t,...,,4.,..,-.:,tt;,:,,,,,r,.,;t,.,,,:.,.t-,.,,ar7t.,,,.,a..;. M W@WwMM W@@ @ @ COOPERATIVA L.A.R.Co. The Nurashlecult \\llLLlirrl/r/ 'BrEai:.b of springs 61,x, IX COMUNITA MONTANA DELNUORESE éf TEMPIEsU oF oRUNE AtuD ffi NUIUAtrHItr truLT oF sPRINtrs ffiffif the mostfascinating manifestations of the religionand architecture offie ancientSards was undoubtedly that of the underground wëla of springsin an islandwhere an adequatewater supply hasalways been a problem by Maria Ausilia Fadda Thispage below uring the more evolved Furucrrorunl ARCHtrEcruRE tN suitablefor building architecturewith andt'acingpage at right stagesofthe Nuraghic civi- sroNE. Well temples are circular perfectly squared blocks (isodoma INIIIND SARDINIA Iizatiot - so called from buildings with a rholos(false dome) work). But, in addition to aesthetic Panorama ofBarbagia in hypogealform to reach requisites, the frequent use of rocks from the heights of its typical rnonument, the nuraghe, roof, built Orune. In the background which spreadall over Sardinia from the water vein. The depth, more or ofvolcanic origin, evenin partsof Sar- the Mount Albo chain. the 17th to the 7th century B.C. - lessaccentuated, ofthe vein led to dinia where they are totally absent, ln óe foreground, the temples dedicatedto the water gods the construction of ramps of straight was due mainly to the fact that they valley where the sacred were constructedall overthe island. or trapezoidal stairways splayed at undergo no alteration due to water Nuraghic spring ofSu The Latin geographerSolinus (3rd the mouth, which allowed water to absorption. The temple was sur- Tempiesu is located. rounded by a fenceorwall (temenos), Facing page: T}l.e statuette century B.C.) drawing on earlierhis- be collectedeven in times of draught. "ofthe singer", one torians, reports that the Nuraghic The ceiling of the stairwell consist- enclosing a sacredprecinct reserved ofthe bronze.votive peoplescured diseases ofthebones ed of scaled architrave elements, to the worshippers who presented statuettes found in the and eyeswith water from the sacred placed in correspondence to the votive offerings during the religious Santa Lulla nuraghe, near springs.They attributed miraculous steps. rites (seebox "Nuraghic offerings"). the Nuraghicwell to which properties to this spring water, be- An element alwayspresent at the The architectural characteristics itwac dosely linked. lieving that it could revealcrimes of top of the stairway is an atrium, of of the well temples described above theft, which were judged by invok- predominantly rectangularor trape- are documented throughout the ing the underground divinity who zoidal shape, with benches at the whole Sardinian territory, and are appeared to man through water. sideson which votive objectsand oÊ particularly recognizable in the cult The water had the power of striking feringsmay havebeen placed.In the areasofSanta Cristina di Paulilàtino the guilty man blind. The religiosi- floor of the atrium was a drainage (Province of Oristano), SantaVitto- ty whió the proto-Sards* expressed trench, into which the well water ria di Serri (Province of Nuoro), through the cult ofwater has been flowed when it rose above the level Sant'Anastasiadi Sardàra (Province reconstÍucted more precisely of the top of the stairway. of Cagliari), Predio Canopoli di through the archaeological excava- Forthe constructionofwell tem- Pérfugas(Province of Sassari),Fu- tions conducted in well temples, ples, rough-hewn stone materials natana Coberta di Ballào (Province springsand megarontemples* (for present on site were used, or vol- of Cagliari), and Sa Testo di Olbia the latter see:AV n " 57 and 63). canic rocks,easier to work and more (ProvinceofSassari). Thrspage anÁ fdnngpage at IeJi TRACHYTE AND BASATT Two views of the Nuraghic spring at Su Tempiesu. The monument's architectural solutions are unique among well temples. The entire cultural complex has been conserved "thanks" to a landslide that struck the bottom ofthe valley in the IÍon Age. The temple was built of volcanic stones tÍansported from afar. Ëi-., i: ..;i A ururoue MÍTNUMENT.lnthe in- terior of the island, especiallyat Barbagiaand Ogliastra,the Nuraghic monumentspresentvariants due to the extremelyharsh nature of the ter- ritory, with high mountains and plateauscovered by dense forests (which now concealthe remainsof ':i' numerous prehistoric* and proto- historic* settlements). A totally unique example is the '1 well templeof Su empiesu("the tempietto") di Orune (Provinceof Nuoro). The monument was dis- coveredin 1953bythe ownersof the land, while terracingit in the inten- tion of planting a vegetablegarden near the spring,which at the time emergedoverthe temple's roof. The first investigation was made by a young student in the town, Codeval Davoli, pupil of the then forty-year- old Ciovanni Lilliu, "father of Nuraghic aróaeology" and master :!:::j: +,::'.5. of many Sardinian archaeologists, who published the resultsof the ex- 'fhe cdv.rtionin 1958. progressive 'ï,,j -]'.,r: deteriorationofthe moment and the i.i.'