Megaliths in Western Europe:

Nuraghi in Sardinia

After the visit of Skara Brae, I do not resist the pleasure of telling you about Sardinia, this large Mediterranean island , where were built many nuraghi. Indeed, although dating from the age of Bronze, the thousands of sardinian nuraghi are megalithic monuments and they are , here too, dwellings:

nurag1a.jpg (34413 octets)

    They are large , truncated cone towers made of stone lines which are being reduced upwards to constitute a kind of coarse cover in vault shape . Sometimes, the principal tower, dwelling of the head of tribe, are flanked by smaller towers and circular huts surrounded by a stone enclosure:

nuraa.jpg (27506 octets)

  Built on a strategic position, beside a river or a source, the nuraghi constitute the dwelling-fortress of the heads of tribe, firmly built to resist to attacks . Concerned about the security of the population the builder often raises an enclosure of walls around the central nuraghe .

Above : the nuraghe of Sant' Antine where the three -floored central tower is built on a triangular level reinforced by a bastion.

 

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