
abovein frontin contradiction
thetruecharacter of thedolmentypeof tomb. This slab is not now in
butit may be the one lyingin frontof the tomband shownin
position,
theillustrations.
The rock-cutChamberTomb of s'Abba Bogada near Ovodda.

A quaint (and ratherdroll) example of a rock-cut chambertombof
the kind referred to is that of s'Abba Bogada near Ovodda shownin
PI. IV. Fig. 2. The Plan and Section will be foundin Fig. 14 (below).
It lies on a bare slope with moor and bouldersat a distanceof three-
quartersof an hour to the east of Ovodda. The entranceto thetomb,
hewnoutof an enormousmass of graniteboulder,appears below in the
picture. This entranceis like a sortof shallowporchto thetomb. In
theback wall of it is a narrower rectangular openinginto the cella of the
tombbehind. This cella is usuallyrectangular in shapeand widerthanit
is deep. In thepresentcase,however, thecella is quiteirregularin shape
as if the hewer had been prevented from carrying out the normalplan by
theunexpectedoccurrence in therock. The entranceto sucha
of fissures
tombwouldhavebeen maskedby a slab fittinginto it like a door. The
narrower rectangular apertureat theback of thisentranceremindsone of
the portalhole whichis so characteristic a featureof theTombsof the
Giants.
The monster-like finishto the tomb above looks like a sort of
grotesqueby-playof thefairiesor Gianasbutis reallythe workof nature
helpingoutthemenof eld withwilderfanciesof herown.
The Dolmen of Sit Coveccu.
Returning nowfromthisdigression to thetombof Maone thefeatures

us
that reallyinterested in its case were froma
thosein whichit differed

truerock-cut chambertomblikethatdescribed. Its cover-slabwe found
to be a truedolmeniccharacteristicand it in particular
afforded hope that
monuments of thedolmentypewouldturnup elsewhere in outof theway
cornersof Sardinia. As we shallsee thiswas nota hopethatfailed.
Crossingtheplainof Campodi Siana towardsthewestand ascending
graduallyamongthefoot-hills one arrivesin less than threehoursat the
villageof Bultei. Behindthevillageis a greatbarrierofmountains called
locally theMonte. On the otherside of thatis primevalforestdescending
to pleasantvalleys. Betweentwo of these valleysis a sunnymeadow,
withgreatilex and corktrees,calledSas Prigionas.
We ascendintothemeadowfroma dell of the foreston the south-
east side nearwhereto the leftappears a small mass of boulderson a
knoll withtrees. We pass the boulders, and wonderwhetherthey are
natural. We crossthemeadowin"thesame direction past someenormous
corktreestowardswhatwe werereallybroughtto see : the Giants'Tombs
of Sas Prigionas.
Whilebusytherea passingshepherd whofromcuriosity had pausedto
see what we were aftercasually remarked "
: There," pointingto the
boulderswe had passed," is anothertomb." We wentat once to see. It
was a dolmen!
The dolmentombofSu Covecculies less than a minuteaway,across
themeadow,fromtheGiants'TombsofSas Prigionaswe had just left.The
tomb is situatedon a roundedknoll (that already mentioned)sloping
graduallyon all sidestowardsthe meadowof cork treesexcept to south-
east and south,whereit is thicklyshadedwith trees and wherethe fall
towardsthebottomof thelovelywoodedvalleyof Sa Figu is rapid and
sometimes precipitous.To theeast is theforestcountry of the mountains
we had descendedon ourway.
To the westwardthe valley of Sa Figu, mergingwith that of
Sa Mentawhichboundsourmeadowon theotherside,becomesevermore
gentleand idyllictowardsthewest,whilebeyondare distantvistasas far
as theuplandsofBonorvaand Toralba.
Threeminutesto thewestwardlies the ruinedNuragheof Sa Figu
withitsthickcoveringoftall ilex trees.
Owingto thedeep shadeon thesouthside it was impossibleto get a
good photograph of thetomb. It has thus been all the more fortunate
thatMr.F. G. Newton,who accompaniedme,was able to make careful

io6 The British School at Rome.
plans and sections of the monument. Fig. 6 (above) gives the Ground
Plan of the tomb.
From this groundplan it is clear that what we have beforeus is a very
advanced type of dolmen. It is largerthan the rectangularvarietycurrent
in Corsica, whichwas illustratedin PI. IV. Fig. i. It is in facta dolmen
Fig. 6.- Dolmen of Su Coveccu.
on the point of becoming elongated into a so-called Tomba di Gigante.

It is thus a transitionaltype and in this consists its exceptional interest.
The tomb is fairlywell preservedbut the enormouscover-slabin graniteis
brokenin two in a directioncorrespondingto the axis of the cella. This

is said by a local shepherd, GiovanniPietroMameli,to have beenthework
oflightning in a thunderstorm whichoccurredtenyears ago.
The tombhas evidently been ransackedmorethanonce by treasure-
huntersand theseare responsibleforthe ruinaboutthe entranceand for
the removalof the portalslab. The cella itselfis in good conditionand
theorthostatic slabs of its rightand leftwalls,as wellas theback slab,are
moreor less in theirposition. These supportedthegreatcover-slab. The
middleslab of thelefthandwall of thecella is missing.
Behindare thefoundation remainsof an apse-likewall of enclosure.
This,conceivedas continuedalongtowardsthefronton eitherside of the
walls of the cella, is, as we shall see, a characteristic featureof the so-
calledTombsof the Giants.
But herewe mustbe on ourguard. The featurein questionis notan
intrusionon the dolmen traceableto collusion with the architectural
construction of theTomba di Gigante,conceivedas an alientypeof tomb,
but an intrinsicelementin its structurewhichoccurs in environments
wherethe Tombs of the Giants do not exist. In one case of a true
dolmenknownto me in NorthCorsicathewall of enclosurein questionin
coursedmasonryis clearlypresentin circumstanceswhich absolutely
exclude any such collusion. Thus we haveratherto conceivetheprocess
of architectural developmentas one in which the wall of enclosure
referred to was a featureof the dolmenat a period when in Sardinia
there were not as yet any Tombe di Gigante. And when in course
of time the Tomba di Gigante emergedas a resultof the gradual
elongationtowardsthefrontof a simpledolmencella thewall ofenclosure
lengthened naturally withthecella itself.
The dolmentombof Su Coveccushowsthis processof elongationin
its verybeginning. Unless the cover-slabis reallybrokenaway at its
east end,a secondslab is needed hereto coverthefrontpartof the cella.
This secondcover-slabis neverpresentin a pure type of dolmenlike
thoseofCorsica.
Fig. 6 AA, givesa Long Sectionof the tombfromwestto east,with
an indication in dottedlinesoftheamountrequiredto be added to enable
theroof-slab to coverthewholecella.
Fig. 6, BB is a Cross Sectiontaken nearthe back and showingthe
orthostatic backslab,therightand left cella slabs next it,and the cover-
slab above in theirrelationto each other.

io8 The British School at Rome.
The cover-slaband theback slab of the cella are of granite. The

otherslabs in positionare of a red-brownstone called locally*pietradi
cantone/whichlookslike granitealteredin consistency through volcanic
action.
The tombis orientated towardstheeast and thisis an orientationfor
whichthedolmentypeofsepulchreindifferent partsof the Mediterranean
includingCorsicamaybe said to havea preference.
The Tombsof the Giantsof Sas Prigionas.

