Veduta aerea di Su Nuraxi
The history of Barumini dates back to about 3,500 years ago where, at the end of the 16th century the current parish church (sa cresia manna) and, towards the beginning of the 18th century the Zapata family home (palazzu ‘e su marchesu) were built. The ancient peoples built a nuraghe (nuraxi ‘e cresia) on this hill and a little village of huts around it. The remains of Roman masonry in the residential area would lead to the supposition that the cluster of dwellings made up one of the “villas” on the Roman estate.
Barumini was the property of the Judge of Arborea from the 11th century.
Buildings constructed locally in this period were the two minor churches of San Giovanni (13th century) and San Nicola (end of the 12th century).
With the surrender of the Judge of Arborea in 1410, Barumini passed to the marquisate of Oristano until 1479 when Sardinia became a possession of the Spanish Crown under King Ferdinand the Catholic.
The Zapatas did not settle at Barumini by pure chance, Barumini was the first headquarters of the Curatoria and so with the new reign, went on to become and remain baronial headquarters. It was during the period that the wonderful Palazzo Zapata was built.
It was from precisely this time that the Barumini we know today began to take shape. The urban reality of Barumini is a blend of relatively inexpensive country houses with other homes that are architecturally more sophisticated. There are arched portals in abundance throughout the region and they are wonderful examples of a style that is as beautiful today as it was all that time ago.
Su Nuraxi
The nuraghi that symbolise Sardinia both past and present, are the most eloquent architectural expression of this ancient island’s civilisation Archaeologists first became interested in these buildings back in the 16th century but it was only in the 19th century that they actually began scientific research and systematic studies. The first large-scale excavation was that of the Nuraghe Losa in 1890. One of the most famous discoveries of the twentieth century was that of Barumini that took place between 1951 and 1956 during excavations carried out by the archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu.
For many years, the remains of the Nuragic village lay in seeming piles of rocks on the top of a nearby hill. This collection had been ransacked over the years by locals looking for building materials. The dig revealed a well-designed settlement laid out at the foot of a central tower.
Su Nuraxi di Barumini is the best-kept and most complete example of a nuraghe. The ensemble of these monuments scattered all over the island of Sardinia and nowhere else, is the most important evidence we have regarding prehistoric culture in the Mediterranean basin.
NURAGHI IN THE BRONZE AGE
What exactly are nuraghi and what were they for? They were circular defensive towers in the form of truncated cones built of dressed stone, with corbel-vaulted internal chambers. Some nuraghi like those in Barumini were positioned inside a protective ring made up of smaller towers and connected by fortified walls. Villages with small houses laid out in a circular fashion were to be found huddled together within the main protected areas.
The first central defensive structures date back to the mid and late Bronze Age i.e. between 1,500 and 1,800 BC and would seem to have been built by families or clans that lived in isolation.
Towards the end of the Bronze Age, Nuragic society began to evolve; became somewhat more sophisticated and showed signs of developing a hierarchical system. Outlying towers were fitted with additional architectural features that served both social roles and defensive purposes.
THE IRON AGE THE RISE AND FALL
Su Nuraxi: gli scavi
The most significant improvement to the defences of Buramini took place at the beginning of the Iron Age between the 10th and 8th centuries BC. A period that coincided with Carthaginian invasions of the island.
It was not only the defensive fortifications that were strengthened. The same process was applied to the other nuraghi on the island. The population meanwhile sought safety in numbers by living in groups near these massive stone fortresses. Later, the nuraghi became fortified villages within whose walls lived chieftains or princes who offered protection to neighbouring hamlets. This was not dissimilar to what happened in mediaeval castles where local people could seek shelter for themselves and their animals in times of danger. The reality was that these villages were small town-like settlements inhabited by soldiers and craftsmen.
During the 7th century BC Su Nuraxi was overwhelmed by the Carthaginians and its defensive system was all but obliterated. Be that as it may, the settlement was preserved and the homes rebuilt though in a different style.
During the 3rd century when Sardinia was conquered by the Romans, most of the nuraghi were abandoned. This however was not the case of Su Nuraxi: Archaeological excavations have shown that the site remained inhabited until the end of the 3rd century AD.
CHRONOLOGY PROBLEMS
There has always been a lot of speculation and debate about when exactly the nuraghi were built. The main feature of the Su Nuraxi complex is a huge central tower that was built with great slabs of rock placed one on top of the other without mortar or cement. This was certainly the case of the oldest of the towers that dates back to the second millennium BC. The four side towers were added later and connected by a massive stone wall. These huge walls were later reinforced and at the same time, a second protective belt that circled the homes was built. Most of these homes were small, unsophisticated, stone dwellings with only one room
After the destruction wrought by the Carthaginians and the dismantling of the defences, new dwellings were built but were no longer in the same style because the stones used were smaller than before.
UNESCO INSCRIPTION
The Su Nuraxi complex in Barumini
Inscription N° 833 1997 C (i) (iii) (iv)
Su Nuraxi di Barumini
Sardinian nuraghi are outstanding archaeological monuments that bear witness to an ancient culture from the Megalithic civilisation of the Mediterranean basin. A typical nuraghe resembles a two-tier truncated cone tower built from huge blocks of stone. These stones are laid one on top of the other in a concentric pattern narrowing towards the top.
The Nuragic civilisation played a fundamental role in spreading both the Mycenaean and the Phoenician culture that followed it. Although some elements of their history remain shrouded in mystery, it is not surprising as their culture is somewhat foreign to what is considered classical Greek culture.
The nuraghi of Sardinia, of which Su Nuraxi is the pre-eminent example, represent an exceptional response to political and social conditions that existed within a prehistoric island community. Apart from showing the considerable imagination of the primitive Sardinian people, the nuraghi also demonstrate an imaginative and innovative use of the materials and techniques available to a prehistoric island community.
The Committee decided to inscribe this property on the basis of cultural criteria (i), (iii) and (iv), considering that the nuraghi of Sardinia, of which Su Nuraxi is the pre-eminent example, represent an exceptional response to political and social conditions, making an imaginative and innovative use of the materials and techniques available to a prehistoric island community.
