Mont’e Prama is a monumental necropolis of individual pit tombs, accompanied by the largest sculptural complex of the western Mediterranean of the early Iron Age.
THE MONUMENT
The oldest evidence recognised in the area dates to between the 12th and 9th century BC, with rooms preceding the monumental layout of the necropolis.
Between the 9th and 8th century BC the monumental necropolis with individual tombs was organised; in this phase the Giants’ sculptural complex was created.
Between the 5th and 3rd century BC one building was modified and reoccupied in Punic times as a dwelling.
The site continued to be frequented in Roman and early medieval times, in ways very different from the Nuragic monumental phase.
DESCRIPTION
THE NECROPOLIS
The necropolis consists of individual pit tombs, narrow graves for a single burial. Paths and boundary structures organise the funerary space.
About 125 tombs have been identified; just over 60 have been excavated.
THE BUILDINGS AND CEREMONIAL SPACES
The necropolis area does not contain only tombs: on its western edge stand three buildings for ceremonial and community activities.
THE SCULPTURAL COMPLEX
Thousands of fragments of statues, nuraghe models and betils were found in the necropolis.
The best-known pieces are the Giants: free-standing statues of warriors, archers and boxers. Warriors have a round shield; archers are identified by bow and protective glove; boxers carry a large flexible shield raised above the head. Their geometric faces are unmistakable for the eyes, formed by two incised concentric circles.
Each statue was carved from a single limestone block. Alongside human figures are many nuraghe models, with towers, terraces and corbels: a precious testimony to Nuragic architecture.
The sculptures were intentionally broken and their remains ended up in the layers sealing the necropolis. The restored statues are now in the Giovanni Marongiu civic museum in Cabras.
HISTORY AND USES
The necropolis and the sculptural complex testify to the ways the Nuragic society celebrated the memory of the dead: the simplicity of the tombs, almost always without grave goods, contrasts with the visual power of the statues, nuraghe models and betils.
The Giants’ sculptural complex is the largest in the western Mediterranean of the early Iron Age.
EXCAVATIONS
The modern discovery began in March 1974, when farmers’ ploughs brought to light fragments of sculptures and funerary structures.
From 2006 the restoration of about five thousand stone fragments allowed many statues, nuraghe models and betils to be reassembled. From 2014 new investigations extended the known area and clarified the relation between burials, buildings and ceremonial spaces.
In 2022 new excavations yielded further pieces, confirming the southward continuation of the necropolis and the funerary road.
SOURCES
Sources to be defined.
THE NAME OF THE SITE
The toponym Mont’e Prama, meaning “palm mountain” in Sardinian, recalls the dwarf palms that once dotted the rise and the surrounding landscape.
THE LANDSCAPE
The Sinis peninsula extends between the Cabras lagoon and the Gulf of Oristano, in a landscape of lagoons, shores and low hills.
Cultivable land and lagoon and marine resources favoured a long, continuous human presence, of which the necropolis is one of the most important testimonies.