Withtheexperiencegainedat thedolmentombof Su Covecculet us
now returnacross the meadowto the Giants'Tombs of Sas Prigionas.
The tombsare situatedon a low knoll called Sas Prigionason the north
vergeofthe meadowtowardsthevalleyof Sa Menta. Part of thisknoll
withtheartificial moundmarkingthelargerof the two tombsappears in
PI. V. Fig. i lookingnorth-west. A prominent featurehereis thehighslab
to theleftin thepicturewhichformed theend slab of the leftwingof the
frontalsemicircle.The frontal semicirclein questionformsa characteristic
elementin thestructure of these tombsofwhichI shall speak later. PI.
V. Fig. 2 gives a viewof thetomb lookingeast. The aperturein front
to theleftis a laterentranceinto the back of the cella made probably
by the treasurehuntersand now used as a convenientdoorwayinto the
tombwhichsometimesservesas a pig-sty, sometimesas a shelterof the
shepherds fromthestorm. The tombso faras can be seen is entirely built
of the red-brown stone of the districtcalled' pietra di cantone.' The
orientation ofthefrontis towardstheeast south-east.
The arrangement ofthetombwillbe bestunderstoodby reference to
theGroundPlan shownin Fig. 7 (leftabove). Here ifwe takeintoaccount
onlythecellaanditswallofenclosure withtheapse-likearrangement behind
we Cannotbutbe struckby the strongresemblance to thesimplerdolmen
tombof Su Coveccuwe have just left. It is in shortthe tomb of Su
Coveccu over again in an enlargededition,with its cella and wall of
enclosurevery muchelongatedand witha whole series of cover-slabs,
instead of the single cover-slabof the dolmen. If we conceivedthe
dolmen tomb of Su Coveccu as a familysepulchreused forrepeated
burialsextendingover several generations, we could easilyimaginethe
necessityforthegraduallengthening of itscella in one direction
in such a

wayas to producea typeof monument quiteliketheGiant'sTomb of Sas

Prigionas. This was what actually took place. And accordinglythe
dolmentombof Su Coveccurepresents a veryearlyphasein
typologically
theorganicprocessof architectural
developmentby whichthe primitive
dolmentype of sepulchrebecame graduallytransformed in Sardiniainto
theTomba di Gigante.
But at Sas Prigionaswe have the processoftransformationalready
Fig. 7.- The Tombsof the Giants of Sas Prigionas.
at a very advanced stage in development. Not only is there the

extraordinary of the cover-slabsnecessitatedthroughthe
multiplication
lengtheningof the tomb but we have besides a very interestingtrans-
formationin theconstructionofthecella itself.
At the stage in developmentrepresented by the dolmen tomb of
Su Coveccuthe walls of the cella, as we have seen, are constructed
by
means of slabs fixed verticallyin positionand on these the cover-slab
or systemof cover-slabsrestsdirectly. By the time to whichthe great

i io The British School at Rome.
tombof Sas Prigionasbelongs,the cover-slabsno longer rest on the

orthostatic slabs of the cella but on an intervening structureof coursed
masonry. This arrangement will be best understood by referenceto the
internalLong Section AA of the cella shown in the right division
of Fig. 7. Here in a long rowappear below the tall orthostatic slabs
of dolmenicoriginwhich formthe lowest course in the internalcon-
structionof our now transformed cella. On these resttwolines,witha
partialthird row within the entrance of roughcoursedmasonry. It will
be observedthateach succeedingcourseis shallowerthantheone belowit.
Further, however, thiscoursedmasonryitselfdoes not have its faces
verticalbutsplayedin sucha waythatthetwowallsof thecella approach
each otheraboveon theprincipleof theso-calledfalsearch. This comes
outveryclearlyin theCrossSectionBB shownbelowto theright(in Fig.
7). Throughthis methodof construction a double advantageis gained.
The cella is increasedin heightand the narrowing ofthecella upwardsby
reducingthe internalwidthobviates the necessityfor the wide span
ofcover-slab involvedby the old dolmentraditionin the construction of
thesetombs.
A characteristic featurein the construction of the cella taken as a
whole is the wall of enclosure with its apse-likecurve behind. And
this we saw reasonforregardingsimplyas an elongation, togetherwith
the cella,of a featurethat was alreadypresent in the constructionof the
dolmen,as, indeed,the example of the neighbouring dolmen tomb of
Su Coveccushowed.
In thecase of manyof these tombsall thatnowremainsofthiswall
ofenclosureis a rowusuallyof orthostatic slabs planteduprightin the
groundand emergingabovethe surface, and it is oftenassumedthatthis
is all thereever was. Indeed,the function of this wall of enclosureis
usually taken to have been merelyto hold in the tumulusor mound
ofearththatis assumedoriginally to have coveredthe wholecella of the
tomb.
What thenwas our surpriseat Sas Prigionasto findthatthiswas by
no meansthecase. Here on goingroundbehindwe foundthatthe apse
on the northside still showedin positionpartsof threecoursesof rough
ashlarmasonry witha gradualdomedcurveaway above towardsthe top
of the cella as well as round towardsthe northside. This masonry
appearsin PI. VI. Fig. 1,partlycoveredwitha massof pricklyscrub.

Dolmens, Tombsof the Giants, and Nuraghi of Sardinia, iii
Afterthe curvebehindis passed the ashlar masonryof the lowest
courseof the apse gives place to orthostaticslab construction on the
northside. In thiscase againit couldbe seenthatthislowestcoursewas
surmounted by somekindofmasonryabove. The tangleofpricklyscrub,
however,is here so dense that it was only with very great difficulty
and muchzeal on thepartof Mr.Newtonthatwe wereable to getout the
detailsof the whole. The resultappears in the North Side Elevation
shownin Fig. 7. Here to the rightis the ashlarconstruction oftheapse
referredto already and shown in PL VI. Fig. 1. This, aftera short
intervalin whichthe masonryis apparently missing, gives place left-wards
to a lowest course of irregularorthostaticslabs. These, however,do
not stand quite uprightbut have an inclinationinwardscorresponding
to that observablein the ashlar construction at the end. This lowest
courseagainhas fitting on to it above a compactlayerof polygonalslabs
ofdifferentshapesand sizes. These all fiton to each otherand curving
awaygo rightup to the top,wheretheyjoined on to the similarcasing
of theoffside ofthecella in themannershownin theCross SectionBB.
Fromthiscrosssectionis bestunderstood theway in whichthe cella
is maskedby thiscoveringofslabs. This coveringis dottedin to indicate
what is missingon the otherside of thecella. The intervalbetweenthe
outsidecoveringand the cella was filledup with rubble construction
by meansofclay mortar.
solidified
The externalappearanceof thecella as a wholeas seen in the north
elevationand in the long section resemblesthat of an invertedboat.
And here we are remindedthat it was owing to a similarkeel-like
appearance that the Naveta tombs of the Balearic Isles, with their
analogous externalconstruction, receivedtheirname.1 In the Balearic
sepulchralmonuments referred to thelowestcourse,whichis usuallymuch
tallerthan the ones above it, keeps up an externalsemblanceto the
orthostatic slabs of dolmentradition, butthewholeupperstructure which
masksthe cella is alreadyentirelyin coursedmasonry. As the Giant's
Tomb of Sas Prigionasalso turnsout to have the coursed masonry
represented in the externalconstruction ofits apse,as wellas in thecella,
the difference referredto can hardlybe regardedas an essentialone.
Thus the Tombe di Giganteof Sardiniaturnout to have an affinity in
1 * Bauwerke der Balearen,' in Zeitsch.f. Eth.
Compare Bezzenberger, Vorgeschichtliche
1907,626, Figs. 63-66. See also Memnon,vol. ii. fasc. 3, pp. 22-3 of reprint.

