On the Orientations of Sardinian Nuraghes: Some Clues to Their Interpretation

See Zedda M. Hoskin M. Gralewski R. Manca G. , “Orientations of 230” tombe di giganti, Archaeoastronomy , no. 21 (1996), S33–54.

See, e.g., Giovanni Lilliu , Prologue to the 2000 edition of Pallottino M. , La Sardegna Nuragica (first publ. Cagliari, 1950). Perhaps it is time for the debate on the function of the nuraghes to be re-opened.

See, for example, Pittau M. , La Sardegna Nuragica (Sassari, 1977); Maxia C. Fadda L. , Il mistero dei nuraghi rivelato con l'astroarcheologia (Cagliari, 1984); Maxia M. , Un tesoro riscoperto (Nuoro, 1991); Laner F. , Accabbadora: Tecnologie delle costruzioni nuragiche (Milan, 1999); and Turchi D. , Lo sciamanesimo in Sardegna (Rome, 2001).

See Lilliu G. , I nuraghi: Torri preistoriche di Sardegna (Cagliari, 1962). There is an open debate on the correct way to define the two types, since several monuments classified as corridor nuraghes (or proto-nuraghes) present a construction technique similar to the tholos nuraghes.

See, for example, Ugas G. , L'architettura e la cultura materiale nuragica: Il tempo dei Protonuraghi (Cagliari, 1999).

The corridor nuraghes present such a high variety of architectural articulation that the classification and analysis of the data present a task in itself (more interesting to general archaeology) and clearly exceeds the scope of the present paper.

To avoid a needless duplication of work, a list of these monuments can be obtained from the authors upon request to maurozedda@tiscalinet.it or jba@ll.iac.es.

See Zedda M. , “Per una sistematica classificazione della torri nuragiche”, Sardegna antica , no. 22 (2002), 13–18.

Lilliu G. , La civiltà dei Sardi, dal paelolitico all'età dei nuraghi (Turin, 1988).

Zedda M. , “I trilobi orientati con le stazioni del sole”, Sardegna antica , no. 11 (1997), 11–13, and idem, “L'orientamento astronomico del Su Nuraxi di Barumini”, Sardegna antica , no. 18 (2000), 6–10. Also interesting are: Laner , op. cit. (ref. 3), and Littarru P. Zedda M. , Guida archeoastronomica al Nuraghe Santu Antine (Cagliari, 2003).

Zedda M. Pili P. , “Archaeoastronomy study on the disposition of Sardinian nuraghes in the Brabaciera Valley”, in Astronomy and cultural diversity , ed. by Esteban C. Zedda C. Belmonte J. A. (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 2000), 51–58.

For the tombe di giganti , see Hoskin M. Allan E. Gralewski R. , “The tombe di giganti and temples of Nuraghic Sardinia”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 18 (1993), S1–26, and Zedda , op. cit. (ref. 1). For the talayots, see Aramburu-Zabala J. Belmonte J. A. , “On the orientation of the square talayots of Mallorca”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 27 (2002), S67–74. For the navetas, see Hoskin M. Núñez Morales J. J. , “The orientation of burial monuments of Menorca”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 16 (1991), S15–42. For the taulas, see Hoskin M. , “The orientation of the taulas of Menorca (1): The southern taulas”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 14 (1989), S117–36, and Hoskin M. Hochsieder P. Knösel D. , “The orientation of the taulas of Menorca (2): The remaining taulas”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 15 (1990), S37–48. For a complete review of these topics, see Hoskin M. , Temples, tombs and their orientations: A new perspective on Mediterranean prehistory (Bognor Regis, 2001). See also the relevant chapters in Belmonte J. A. Hoskin M. , Reflejo del cosmos: Atlas de arqueoastronomía en el Mediterráneo antiguo (Madrid, 2002).

See Zedda , op. cit. (ref. 1).

See Aramburu-Zabala Belmonte , op. cit. (ref. 12).

The strikingly similar outer aspects of circular talayots and nuraghes has been frequently claimed as another argument (see Lilliu G. , op. cit. (ref. 9)). However, the techniques of constructions are quite different (see Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 12, 2001)).

For the definition of ‘sun-climbing’ and some related examples, see Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 12, 2001).

For the orientation of the taulas to Centaurus and the Southern Cross, see Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 12, 1989), and Belmonte Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 12), 147–53.

Technically, the fact that the access to the upper levels, previously built in the entrance corridor, is now included within the false-cupola structure of the interior chamber might represent an advance. The equilibrium of forces in such a elaborate structure is far more complex.

On that occasion, the authors argued that the most relevant direction could be the perpendicular to that azimuth (i.e. nearly 53°), again interpreted within a luni-solar context; see Aramburu-Zabala Belmonte , op. cit. (ref. 12).

Megalithic monuments orientated in those directions are frequent in the Iberian Peninsula (see Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 12, 2001)) and in the north of Africa (see, e.g., Belmonte J. A. Esteban C. Jiménez J. J. , “Mediterranean archaeoastronomy and archaeotopography: Pre-Roman tombs of Africa Procunsularis”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 23 (1998), S7–24, and Belmonte J. A. Perera M. A. Marrero R. Gaspar Tejera A. , “The dolmens and hawanat of Africa Proconsularis revisited”, Journal for the history of astronomy , xxxiv (2003), 305–20).

For example, when a mosque was built inside a ksar or a chapel within a castle, the orientation of the sacred precinct had in general nothing to do with the general distribution of the fortress. One was dictated by ritual aspects, the other by prosaic defence requirements. The Alhambra of Granada (Spain) or the Krak des Chevaliers (Syria) are good examples. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, notably some ksur in the desert to the east of Amman (Jordan), where there are huntfortresses apparently orientated to Mecca, as are the oratories built inside them.

There have been various speculations on the use of the nuraghes other than that of simple defence. These range from fortified granaries to “towers of silence”, and include houses, simple “chapels”, “oracle” temples, places of initiation, and mere prestige monuments. Unfortunately, we are still far from a definitive answer, although our data seem clearly to suggest that the religious component must have been important.

Hoskin , op. cit. (ref. 12, 2001), 29.

For the Sardinian Dolmens , see Hoskin M. Zedda M. , “Orientations of Sardinian dolmens”, Archaeoastronomy , no. 22 (1997), S1–16. For the megalithic sepulchres, see Hoskin Morales Núñez , op. cit. (ref. 12).

Detailed new measurements on the circular talayots of Majorca are needed and new data on the talayots of Menorca would be also desirable. However, most of the talayots on Menorca are solid buildings and, unfortunately, have no entrance to measure.