The necropolis of Tuvixeddu () is a

Punic The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of t ...

necropolis, the largest in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. It is located in a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

inside the city of Cagliari,

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 ...

called Tuvixeddu (meaning "little cavity" in Sardinian).

History

Between the 6th and 3rd centuries BC the

Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

chose this hill to bury their dead: these burials were reached through a well dug into the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

rock (from two to eleven meters deep), a small opening introduced to the burial chamber. The burial chambers were beautifully decorated; there were found

amphorae An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

and

ampoules An ampoule (also ampul and ampule) is a small sealed vial which is used to contain and preserve a sample, usually a solid or liquid. Ampoules are usually made of glass. Modern ampoules are most commonly used to contain pharmaceuticals and chem ...

for the essences. Of particular interest among the Punic tombs, the "

Uraeus The Uraeus (), or Ouraeus (Ancient Greek: , ; Egyptian: ', "rearing cobra"), ''(plural: Uraei)'' is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra, used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity and divine authority in ancient Egypt. Sym ...

Tomb" and the "Fighter Tomb", decorated with paintings of

palm trees Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm ( ...

and masks, still well preserved. Another famous tomb is that "of the Wheel". On the slopes of the Tuvixeddu hill there is a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

necropolis, which overlooked the road at the exit of the city. The Roman necropolis consists mainly of

arcosolium An arcosolium, plural arcosolia, is an arched recess used as a place of entombment. The word is from Latin , "arch", and , "throne" (literally "place of state") or post-classical "sarcophagus". Early arcosolia were carved out of the living rock ...

tombs and columbaria. The necropolis opened to the public in May 2014, during the XVIII edition of ''Monumenti Aperti''. The archaeological area is large, it originally consisted of an area of about .

Paleogenetics

A 2017

Ancient DNA Ancient DNA (aDNA) is DNA isolated from ancient specimens. Due to degradation processes (including cross-linking, deamination and fragmentation) ancient DNA is more degraded in comparison with contemporary genetic material. Even under the bes ...

study by Claudia Viganó et al. found that a man buried ~2000 years ago in the necropolis of Tuvixeddu carried the cod39 mutation that cause

Beta thalassemia Beta thalassemias (β thalassemias) are a group of inherited blood disorders. They are forms of thalassemia caused by reduced or absent synthesis of the beta chains of hemoglobin that result in variable outcomes ranging from severe anemia to cl ...

. The paternal and maternal haplogroups of this individual, suggests that he was likely autochthonous of Sardinia.

Gallery

File:Necropoli dall'alto.JPG, Aerial view of the site File:Tuvixeddu model.jpg, Reconstruction of a punic tomb of Tuvixeddu File:Corredo_funebre_Tuvixeddu.jpg,

Grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...

File:Cagliari,_necropoli_di_età_punica_di_Tuvixeddu_-_tomba_dell'Ureo.jpg, Decoration of the Ureaus tomb File:Grotta_della_vipera_(CA).jpg, Roman tomb File:Tuvixeddu_Sant'Avendrace.jpg, View of the hill of Tuvixeddu (center)

References

Sources

* * * * * IT\ICCU\CAG\0029495. *

External links

Special about Tuvixeddu on the official website of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia
.

. * ttp://www.sardegnasotterranea.org Portal about underground explorations in Tuvixeddu. {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 6th century BC Archaeological sites in Sardinia Cemeteries in Italy Phoenician funerary practices Carthage Necropoleis