construction withthe Naveta tombsof the Balearic Isles which,as the

importantexample of Sas Prigionasshows us, goes much deeper than
mereexternalresemblance.
Can we go a step further and say that the affinity in construction
is to be tracedback to a commonoriginin the dolmentype of tomb?
We have alreadyseen thatthe wall ofenclosurewas,withotherfeatures,
a bond in common betweenour tomb and the dolmensepulchreof
Su Coveccu. The questionnow then is whetheralreadyat the stageof
development represented by the dolmentombof Su Coveccuthewallof
enclosureofwhichthereis evidencetherereallymaskedthe wholeof the
cella,as was thecase withtheGiant'sTomb ofSas Prigionas.
But theTombediGigantehave one verycharacteristic featurewhich,
so faras myownexperiencehitherto goes,is notpresentin thecase ofthe
dolmensof Sardinia,and is likewiseabsent in the Navetatombsof the
Balearic Isles, thoughelsewherein West Europe its occurrencehas a
range whichextends fromSpain in the southto England,Ireland,and
Scotlandin thenorth.
This is thefrontal semicircle arrangement shownin the GroundPlan
(Fig. 7). Its structureconsists essentially a prolongation
in outside,to
and
right left, of thecella wall and theparallel wall of enclosureon either
side in such a way as to sweep roundin the formof a concavecurving
wingflanking theentranceon bothhands. The ends of these wingsare
finished offby meansof a transverse orthostaticslab. The appearanceof
thewholeas it looksto one approaching theentranceto thetombwillbest
be realizedby reference to the restoredFrontElevationshownin Fig. 7.
Here on eitherside of the smallportalhole whichcommunicates withthe
cella withinis thecurvingrowof orthostatic slabs whichformthe lowest
course,in frontas behind,of the frontalsemicircle.The remaining
construction above this in frontand behind,whichis almost entirely
missing in the presentcase,has to be conjectured fromanalogies'elsewhere
as consistingof roughcoursed masonrycurvedaway towardsthe top,
front,and back in a manneranalogousto that of the wall of enclosureof
thecella.
The transverse end slab of the leftwingof the frontalsemicircleis
in position; thatof therightwingis missing.
The portalhole,in thecentreof the frontalsemicircle, into the cella
and lyingin the axis of that,is a characteristic featureof thesetombs

whichis neverabsent. It is a traditionalinheritance fromthe dolmen
whichin one formor anotherexhibitsthis openingovera widearea of
distribution in theMediterranean and elsewhere.
Whatthenwas oursurprisein exploringthe interiorof the cella to
findat theeast or entranceend of thenorthwall ofthisa second aperture
forming a featureof thetombsuchas we had neverseen anywherebefore
in Sardinia. This apertureas it appearedto us fromtheinterior ofthe
cella is best understoodby reference to the Long Section AA shownin
Fig. 7. As the groundplan shows,the aperturein questiongoes out
transversely acrosstheintervalbetweenthe cella wall and the northwall
of enclosurein such a way as just to clear the end of thisat thepoint
at whichit curvesawayroundto formtheback wall of the rightwingof
the frontalsemicircle.The aperture, whichnarrowsoutwards, is masked
externally by the first
back slab of the frontal at
semicircle this pointin
its
such a way that,looked at fromthe outside, presence could not be
suspected.
In presenceof this curioussecretentrancewe mayperhapsassume
thatthesmallportalhole in frontmay have been used forritualobser-
vancesby thefamilyto whomthetombbelonged,assembledto commem-
oratethedead with feastsin the area of the frontalsemicircle. In that
case accessto thetombat timesof burialmayhave been fora long time
through simpleremovalofone ofthecover-slabs above. And it is onlyin
courseoftime,as the externalconstruction of such tombsbecame more
and moremassiveand the cella narrowedmoreand moreabove,thatwe
can conceivetheinventionof a device forconcealmentlike the masked
entrancewe havejust described.
Sas Prigionas: Giants Tomb,No. 2.
In frontof the rightwing of the tombwe have just describedis a

secondTomba di Giganteof smallersize and not nearlyso well preserved
as theother. The GroundPlan ofthisis shownin Fig. 7.
The cella wallsof thetombso faras visibleare in coursedmasonry.
slabs of the
All the cover-slabsof this are gone. The frontorthostatic
frontal are in position. The back ones,exceptsomeof thoseof
semicircle
the leftwing, have been removed. Of thewall of enclosurenothingis
visibleexcepta rowofslabs to therightofthecella.
I

The tombis constructedin the same red-brown local stone as the

other. The orientation
is somewhatmoretowardsthesouth-east.
This tombhas to be regardedas belongingto the same familyor to
thesame kinas thelargertomb. It is possiblyofsomewhatlaterdate and
mayhavebeenbuiltto supplement theother.
The Nuragheof Ludosu.
In a paper read at the BritishSchool in the springof 1908 and

since publishedin Ausonia,vol. iii. pp. 18-48 I have somewhatin detail
goneintothequestionof therelationof the Tombs of the Giantsto the
Nuraghiof Sardinia. I on that occasionsoughtto maketheconclusion
seem reasonablethat the so-calledTombs of the Giantswerereallythe
greatfamilymausoleaof the local chiefswho inhabitedthe Nuraghiand
ruledovertheNuraghivillages.
In this connectionit is interesting to note the fact that just two
minutesto west-north-westward of the tombsof Sas Prigionasis a great
barrierof red-brownrock stretching south into the meadow. Into this
werebuiltthestrongfoundations oftheNuragheof Ludosu. The Nuraghe
is muchruinedand nothingat all is visibleof it nowfromthe standpoint
ofthetombs. One would indeedneversuspectits existencedid one not
get roundto theoppositeside of the rock barrierand see remainsof the
lowestcoursesofthecircularchamberfitted intothemassiveboulders.
The Giants'Tombsof Goronna.
Goronnais a level wooded hill half an hour distantwestwardof

Paulilatino. The hill is just high enough to have commandedonce
upon a time the mazy plateau countryof coppices and meadow,but
it is thicklywoodednowwithwildoak and oliveand a dense undergrowth
of luxuriouslentiskand otherscrub. Great bouldersofthelocal volcanic
stone show out among the lentiskthicketsand the solemn shadows
of thewoods give the place a wild and sequesteredappearancewiththe
level mazy countryof the plateau only appearing in distantvistas.
There is a sort of local springin autumnthat lingersabout thespot,
and the sylvan glades, green once again, are now gay with golden
buttercups, tall Sardiniandaisies,and otherblossomsthatlove sequestered

nooks. The deep shadows of the woodland, the thickset coppices that
screenthe view,the touch of local spring,all help to give the spot an air
of haunted seclusion all its own.
In this sequestered spot, so grand and yet so lonely in its aloofness,
lie side by side the two great Giants' Tombs of Goronna. In all the
wide mazes of the level woodland country there is no spot like this
and no tombs like these.
PI. VI. Fig. 2 gives a view of the frontof the southern,the more
important,of the two tombs looking west.1 In the centre is the great
portal slab, broken off above, and with the characteristicportal hole,
Fig. 8.- Goronna (Plan of Site).
communicatingwith the cella, in the middle below. Right and left are
remainsof the uprightslabs which formedthe lowest course of the frontal
semicircle. PI. VII. Fig. 1 gives a view of the remains of the cella from
behind looking north-east.
The appearance of the remainsas a whole will be best understood by
referenceto the Plan of the site (Fig. 8) and the detailed Plans and
Sections (Figs. 9, 10). The monumenthas been sadly ruined and a great
gap in the south side betraysthe work of the treasurehunters. The lower
half of the portal slab is still in position. It has the usual panelling in
relief. Its appearance will be best understood by referenceto the Front
1
ComparePinza in Momimentidei Lincei, xi. (1901), pp. 258-9, Fig. 138 ; also PI. XIX. 1.
I 2

