Are you planning a holiday in Sardinia ? In this article I will talk about the Tombs of the Giants of Arzachena (OT) called Coddu Vecchiu ( Coddu Ecchju ) and Li Lolghi , two sites dating back to the Nuragic age (around the age of the ancient bronze of 2000 BC) which are still surrounded by a mysterious charm.
What are the Tombs of the Giants
The Tombs of the Giants are funerary monuments that take their name from their generous size. Frontally they show a structure composed of a series of granitic stones placed in a semicircle (esedra). At the center of the exedra is a visible stele in the lower part of which there is a small opening that leads to the corridor burials that can extend up to 20 – 30 meters. According to some theories, linked to the form referable to a uterus of the giants’ tombs seen from above, for the nuragics life and death were closely related.
The Tombs of the Giants of Arzachena – Sardinia
Arzachena , in the province of Olbia-Tempio, can boast two of the best conversed and interesting giants’ gravesin the whole of Sardinia . The archaeological sites of the Li Lolghi and Coddu Vecchiu tombs are in fact an icon of the territory and each year they receive a fair flow of visitors.
Tomb of the Giants Li Lolghi: Arzachena at the Bronze Age
The tomb of the giants of Li Lolghi looks like an imposing monument. This derives both from the position, on a hillside rise, and from the dimensions of the stele. This is made up of a semi-elliptical granite slab adorned on the sides by a relief frame. A flat strip divides the monolith transversely, separating the upper half-bended from the lower one. The stele is 3.75 m high and 2.45 m wide. On the sides 14 granite blocks fixed in the ground delimit the exedra area. These monoliths have a decreasing height starting from the center and are arranged in a semi-circular crown.
The tomb of the giants of Li Lolghi shows obvious traces of successive enlargements that have led to the large size of the monument. In fact, from the central part of the exedra to the end of the tumulus that contains the sepulchral corridor, it is 27 m long. The oldest part is in the terminal section of the tomb. This is a tunnel cell made of vertically infixed plates and surrounded by an ellipsoidal fence. In this area have been found jars and bowls bowls dating back to the ancient bronze age. The enlargement, instead, can be dated to the middle bronze and concerns the exedra described above and the long corridor behind it. The latter is made up of slabs fixed to which others overlapped with a flat roof.
Tombs of the Giants Sardinia – Arzachena | Li Lolghi
Image By: FotoInViaggio
Both parts of the tomb of the giants , the oldest and the most recent, were placed in a single mound of earth and stone that certainly gave the monument a grandiose appearance. This fact, which would testify to the wealth and importance of the community that controlled this territory.
Tombs of the Giants Sardinia – Arzachena | Li Lolghi
Image By: FotoInViaggio
Tomb of the Giants Coddu Vecchiu (Coddu Ecchju): Sardinia and the Nuraghi
As well as Li Lolghi’s tomb of giants , this monument is also the result of two constructive monuments. In a first phase it was configured as “alleè couvertè”; only afterwards was the definitive evolution that has enriched it with the stele and exedra. The stele is more slender than that of Li Lolghi , both for the greater height 4.04 m and for the smaller width, 1.90 m.
Another difference between the two tombs of the giants is the fact that, in this case, they are two superimposed granite blocks. Both the lower and the upper one are decorated with a relief frame. On the sides of the stele there is a series of monoliths that enclose the exedra area and which have a degrading pattern. The stele is joined to the body of the tomb by a small corridor. The body of the giants’ tomb is 10 m long and about 4 m wide and encloses a corridor bordered by granite blocks. The roof is obtained with flat plate plates, the floor is paved.
Originally the tomb of the giants of Coddu Vecchiu was covered by a mound consists predominantly stones.
Tombs of the Giants Sardinia – Arzachena | Coddu vecchiu
Image By: FotoInViaggio
The mysteries of Coddu Vecchiu
According to some fascinating theories, the tombs of the giants , and especially Coddu Vecchiu , are not only simple funerary monuments … let’s find out what it is.
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How to reach the Tombs of the Giants of Arzachena
For Li Lolghi’s Tomb of Giants:
To reach the tomb of the giants of Li Lolghi take the provincial Arzachena – Luogosanto and after 4.7 km, is still the right place at the signpost. We proceed on a dirt road until we meet, on the right edge of the road, a stable. Continue leaving to his left at the junction which leads to the necropolis of Li Muri, until you reach the large parking area from which, on a hill rising, you see the tomb of the giants of Li Lolghi .
For the tomb of the giants of Coddu Vecchiu
In Arzachena , take the provincial road to Sant’Antonio along via Paolo Dettori. After 2.8 Km turn right to Luogosanto. Proceed for 2 Km and turn left at the signpost on a secondary asphalted road, after 200 m to your right you see the Tomb of the Giants of Coddu Vecchiu ( Cuddu Ecchju ).
Tombs of the Giants Sardinia – Arzachena | The map
To deepen the Nuragic Sardinia
The Port @ le Sardo: To know the other giants’ tombs on the territory of Sardinia .
Tripadvisor : To find out what people think about it already.
Sardinia therefore does not rhyme only with the sea, so put in your suitcase comfortable shoes and go to visit also Coddu Vecchiu and Li Lolghi : Tombs of the Giants of Arzachena.
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