Giants' grave (; or ) is the name given by local people and

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

s to a type of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

gallery grave A gallery grave is a form of megalithic tomb built primarily during the Neolithic Age in Europe in which the main gallery of the tomb is entered without first passing through an antechamber or hallway. There are at least four major types of gal ...

built during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

by the

Nuragic civilization The Nuragic civilization, also known as the Nuragic culture, formed in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Italy in the Bronze Age. According to the traditional theory put forward by Giovanni Lilliu in 1966, it developed after multiple migr ...

. They were collective tombs and can be found throughout

, with 800 being discovered there. Aspetti e problematiche del rituale funarario di età nuragica
/ref> A stone

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

lies over the burial chambers, with some examples having a cup-shaped entrance similar to the

court cairn The court cairn or court tomb is a megalithic type of chambered cairn or gallery grave. During the period, 3900–3500 BC, more than 390 court cairns were built in Ireland and over 100 in southwest Scotland. The Neolithic (New Stone Age) mon ...

tombs of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Types

There are two general types of giants' tomb. In the so-called "slab type", uncut slabs are buried on end in the ground, and are arranged side-by-side. There is usually a central

stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

, which is the largest slab (up to 4 m in height) and has a doorway cut through it. In the more primitive slab-type giants tombs, the central slab is unmodified aside from the entrance that is cut through it at the base, or else there is a crude dolmen-like arrangement of 3 uncut rocks to form the entrance (Osono, Sortali, Lolghi, Pescaredda). In more advanced slab-type giants tombs, the central slab is modified so as to be rounded on top, and has a simple design carved into the front surface (Dorgali, Goronna, Santu Bainzu, Coddu Vecchju). The sepulchres have a characteristic rectangular plan with an

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. The burial chamber is usually 5 to 15 metres long and 1 to 2 metres high. The structures were originally covered by a mound resembling the shape of an overturned ship. Near the entrance an

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

(''betile'' in Sardinian) is usually found, which symbolizes the gods or ancestors who watched over the dead. The so-called "block type" tombs are made of rectangular-cut blocks (Bidistili, Madau II, Seleni II, Iloi, Mura Cuata). There are also structures similar to the block-type giants tombs on the island of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and in

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

(

naveta {{Short description, Megalithic tomb A naveta (also known as funerary naveta or burial naveta) is a form of megalithic chamber tomb unique to the Balearic Islands, Balearic island of Menorca. They were built during the Bronze Age, between the Pre ...

).Giovanni Lilliu, La civiltà nuragica, Sassari 1982 p.54 Sardegna mappa tombe dei giganti

List of major tombs

*'' Su Mont'e s'Abe'', near

Olbia Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune of 61,000 inhabitants in the Italy, Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle ...

*'' Sa Dom'è s'Orcu'', near Quartucciu *Two 18th-century BC tombs near

Lanusei Lanusei (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in Sardinia in the Province of Nuoro The province of Nuoro (; ) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy. Its capital is the city of Nuoro. It has an area of , and, , a total popul ...

*''Aiodda'', near Nurallao *'' Coddu Vecchiu'' and '' Li Lolghi'', Arzachena *'' Sa Dom'è s'Orcu'',

Siddi The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, are an ethno-religious group living mostly in Pakistan. Some Siddis also live in India. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa, most ...

*Imbertighe, Borore *Madau, Fonni *Muraguada, Bauladu *Osono, near

Triei Triei is a ''comune'' (municipality) of about 1,000 inhabitants in the province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about north of Tortolì. Triei borders the following municipalities: Baunei, Lotzo ...

*Tomb of San Cosimo, near Gonnosfanadiga *'' S'Ena'e Thomes'',

Dorgali Dorgali () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about east of Nuoro in the Seaside Supramonte mountain area. Economy is mostly based on the vine and wi ...

*Bainzu, Borore *''Sa Farch'e S'Artare'', Seneghe

Image gallery

File:La_protome_taurina.jpg, Giant's grave of S'Arena,

Urzulei Urzulei (Orthullè in Sardinian language) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari and about northwest of Tortolì. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population o ...

File:Calangianus_-_Tomba_dei_giganti_di_Pascaredda_(41).JPG, Giant's grave of Pascaredda, Calangianus File:Tomba_dei_Giganti_Is_Concias.jpg, Giant's grave of Is Concias, Quartucciu File:Li Lolghi 11.JPG, Giant's grave of Li Lolghi, Arzachena File:Madau.JPG, Giant's grave of Madau, Fonni File:Tomba dei Giganti Barrancu Mannu.jpg, Giant's grave of Barrancu Mannu,

Santadi Santadi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italy, Italian region Sardinia, located about southwest of Cagliari and about southeast of Carbonia, Italy, Carbonia. Santadi borders the following municipalities: A ...

File:Complesso nuragico.JPG, Giant's grave of Lu Brandali, Santa Teresa Gallura File:Tomba dei Giganti Iloi 02 B.jpg, Iloi File:Tomba dei Giganti Iloi 02 - Camera.jpg, Iloi 2 File:Tomba giganti San Cosimo.jpg, Giant's grave of San Cosimo, Gonnosfanadiga

References

External links

Giants' Tomb in Sardinian archaeology
{{in lang, it Buildings and structures in Sardinia Archaeology of Sardinia Archaeology of death Burials in Sardinia Burial monuments and structures Megalithic monuments in Italy Prehistoric sites in Italy Tourist attractions in Sardinia Archaeological sites in Sardinia

Types

List of major tombs

See also

Image gallery

References

External links