ii6 The British School at Rome.
Elevation. All the ccver-slabs of the cella are gone except one near the
frontend. The right and left walls of the cella, in very tall orthostatic
slabs helped out above with rough coursed masonry slightly splayed
inwards,are traceable all along. Of the frontalsemicircleand the wall of
enclosure only the foundation courses are preserved with gaps here
and there.
Fig. 9.- Goronna (Southern Tomb).
The tomb with its imposing portal slab all in one piece, its long
cella, and its massive orthostaticand cover-slabs must have been an
imposing monument when its great keel-like mask of polygonal slabs
or blocks was still intact.
Most lamentable of all has been the injuryto the great portal slab.
This was smashed above to get at the treasuresupposed to be hermetically
sealed withinby means of a cement that accordingto local traditioncould

notbe distinguished fromtheoriginalvolcanicstone. Hence thenecessity
to destroythe whole piecemealto get at the treasure !
The second(northern) tombat Goronnais a twinbrother to theother.
It is of somewhatsmallersize but still of grandioseproportions.It lies
almostalongsideof theothera littleto northof that and somewhatmore
towardsthefront as one approachesthetombsfromtheeast. The relation
of thetwotombsto each otherwillbe best understood by reference to the
generalPlan of thesiteshownin Fig. 8.
The workof destruction herehas beenevenmoregrievousthanin the
case of the other tomb. The great
portal slab with its panels in relief has
been entirelysmashedto pieces,which
lie all about withinthe frontalsemi-
circle. This has a greatgap in its left
wing and yet the end slabs of both
wings are in position. The wall of
enclosureis almostentirely goneexcept
forsome foundationshere and there.
Nothingnow remainsof the masking
cover of the tomb. The frontpart of
the cella is gone. The rest as seen in
SectionAA is fairlywellpreserved.A
littleless than two-thirds of the cella
walls,reckoning fromthefront, is in tall
orthostatic slabs helpedout above with
roughcoursedmasonry. So faras ap-
parentabovegroundthebackpartofthe Fig. 10.- Goronna (Northern Tomb).
cella was entirelyin coursedmasonry
withtheexceptionof the orthostatic back slab. We mayhave hereto do
withan additionto thetomband thiswouldhavebeen moreeasily added
behindthan in front. Two of the cover-slabsabout the middleof the
cella are in positionbutlurching. The greatsize and widespan of these
takenin connection withthe tallnessof the orthostatic slabs in the cella
represents, in the case of both a
tombs, strong reminiscence of dolmen
construction.Yet notwithstanding these archaic featuresthe grandiose
style of the monumental portal slabs pointsto thatgreatperiodofthe Sar-
dinianBronzeAge whenthecivilization of theNuraghiwas in itsprime.

The Nuraghiof Goronna.
In thecase of twosuchimportant tombsas thoseof Goronnait was

naturalto lookaboutforthe corresponding Nuraghito whichthe tombs
couldbe takenas belonging. One suchconstruction in verybad condition
had attractedourattentionas we were approachingthe tombsfromthe
east. The positionof this is indicatedon the generalPlan of the site
(below to the right)as occupyinga sortof cornerat the east edge of
the hill. From this point the remainsof a wall of circumvallation
runin a north-westerly directiontowardsa second Nuraghelikewiseof a
simple but more irregulartype. The wall of circumvallation runson for
somelittledistancefurther and thengetslost.
It would be convenientfortopographical reasonsto assignourtwo
tombsrespectively to these two were
Nuraghi, it not forthe simpleand
unimportant appearance of these in contrastwith the grandioseand
majesticproportions of the sepulchralmonuments.The real proprietors
of thesemayhave livednearat handin thelevelcountry whichis studded
all overwithimportant Nuraghi. On theotherhand the hill of Goronna
has an exceptionalstrategicimportance owingto its isolatedcharacterand
its wide commandof the level plateau country. The twoNuraghi have
veryapparently had theirpositionchosenon purposewitha view to the
widestpossibleoutlookrespectively to east,north, and west. They are
thusessentiallyoutlooktowersand theymustat any rate have belonged
to the proprietors of the tombs,even if they were not the permanent
residencesof thetwofamilies.
The Giants Tombof SrighidanunearBauladu*
The Giant's Tomb of Srighidanuis situated in rough up and

down pastoralcountry at a distanceof about twentyminutesto N.W. of
the stationof Bauladu. The localityis an out of the way hollowwith
wildolivetreesabout,withthicketsof otherscrubhereand thereshowing
grassyintervalsbetween.
The resemblance of thetomb(Plan and Elevationon Fig. n) to that
at Sas Prigionaspreviously describedis apparentat a glance especially
by referenceto theElevation. This showsremainsof the same covering

mask of polygonalslabs as was characteristic at Sas Prigionas. The
tombas a whole is, however,betterpreserved than the other. All the
cover-slabsare in position,thoughhereand thereare noticeabletracesof
reaccommodation to the recentuse of the tombas a pig-sty. The right
Fig. ii.- Giant's Tomb of Srighidanu.
and back wallsof thecella are complete. The groundcoursefor

and*left
5-60 metres fromthe frontconsistsof orthostaticslabs surmounted
by falsearch workfor3-4 courses. The remainderof the cella behind
consistsentirelyof coursedmasonrywithsides approaching ,above,once

moreon theprincipleof the falsearch. Were thereotherevidenceforit

thisalterationin theconstructionmightfavourtheviewthattheback part
of thetombrepresents a laterextensionof theoriginalplan.
The resemblance of the coveringmask to that at Sas Prigionashas
beenalreadyreferred to. The tombat Srighidanu, however, has a»feature
whichwe did notnoticeat Sas Prigionas. This,as seen in theElevation,
is a sortof stylobateof whichtwo coursesof roughashlarmasonryare
visibleon therighthandside of thetomb. On thisthepolygonalworkof
thecoveringmaskitselfrests. As thegroundriseson thelefthandofthe
tomb it is probablethat this featuredid not exist on that side. The
likelihoodof thismayappearfromtheCrossSectionBB.
The materialof construction is a local sortof greyschist-like
stone
thatseemsto haveundergone volcanicaction,and hardperforated volcanic
stonelikethatso commonin thedistrictis used to fillup interstices.
The tombis orientated south-south-east.
The Giant's Tombof Muraguada near Bauladu,

On the railwayjourneyfromPaulilatinoto Bauladu,some distance
beforearrivingat the latterstation,one comesout upona sortof saddle
commanding thecountry toeastand west. On thissaddleare theNuraghe
and theGiant's Tomb of Muraguada.
The Nuraghewhichis but poorlypreservedand has been partlycut
intoby therailwayis on therighthandside on thewestedgeofthesaddle
just wherethatdescendssteeplyintothevalley.
On theeast side just on the lefthandside of thelineis a levelspace
witha jumbleof stonesall about among the bushes. Among these are
discernible the circlesof Nuraghehuts. These are the poor remainsof
the Nuraghevillage.
Lookingtowardsthesouth,beyondthe Nuraghevillage,one sees in a
sort of open meadowspace a characteristic moundcoveredwithan over-
growth of cactus and lentisk. This is the Giant's Tomb of Muraguada.
A nearerviewof thislookingsouth-west is shownin PI. VII. Fig. 2.
The tombis in exceptionally good condition. The frontalsemicircle
was in largevolcanicblocks of coursedmasonryand of this partsoffour
coursesand a blockofthefifth and topmostcourseare preserved.A good
viewof thefrontappearsin PI. VIII. Fig. 1.