.- :.-.Y-;:!.i' needto completeresearch on it led the ArchaeologyDepartment of Sas- sari and Nuoro to resumethe work of excavatingand restoring, which lastedfrom1981to 1986,undermy own direction. The tempietto is located in a lit- tle valley betweentwo steepwalls of metamorphic rock, where the vein ofwaterthatfeedsthe sacredwell was channeled.It is constructedin iso- doma* work using volcanic rocks (trachyte and basalt) transpoÍed from far away,since only granites and schistsare present locally. The well temple of SuTempiesu has a rectangularvestibule* with a gently sloping floor built of great slabsof trachyte.At the sidesrematn two benches,while in the walls,two nicheshave been carved out ofthick- nessofthe piers* . In the interior, the bearingwalls present an overhang*, accentuatednear the top and em- phasizedby the oblique cut of the On bothpages INTHEMONUMENT The covered vestibule with its overhanging walls, monolithic arcades, side benches and the channel in the floor that collected the water gushing fiom the well to convey it to a smaller pit below. In the details, note the miniaturist trapezoidal stairway and the decantation pit on the lower level as well as the overflow threshold ofthe water at the drain channel. On facing gage: Su Tempiesu after and during restoration. building with double-slope roof overlthe Nuraghic tompartrnent over the mouth blocks, laid in rows to create a den shaped compartment) which col- originally rose to a height ofnear- Lill.rtedline. The vestibule is cov lects and holds the spring water.'l'he ly seven meters, pr€sents a tympa- eredby two monolithic arcades,in- base ofthe well has a flagstone floor num in the shape of an acute-an- senedas decorativeelements in an with a decantation trench in whicl-r gle triangle, emphasized by a dou- acute-angle triangular scaffolding impurities settle, so that the water ble cornice which t€rminates at the formed by the narrowinpi of the in- is always very clear.'l'he water gush- base, forming an obtuse angle. 'l'he nerwalls of the two wall abutments ing from the well flows througl-r a tympanum was originally whicl-rin ancient times concluded in trench running through the center topped with an acroteÍ' consisting a slab serving as platband. of the moulded threshold, up to a of an ashlar in truncated pyramid Opening off the atrium is a small small basin below, which in turn shape, which completed on the trapezoidal stairway, splayed out- conveys it to a channel traced in the front the apex angle of the tympa- wards, composed of four little steps flagstone floor ofthe vestibule. num's cornice and originally bore 'lhe ar-rchoredtogether with embedded monument is covered by a twenty bronze votive swords fixed ashlars*, while narrow strips of singular double-slope roof which in holes with little streams of molten lead at the joir-rts prevent terminates in a double gutter sculpt- molten lead. dispersion of the water. At the base ed with masterly skill in the blocks of the stairsis the small rholos(dome- ofvolcanic rock. The facade,which *NOT EVERYONEKNOWS THAT... Acroter.Decorotive elemenl which crowns the top ond cornersof o oediment. Ashlar.Block of hewnstone for usein woll struclures. lsèdomo.Woll builtof regulorrows of porollelepipedoshlors of the somesize, in whichfhe ioints of theoshlors ore stoggeredbetween onerow ond onother. Mègarontemple. Conhory to theNuroghic custom of buildingin o curvedline, this type of consfrucïionhos on elongotedrectongulor shopeond interiorrooms. Overhang.The port of o woll projectingouf of theverticol. Pier.Verticol orchitecturol stucture serving the function oÍ supporl. Prehistory.The culturol stoges of Poleolithicmon from fhe end of the BronzeAge (,l0$-9thcentury B.C.) for whichno wrilten documenls exist.In Sordinio the preNuroghic ond Nuroghiccuhures ore of the prehistorictype. The first written documenfs on theislond coincide withthe orrivol of thePhoenicions ond Corfhoginions. Protohistory.Storting from the firstholf of the lronAge {9thcentury B.C.)down to theRomon conquest of Sordinio(238 B.C.) Prètome.Decorotive elemeni formed of the heod,or evenports of thebust, of o humonor onimolfigure. Proto-Sards.The populotions of Sordinioin thepreNuroghic ond Nuroghicoges. Vestibule.Covered spoce which precedes o dedicotedoreo. VOTIVEOFFERINGS MADE BY THE NURAGHICPOPULATIONS f he voliveofferings, ploced by theworshippers in the Nuroghic I templesduring religious rifes, consisted for fhe most port of bronze obiectsportroying