I've wanted to write about nuraghi and the Nuragic culture for a long time, as I visited several of these towers and archaeological sites in Sardinia. I've made this trip about four and a half years ago. Initially, I wrote a few blog posts about Sardinia and put the nuraghi aside because I wanted to acquire more background knowledge. Then other trips and reports came up. But now, surprisingly, I've read about the nuraghi again in a book about "The Last Mysteries of Science" [1]. That prompted me to write this blog post now.
During the transition from the Copper Age to the Early Bronze Age (2200–1600 BC) [2], the Bonnanaro culture was identified in Sardinia based on ceramic finds [3]. It transitioned seamlessly into the Nuragic Age [4]. This is dated to approximately 1600–400 BC (or between 1900 and 730 BC). The Nuraghe period is named after the nuraghi, of which 7,000 have been found, but it is believed that there were originally 10,000. The nuraghi [5] are megalithic tower structures.
The term nuraghe was coined by the Romans from the mid-3rd century BC onwards. According to one hypothesis, the root of the word (“nur”) correlates with the terms “nul” and “nor,” which are found in other parts of the western Mediterranean. The meanings are given as heap, cave or hollow tree, and fire. Another hypothesis suggests the word is of Punic origin. Phoenician-Punic is a Semitic language about which, considering its historical significance, far too little is known [6]. The Arabic nur (light, fire) has been rejected. It seems, that modern Sardinian has retained some old toponyms like nurra, nurri, nurru, which migh be related to nuraghen [7].
During the transition from the Copper Age to the Early Bronze Age (2200–1600 BC) [2], the Bonnanaro culture was identified in Sardinia based on ceramic finds [3]. It transitioned seamlessly into the Nuragic Age [4]. This is dated to approximately 1600–400 BC (or between 1900 and 730 BC). The Nuraghe period is named after the nuraghi, of which 7,000 have been found, but it is believed that there were originally 10,000. The nuraghi [5] are megalithic tower structures.
The term nuraghe was coined by the Romans from the mid-3rd century BC onwards. According to one hypothesis, the root of the word (“nur”) correlates with the terms “nul” and “nor,” which are found in other parts of the western Mediterranean. The meanings are given as heap, cave or hollow tree, and fire. Another hypothesis suggests the word is of Punic origin. Phoenician-Punic is a Semitic language about which, considering its historical significance, far too little is known [6]. The Arabic nur (light, fire) has been rejected. It seems, that modern Sardinian has retained some old toponyms like nurra, nurri, nurru, which migh be related to nuraghen [7].
There are different types of nuraghi, and the settlements also vary. I will not delve into this further here. Tholosnuraghi are located centrally within a settlement and almost always feature an inner courtyard with a well. The ascent to the top auf the tower is spiral-shaped. The settlements were probably only established around the nuraghi in the last centuries of this culture.
There is no consensus on the function of the nuraghi. Astronomical observation points, religious temples, rulers' residences, military strongholds, meeting halls, and watchtowers have all been suggested. One hypothesis identifies the structures as sites for sacrifices during solar or lunar eclipses. Megalithic complexes are often thought to have an astromal-astrological basis. One of the determined orientations of the entrances to several hundred nuraghi likely points to Alpha Centauri. Watchtowers are rather unlikely, as this would have decentralized the warriors. Perhaps the functions changed as needed. Or several functions were used simultaneously.
In any case, these structures are interesting and well worth a visit.
There is no consensus on the function of the nuraghi. Astronomical observation points, religious temples, rulers' residences, military strongholds, meeting halls, and watchtowers have all been suggested. One hypothesis identifies the structures as sites for sacrifices during solar or lunar eclipses. Megalithic complexes are often thought to have an astromal-astrological basis. One of the determined orientations of the entrances to several hundred nuraghi likely points to Alpha Centauri. Watchtowers are rather unlikely, as this would have decentralized the warriors. Perhaps the functions changed as needed. Or several functions were used simultaneously.
In any case, these structures are interesting and well worth a visit.
Links and Annotations:
[1] The book is titled "Die letzten Rätsel der Wissenschaft [The Last Mysteries of Science]" [1a] and is by Felix R. Paturi [1b]. I only noticed while reading that the author has a penchant for esotericism. That's not really my thing. But all the better, perhaps with my current level of knowledge I wouldn't have read it at all.
[1a] Felix R. Paturi: The Last Mysteries of Science. Piper, 2007. ISBN: 9783492247788. pp. 142-147.
[1b] Felix R. Paturi (born 1940) is the pseudonym of Heinz Mindt. He is a German non-fiction author, freelance journalist, and television editor.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_R._Paturi
[2] The data varies considerably depending on the article, so they should all be considered approximate.
[3] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnanaro-Kultur and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnanaro_culture
[4] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuraghenkultur and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuragic_civilization
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuraghe and
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuraghe
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punic_language Interesting: the punic alonim to the hebrew elohim ( אֱלֹהִים); and https://web.archive.org/web/20180722191602/http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a8201399/phoenikisch-punisch-homepage.htm
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinian_language
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