The constructionof the frontalsemicircleand the external facingsof

stone-workas well as the internal constructionof the cella remind one
strongly of the Giant's Tomb at Sas Prigionas previously described.
Fig. 12.- Giant's Tomb of Muraguada.
What we have here is Sas Prigionas on a smaller scale but witha much
betterpreservedfrontalsemicircle.
The arrangementof the tomb as a whole thus requires no detailed

descriptionhere. It is best understoodby referenceto the Ground Plan,

Section, and Elevations of Fig. 12.
A general view of the locality looking northwardsfrom the tomb
towards the Nuraghe is shown in PL VIII. Fig. 2. The mound of the
Nuraghe is visible in the background towards the right just beyond
the line where the telegraph posts indicate the railway. The thicket
to the right of that again conceals the remains of the Nuraghe
village.
For all that would appear fromthe picture it might seem that there
was no essential differencebetween the position chosen forthe Nuraghe
and that selected for the tomb. There is in realitya verygreat difference
indeed. Thus if we start from the Nuraghe and try to keep in view
its outlook to east and west we find that the chief points of vantage
disappear one by one as we approach the tomb. For example, an
importantNuraghe away down to eastward in the Pranu district,which
is very distinctlyvisible from our Nuraghe,is already quite out of sight
at the tomb. From the tomb again the important outlook westward
down the Rio Bauvenu commanded by the Nuraghe entirely vanishes
behind slightlyrising ground quite near at hand. The tomb in its quiet
meadow is indifferent to outlook and points of. vantage and the one
considerationkept in view is that it should be well withinsight and reach
of the Nuraghe to whichit belongs. For the Nuraghe on the other hand
outlook and points of vantage are everything. The considerations held
in view are entirelyof a strategic character. These strategic consider-
ations would have no meaning whateverif,as some have held, the Nuraghi
themselveswere tombs.
Were the Nuraghe of Muraguada a monument of a sepulchral
character we may be sure it would have been as indifferentto such
strategicconsiderationsas the tomb near by which belongs to it. In that
case all real reasons would have vanished for placing it just whereit is on
the saddle. It is on the west edge of this so as to have the greatest
control possible of that steep side. At the same time it is just at that
point of the saddle whereit can have the completestview down the valley
to eastward without sacrificingits points of vantage on the west side.
Considerations like these in the most varying circumstances have
always some play or other whereverwe have to do witha Nuraghe and,
except by chance,are always as invariably absent in the case of tombs.

Throughthemthe strategiccharacterof the Nuraghiis placed in the

clearestpossiblelight.1
Therock-cut
Giants Tombof Molafd.
We cannottakeleave of theTombsof theGiantswithoutillustrating

yet another very curiousmonumentof the same class. This is the
rock-cutGiant'sTomb of MolafânearSassarishownin PI. IX. Fig. I.2
The tomb is a fewpaces up the leftside of a barelittlelimestone
valley descendingeastwardto its exit just alongsideof the stationof
Molafâ.
A glance at the picturewill make it clear that whatwe have here
is the frontalsemicircleand portalof a Giant'sTomb carvedout of the
face of the limestonerock insteadof beingbuiltby hand. The wings
rightand leftof the frontalsemicircleand the portalin the centrewith
its curvedgable aboveare faithfully reproduced.
The essentialdifferencein all thisarrangement is thatinsteadof the
small portalhole below of the Tombs of the Giantswe have herea high
doorway,narrowing somewhatabove like those of the Nuraghi,which
musthavebeenclosedby a specialslab ofstone. Thisslab itselfmayhave
had the customaryportalhole cut intoits bottom. The greatersize of
doorway,has,however, been gained muchmoreby deepeningbelow than
by heightening above. In the upperdirectionit stopsshortat the cross
panelwhichformsthebase of thegable.
The appearanceoftheinterior ofthetombwillbe best understood by
reference to the Ground Plan (Fig. 13). Here on passing the short
entrancecorridorwe have the interiorwidenedinto a rectangular cella
goinglengthwiseintothe rockand archedabove in a waywhichseemsto
imitaterathertheexteriorthantheinterior ofa Giant'sTomb.3
On eitherhand and behindis a low seat-likeledge and the long
narrowrectangular intervalwhichformsa sinkingbetweenthe rightand
left ledges is the featureof the cella whichhas the strongestremin-
1 These considerationsare discussedin some detail in my paper contributedto Ausonia, iii.
1908, 18-48.
2 This tombhas beenpublishedby M. François Préchac,Mélangesd'Archéologie et d'Histoire,
xxviii.163-5. For the sake of the Plans and Sections made by Mr. F. G. Newton I ventureto
call attentionto the monument anew.
3 For thissee the Cross SectionBB.

iscencein plan oftheinterior ofan ordinarytombadi Gigante. The slight

bulgingout in themiddleis a characteristic of manyofthesetombs.
The relation of façade to cella is well broughtout in the long
SectionAA.
The specialinterestof this curioussepulchralmonumentconsistsin
thefollowing fact:- It is an adaptationto limestonecountry
of a type of
Fig. 13.- Rock-cut Giant's Tombof Molafâ.
tombwhichis mostat homein regionsof Sardiniawherenatureprovides

readyto thehandof thebuildersthe great slabs whichare so character-
istica featurein theconstruction of the Tombs of the Giants. The soft
porous limestone which prevailsin thewhole regionof Sassariyieldsno
naturalslabs of this kind. Whenworkedagain it breaksup so readily
thatno slabs of any size are conveniently obtainablefromit. On the
otherhand it is as easilyscooped out intosubterraneanchambersas it is
to plane away into slabs thatwould be satisfactory
difficult forconstrue-

tions requiringgreat resistanceto pressurefrom above. Hence the
adaptationto specialcircumstances presented to us bytherock-cutGiant's
Tomb of Molafâ.
That indeedthe tomb of Molafâ is not singularof its kind in this
limestonecountry is shownby the factthat near the next stationof St.
George on the same line to Algherothereis a second rock-cutGiant's
Tombwhichexternally and so faras itsfaçade is concernedis quite like
theone at Molafâ.1
Internally,however, thistombis of roundedshape and herewe are
bound to suspectcollusionwith the circular type of chamber of the
Nuraghi. Such collusionwould only be naturalin viewof the intimate
relationofthetwosetsofmonuments to each other.2
The DolmenicTombof PerdalungatiearAustis.
Throughout ourexplorationsin Sardiniawe alwayskeptin mindthe

possibility comingupontombsof thedolmentype. None ofthesehad
of
as yet turnedup in theplateauof Abbasanta,and accordingly withhope
of betterluck,we withdrewto the sequesteredregionsof the mountains
aboutAustistowardsGennargentu.
My owndesireto trythismountainregionhad beenstrengthened by
ourpreviousgood fortune in theelevatedcountryof Sas Prigionasbehind
Bultei. Besides it is a usual experienceto findthattheremotepastoral
uplandsare kinderto earlymonuments ofa simpletypethanthecultivated
plainsand lowlands.
The village of Austis lies concealed in the mountainforests,and
emerging fromtheseon to the morepastoraluplands to leftof the high
roadto Ovodda,one comesin halfan hourto thesiteof Perdalungashown
in PL IX. Fig. 2. The hillycountry thatappearsin thepictureis covered
withtall heatherand brackenand there are everywhere about great
thicketsof arbutusand otherscrub. The monument itselfthatwe were
shownheretookus somewhatby surprise. The descriptionby ourguide,
GiuseppeSanna,of a greatslab made us expecta dolmenand it was not
that,thoughit lookedverylikeone fromthedistance. Whatwe saw on"
comingnearerseemedat firstsightonly the poorlypreservedcella of an
1 Préchac,/oc.cit. 2
Fig. 12. ComparePréchac,ibid. 164-5.

