The Nuraghe Arrubiu is one of the largest

nuraghe The nuraghe (, ; plural: Logudorese Sardinian , Campidanese Sardinian , Italian ), or also nurhag in English, is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in Sardinia, developed during the Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 B.C. To ...

s in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. It is located in

Orroli Orroli, meaning "downy oak" (''Arrólli'' in Sardinian language) is, a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region of Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari. As of 31 December 2010, it had a population of 2 ...

, in the

province of South Sardinia The Province of South Sardinia ( it, provincia del Sud Sardegna; sc, provìntzia de Sud Sardigna) is an Italian province of Sardinia instituted on 4 February 2016. It includes the suppressed provinces of Province of Carbonia-Iglesias, Carbonia- ...

. Its name means "red Nuraghe" in the

Sardinian language Sardinian or Sard ( , or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Many Romance linguists consider it the language that is closest to Latin among all its genealogica ...

, which derives from the

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

stones it had been built with. The structure was built during the fifteenth century BC; the main tower originally reached a height of between 25 and 30 metres, making it one of the tallest structures in

Bronze Age Europe The European Bronze Age is characterized by bronze artifacts and the use of bronze implements. The regional Bronze Age succeeds the Neolithic and Copper Age and is followed by the Iron Age. It starts with the Aegean Bronze Age in 3200 BC (succe ...

. The main structure, which is made up of five towers, is protected by two secondary walls, making a total of 21 towers. The area covered by the complex is ca. 3000 square metres. The Nuraghe was also provided with a complex drainage system that provided the cistern with water

References

*Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Nuoro, Il Sarcidano: Orroli, Nuraghe Arrubiu su www.museoarcheologiconuoro.beniculturali.it. URL consultato il 16 dicembre 2014. {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Sardinia Archaeological sites in Sardinia Former populated places in Italy Tourist attractions in Sardinia Nuraghe

See also

References