ordinaryTomba di Gigante,and yet on closer inspectionwe foundagain

that it was not that. What we had before us was really a very curious
transitionaltype of tomb that had originallystartedas a dolmen and later
ön had been lengthened in one directionso as to look like the cella of a
rudimentaryGiant's Tomb.
The pictureshows the tomb looking west along the cella to its back
end. This is formedof a naturalblock of the local granitehewn away to
a vertical face in frontso as to form
the back wall of the cella. This block
is surmountedby the fragmentof a
large horizontal slab in granitewhich
originally covered the whole of the
back part of the cella. This back
part of the cella was our dolmen,and
it was as a dolmen that the tomb
originallystartedits existence.
This will become clear by refer-
ence to the Ground Plan and Sections
shown in Fig. 14 (above). In the
ground plan appear the massive block
that formsthe back of the cella and
above this the fragmentof the great
cover-slab. On each side are two
orthostaticslabs whichformthe right
and leftwalls of a simple cella. Then
Fig. 14.- DoLMENic Tomb of Perdalunga come, separated fromeach other,the
NEAR AUSTIS (ON LEFT, ABOVE) : ROCK-CUT
Tomb near Ovodda. fragmentsof an orthostaticslab which
went right across and closed the
original cella on the east side. Traces of a straight vertical cutting
in its lowerhalf shown in Section BB would indicate the presence of the
usual portal hole through this entrance slab. There can be hardly
any doubt that we have here the tomb in its original dolmen form and
that the great cover-slab originally came as far as the entrance slab,
51sindicated in Section AA.1 The next section of the tomb is wider on
the south side and this widening would indicate a later dolmen burial
1 The name of Perda Lunga applied to the tomb mustbe connectedwith a time when the
greatcover-slabwas stilli ntact.

orientatednorth-south.This wideningis represented by twouprightslabs
on the southside. From this point eastwardsin the directionof the
frontthe cella narrowsto somewhatless than its originalwidthat the
back end. This narrowed partmayagainindicatea lateraddition.
With the exceptionof the fragment, still in position,of the dolmen
cover-slabat the back end of the tomb, all the cover-slabshave
disappeared. Of the wall of enclosurethereare only obscure remains
offoundation on therighthandside towardsthe front. Thereis no trace
of a frontalsemicircle,and consideringthe veryarchaiccharacter ofthe
tombit is probablethereneverwas one. It willalso be remembered that
thedolmentombat Sas Prigionasshowedno traceofa frontal semicircle.
Our tomb also startedits existenceas a dolmen,and as this was
apparently added to piecemealat a latertimeit is difficult to conceivethe
presence,even in a rudimentary form,of frontal wings,whose position
wouldhavehad to be shifted again and again.
Outsidethe dolmenpartof the tombthereis no certainindication
nowon thesurfaceofa wall ofenclosure, butas thatis presentin thecase
of the dolmenof Su Coveccu at Sas Prigionas,and elsewherein the
Mediterranean,as in Corsica,it is saferto assumethatthishas disappeared
in thepresentcase.
The Dolmenof s'Enna sa Vacca,
Aftera heavy rainstormat Sarule the good luck we had had at

Perdalungabeganto smileagain upon us at Olzai withthetranquillizing
sunbeamsof a trueSt. Martin'ssummer.
Austis,Ovodda,and Gavoi: these are the sequestered villagesof the
forestand themountains.Saruleon itsairyslope has a wide-eyedvision
westwardonce again upon the greatplateau of Abbasantaas faras the
Nuragheof Santa Barbaraand Macomer. Olzai lies quietlylow at the
footof themountains in a land of pastoralvalleyswithonly glimpsesof
thewiderwestand a grandbarrierof jagged mountains to thesouth.
In this pleasantvalley countrythreehoursdistantwestwardfrom
Olzai is thesceneshownin thepictureof PI. X. Fig. 1,and theDolmenof
s'Enna sa Vacca.
At Olzai we had had the good luck to fall in withthecommunal
secretaryand the village curate,and it was theywho told us of this

monumentdescribingit in language which,withthe special mention of an

enormousslab, leftno doubt as to its character. It was thus with feelings
of unusual excitementwe approached the spot.
We were not disappointed,as the monumentin the picturewill show.
The tomb is situated on a wide grassy spur runningdown northfrom
highergroundto south. On this higher grounda little to south-westlies
the Nuraghe of s'Enna sa Vacca, itself much ruined and of simple type.
Here and there all about the tomb are wild olive, crab apple, and other
trees and scrub. In this summerof St. Martinafterthe heavy rains there
is a look of springabout the spot and there is a gay show of dandelions,
buttercups,and daisies on the meadow.
The monumentitself is of exceptional interest. Like so many tombs
of the dolmen type it is orientatedwithits frontto the east. Then there
is the enormouscover-slab,of granitelike the rest,we had been told of in
the village. This quite surpassed our expectations. It is over fourmetres
long and threemetresbroad. It covers the whole cella and as seen in the
picture,whichgives a view looking north-west, its length extends fromthe
group of trees on the leftto that on the rightat the entranceto the tomb.
A view looking west towards the entrance is shown in PI. X. Fig. 2.
Here in the centrebelow to the rightof the tree-trunkappears the portal
hole. Above is a large gap in front,which is no doubt the work of the
treasure hunters. So much,indeed,of the supportingmasonry has been
removedthat one wondersthe enormouscover-slabstillremainsin position.
That, as one sees, lurches visibly towards the north side. It would
probablyhave fallenaltogetherwere it not that the shepherdswho use the
tomb as a shelter from the storm have done something to repair the
mischiefby proppingup the slab anew.
The constructionof the monumentwill be best understood by refer-
ence to the Ground Plan, Sections,and Elevations shown in Fig. 15.
From the groundplan it will be seen that the tomb is of an advanced
dolmen type withelongated cella and wall of enclosure.-
The cella is already like that of an ordinaryGiant's Tomb. That has
orthostaticslabs below with coursed splayed masonryabove. There must
have been altogetherfromthreeto four courses to get up to the level of
the under side of the cover-slab. 'All this comes out very clearly in
Section AA. The splayingof the masonryof the cella above is shown in
Section BB. The portal hole is more or less intact,but the lintel has

cracked throughpressurefromabove. The construction of this side is
shownin theEast Elevation.
As thegroundplan shows,thereis no traceofa frontal semicircle,but
thewallof enclosureis theretraceableat intervalsall along in a double
lineof foundations.
Fig. 15.- Dolmen of s'Enna sa Vacca.
Taken as a whole,the dolmenbeforeus is of a veryadvancedtype,

and theconstructionof its elongatedcella showsthatit alreadypossesses
someofthecharacteristic featuresoftheTombsoftheGiants.
The special interest,
then,consistsin this,that it seemsto showthe
dolmensurviving intoa timewhentherewereprobablyTombsoftheGiants
alreadyin existence.
K

i3o The British School at Rome.
This survivalis interesting fromanotherpointof view. The tomb

probablybelongedto the Nuraghenear by,and in thatcase it is thefirst
timein Sardiniathatwe have observeda monument of the Nuragheclass
broughtdefinitely into intimateand directrelationwith the dolmentype
of tomb.
We are thus bound chronologically to go back to a stillearliertime
when the roundhut dwellingand the rectangular dolmentombexisted
side by side in a mutualrelationthatwas anteriorto thatof the Nuraghi
and theTombsof theGiants.
syAltare de Logula.
The discoveryof the interesting monument we havejust described

madeus all themoreanxiousnowto visitthe Altare de Logula whichwe
had previouslyheardofat Sarule. We did so nowon ourwayback from
Olzai. Whatwe had heardofwas a monument witha greatsquare slab,
and in thelightof thisthe name of altar givento the monument by the
people seemed still more significant.Besides,who does not know that
monuments ofthedolmenclass havereceivedthe legendarynameof altar
partsof the Mediteranean,
in different forexample in Corsica,as well as
in West Europeas farafieldas Ireland We thusseemedto ourselvesto
?
have almostabsolutecertainty that we wereon the pointof discovering
anotherdolmen.
Afterwindingawaydownto about fortyminutes'distanceto the left
ofthehighroadfromOlzai to Sarulewe are broughtto a grassyglen all
by itselfwithwildolivetreesabout in clumpshere and there. There is
hardlyany distantview anywhereand this adds to the sense of deep
seclusion.
On the south slope of this sleepyhollowis a roundedknoll over-
shadowedto south-westward by a hill withboulders. On the knollthe
sunsetsearlyand all theplace is wraptin the gloamingat an hourwhen
thewiderworldbeyondis stillbathedin goldenlight.
When we were broughtto the spot,whatwas shownus,to our no
smallsurprise,was themonument thatappearsin PI. XI. Fig. I.
Here,to theleftin the picture,is a greatrectangular slab of granite
plantedupright in the ground, but now lurchingforward, and witha wide
projectingpanel round its edge. Then we notice the row of upright

graniteslabs curvingawayto the right,and we see at once thatwhatwe

havebeforeus is nota dolmen,but the remainsofa Giant'sTomb withits
portalslab and frontal
semicircle.
The greatpanelled slab itselfis familiarand we saw it at Borore,
Goronna, and elsewhere,butwitha difference.Here is lackingthe char-
acteristiccurvedgablewhichoughtto finishthe portalslab above. We
nowexaminemorecloselythelargecurvedslab on thegroundjust in front
and see that this is the missinggable slab, fallenface down, which
whenin positionstood on edge on the top of the other. We thus see
that the greatportalslab, whichis usuallymonolithic,was here worked
outin twoseparatepieces.
Here,then,insteadof a peculiartypeof rectangular portalslab what
we haveis onlya peculiarityofconstruction.And thetombofs Altarede
Logula thus furnishesthe keytowardsthe understanding of the portal
construction of a whole series of tombswhichmightotherwisein this
respectbe supposedto stand by themselves.Let us take,for example,
theGiants'Tomb ofBiddileVirrasnearPaulilatinoshownin PL XI. Fig.
2. This tomb could easilybe taken to have had a simplerectangular
portalslab withno gable above. We nowsee that in this case too the
gableslab is missingand thatwhatwe have is onlythe lowersectionof a
portalworkedin two pieces.
The Giants' Tombof Castigadus'Altare.
The nextpicture(PL XII. Fig. 1) willafford a further of a

illustration
Giant'sTomb withportalslab constructedin two pieces. This is the
tombof Castigadu s'Altare in the bare level pastoral countrybelow
MacomertowardsBorore.
Here, prominent to the rightin the picture, we see the same rect-
angularslab, with the same name ofaltaretoo,as at Logula. The top of
thisslab has a narrowledge in frontprojecting upward,on to whichthe
base ofthegableslab was meantto fitwitha corresponding groove.1 This
gableslab itselfis missing.
How theportaloriginally lookedis shownin the Front Elevationof
16
Fig. (rightbelow).
The GroundPlan and Sectionsillustrate thepresentconditionof the
1 See Fig. 16,SectionAA.
K 2

tomb. The material of constructionis the grey purple volcanic stone
Fig. 16.- Giants' Tombof Castigadu s'Altare.
of the district. The tomb is orientated with its fronta little south of
east.

The Dolmenof sa Tanca sar Bogadas near Birori.
At the beginningof this paper I have said that our good luck
accompaniedus rightto the end of our stay in Sardinia. And thiswas
true.
Two days beforewe leftthe island we were at the stationofBirori
awaitingthe train. It turnedout that this was late and accordingly
I proposedto visittheDolmensa Perdae s'Altarex near at hand just to
therightofthelineas one travelstowardsMacomer.
Whilewe wereexaminingthemonument a smartyouthbelongingto
the stationservice,called Pasquale Caredduof Birori,casuallyremarked
that therewas a much bettermonument thanthatofthesame kindin a
fieldon theotherside ofthestation.
We couldnotvisitthe spot thenbutwe arrangedwithPasquale that
we shouldcomespeciallyto visitthe newdolmenwithhimnextday.
This we did; butat thathourPasquale was on dutyat a crossingand
we were accordinglyled to the spot by his smallerbrotheran equally
smartboy.
In thenorth-east cornerof the fieldbehindthe stationis a region
of shallowvolcanicboulderswithstuntedblack thornand briarbushes
about and here froma littledistanceoffthe boy pointedout to us the
dolmenshownin PI. XII. Fig. 2.
The tombturnedout to be extremelyinteresting.It has a very
close resemblanceto the dolmennear the line on the otherside of the
station referredto already. They are like twins,as can be seen from
thegroundplan sketchesof bothshownabovein Fig. 17. Indeed,if we
were in Corsica,theone would be called the House oftheOgreand the
othertheHouse oftheOgress.
Of the cella threeuprightslabs on the south side and one on the
northare preservedhavinga narrowgap to thewestand a wideone on
thenorth-east side. It has thus not quiteso muchofthecella preserved
as the tomb of Perda s'Altare, but, as Pasquale had quite rightly
remarked, its cover-slabstandslevel,whilethat of the othernow lurches
visiblytowards one side.
Of the threeuprightslabs on the southside it will be noticedfrom
1 Publishedby Taramelliin Bull. Paletn. xxxii.(1906) p. 268, and Tav. XXIII.

the sketchbelow in the picturethat the middle one does not come right
up to the under side of the cover-slab. The one on the north side again
Fig. 17.- Dolmen of sa Tança sar Bogadas near Birori.
stands by itself. Thus the enormous massive cover-slab comes to have

-
only three points of support- the minimumpossible and it thus stands

poised,so to say,on threehairs. The impressionthus awakenedis that

of a marvellous But it is thelegerdemainof kindlymother
tour-de-force.
natureshowingus as at a glance,beforethe finalruin,the powerof the
menofeld.
Conchision.
Our general results are to the followingeffect :- We have seen

thatthe peopleof the Nuraghimade use of a type of familysepulchre
calledtheTombsoftheGiants. Monteliusand othershave triedto show
thatthistypeof tombwas derivedfromthe moreprimitive dolmen. But
the evidenceforthis fromSardiniaitselfhas hithertobeen singularly
scanty. The onlydolmenat all knownofin theislandwas theone in the
Tança de sa Marchesanear Birorito whichreference has alreadybeen
made. To thisone examplewe have nowbeenable to add an important
seriesof othersillustrating successivephases in the processof develop-
mentby whichthe dolmenon Sardiniansoil became graduallytrans-
formed intothe Tombadi Gigante. This remainedhenceforth throughout
theBronzeAge thefamilytombofthepeopleoftheNuraghi.
The Nuraghi,theTombsoftheGiants,and thedolmentypeof sepul-
chreare thusfoundin Sardiniain an ethnological connection whichbrings
the.nintoone generalcontextwiththewholerestofthe Middleand West
Mediterranean as well as of West Europe as far afieldas Britainand
Norway.
I havetalkedhitherto ofthecellas of the dolmensas being rectang-
ular in shape. In the presentcase, however,and in that of the other
dolmenat Tança de sa Marchesatheyare an almostcircularellipse. This
can be seenfromtheGroundPlan sketchesof both. Yet this peculiarity
neednotsurpriseus,ifwe bearin mindthe primitive juxtapositionof the
roundhut and rectangulartypes of tomb in Sardinia. Not only, as
already suggested,are theredolmensof an advancedtype that survive
intoa timewhen,as at s'Enna sa Vacca, theycan be definitely correlated
withthe circularroomedNuraghi. We can go a step further and say
thatthiscouldonlyhavebeen so becauseat a still earlierperiod the more
primitive typesofdolmentombswentalongsideof theroundhutdwelling
at a stage in architectural developmentwhen there were as yet no
Nuraghi.
In the later phases of developmentof which we have positive

knowledgethe Nuraghiand the Tombs of the Giants are in constant

correlationto each other. We have thus to assume that at the more
primitive timein Sardiniato whichthedolmensof Birorimaybe takento
belong, correlation
the oftheroundhut dwellingand the dolmentypeof
tombmaybe regardedas alreadyestablishedin such a definiteformthat
thelatterby a sortofnaturalprocessofcollusioncouldon occasionmimic
theshapeofthe former.
When once, however,as in Sardinia,we have the mutualrelations
referredtothoroughly differentiatedandestablishedandtherectangulartype
ofconstruction cameto be definitely relegatedto tombuse, the collusion
couldnotso easilybe in theotherdirection. Thus it is thatwhilewe can
have even a circularrock-cutGiants'Tomb like the one at St. George
near Sassari referred to already,a rectangularNuraghecan be seen at
onceto be a phenomenon so singularas to be almosta freak.
That wewereable to discovera secondcirculardolmenso nearat hand
to theone alreadyknownwithoutitsexistencebeingso muchas suspected
shouldbe enoughto show us that the roundedtypeofdolmenis notan
isolatedphenomenonin Sardinia. Nor alongsideoftherectangular type
is its presenceunknownin other regionsof West Europe. Thus, for
example,M. FrançoisPréchac,who indeed cites the dolmen of Perda
s'Altare in an analogousconnection, goes on to instancethe occasional
occurrenceof such circulardolmensin France as farafieldas Brittany.1
They are even foundin distantIreland.2 But throughout thewidearea
oftheirdistribution theyalways occur in the guiseof latentphenomena
alongsideofthemuchmorenumerous classofdolmensofrectangular type.
of
The area origination ofthewholeprocessof developmentmay be
takento be represented by theAfricanlittoraloftheMediterranean.
Here again in the east directionwe have a typeof sepulchralcella
reminiscent of the dolmenoccurringin Egypt,where,I think,Montelius
is rightin suggestingmorethan an accidentalresemblance betweenthe
type of the dolmen and the cella of thepyramidtombs.
In Palestineit occursagainand branchesnorthwards in thisdirection
as faras theregionsofthe Caucasus. And it is at least significant that
anotherbranchof dolmenburialsoccursas farawayin SouthAsia as the
Deccan in India.
1 Loc. cit. 16Ç-6.
2 Borlase, The Dolmens
ofIreland, i. 146, Figs. 147, 148; 151-2, Figs. 153-4.

It may not be yet the time to seek for underlyingethnological
connections overso enormouslyvasta field. But it mustnot be leftout
of account as regardsthe West that at a very early period after the
last Ice Age the mildeningclimaticinfluenceof the Gulf Streammust
have been a prominentfactorin favouringthe rapid progressof early
civilizationnorthwards into West Europe. This progressappears in a
strikinglightas comparedwiththetardativecharacterof the phenomena
in interiorEurope and NorthAsia. The contrastbetween
ofcivilization
theSouthofAsia and theNorthin thisrespectrestson climaticconditions
of a kindnot too remotelyanalogouswiththosethat obtain for North
Africaand West Europe. These may have formedthe real underlying
occasionforthe wide-spreaddistribution of the dolmenin NorthAfrica,
West Europe,and SouthAsia ofwhichwe havebeenspeaking.

P.B.S.R.V. PL I
Fig. i . - Nuragheof Voes lookingnorth-west.
Fig. 2. - Nuragheof Voes lookingnorth.
Phototypie Berthaud. Paris

P.B.S.R.V. PI. II
Fig. i. - Nuragheof Voes lookingwest.
Fig. 2. - Nuragheof Arilelookingnorth.

P.B.S.R.V. PI, III
I
to
c
1<v
oc
s
o
c
II
BO
g?
î
I
2

P.B.S.R.V. PI. IV
Fig. i. - Dolmenof Fontanaccia

in thesouthof Corsica.
Fig. 2. - Rock-cut
tombof s'AbbaBogadanearOvodda.

P.B.S.R.V. PI. V
Fig. i. - Giant'stombat Sas Prigionaslookingnorth-west

.
Fig. 2. - Giant'stombat Sas Prigionaslookingeast.

P.B.S.R.V. PI. VI
Fig. i. - Giant'stombat Sas Prigionaslookingeast.
Fig. 2. - Southerngiant'stombat Goronnalookingwest.

P.B.S.R.V. PL VII
Fig. i. - Southerngiants'tombat Goronnalookingnorth-east.
Fig. 2. - Giant'stombat Muraguadalookingsouth-west.

P.B.S.R.V. PL VIII
Fig. i . - Frontofgiant'stombat Müraguada.
Fig. 2. - Giant'stombat Muraguadalookingnorth.

P.B.S.R.V. PI. IX
Fig. i. - Rockcutgiant'stombat Molafà.
Fig. 2. - Dolmenictombof PerdalunganearAustis.

P.B.S.R.V. PI. X
Fig. i. - Dolmenofs'Ennasa Vaccalookingnorth-west.
Fig. 2. - Dolmenof s'Ennasa Vacca lookingwest.

P.B.S.R.V. PI. XI
Fig. i. - S'Altarede Logula.
Fig. 2. - Giant'stombof BiddileVirras.

Fig. i . - Giant's tomb of Castigadu s*Altare.
Fig. 2. - Dolmen of sa Tanca sar Bogadas near Birori.


Dolmeni Toomb Fo Giants

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Dolmeni Toomb Fo Giants

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The Dolmens, Tombs of the Giants, and Nuraghi of Sardinia

Author(s): Duncan Mackenzie

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OUR campaignof 1908 in Sardiniabegan at the end of September

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The Nuragheof Voes.

The NuragheofVoes whichis shownlookingnorth-west in PL I. Fig. i

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large Nuraghelike the presentone the upper floorwithits possibility

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Fig. i.- Nuraghe of Voes (Plans and Sections).

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The kindofsimplestrongtowerof circularshape referred

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The Nuraghe is on the countryroad fromNule to Osidda, 25 minutes

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This content downloaded from 91.229.229.158 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 08:35:44 AM

that of Voes. The Nuraghe of Voes, as we saw,and as its plan could

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NuragheAiga near Abbasanta.

Fig. 3.- Nuraghe Aiga (Plan and Section).

west of Abbasanta. The immediateenvironment of the Nuraghe is

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whetherthe bastions and outworksare not a later addition,as in

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Dreamydistantvistasalluretheeye,and ifoneis notquitecertainofone's

Fig. 4.- Nukaghe Fortress of Nossiu.

The whole localityis heaped with stones which group themselves

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oncethepresenceofa Nuraghetown. In the midstof thiswildernessof

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againstthe incursions of neighbouring local chiefs. We mustnot forget

The rock-cutDolmen Tombof Maone near Benetutti.

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mass of granite boulders stands the Nuraghe of Sisine commanding the

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Fig. 5.- Dolmen rock-cut Tombof Maone.

dolmentombas beinghewnentirelyinto a face of rockinsteadofbeing

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popularname of Domus de Gianas and will receivesome illustration

The rock-cutChamberTomb of s'Abba Bogada near Ovodda.

The Dolmen of Sit Coveccu.

Returning nowfromthisdigression to thetombof Maone thefeatures

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This content downloaded from 91.229.229.158 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 08:35:44 AM

Fig. 6.- Dolmen of Su Coveccu.

on the point of becoming elongated into a so-called Tomba di Gigante.

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The cover-slaband theback slab of the cella are of granite. The

The Tombsof the Giantsof Sas Prigionas.

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wayas to producea typeof monument quiteliketheGiant'sTomb of Sas

Fig. 7.- The Tombsof the Giants of Sas Prigionas.

at a very advanced stage in development. Not only is there the

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tombof Sas Prigionasbelongs,the cover-slabsno longer rest on the

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construction withthe Naveta tombsof the Balearic Isles which,as the

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Sas Prigionas: Giants Tomb,No. 2.

In frontof the rightwing of the tombwe have just describedis a

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