Coddu Vecchiu
The giants grave Coddu Vecchiu is Arzachena, in the province of Olbia- Tempio Sardinia. The zigantes in Sardu Tumbas de sos and called in Italian ( plural ) Tombe dei Giganti buildings are the largest pränuraghischen cult in Sardinia and count among the latest megalithic sites. The known 321 giants' tombs are monuments of the Bronze Age Bonnyrigg culture ( 2200-1600 BC), is the precursor culture of Nuraghen.
Type sequence
Structurally occur giants' tombs in two variants. The investments portal with steles and Exedra belong to the older type. For subsequent installations, the Exedra is instead of monolithic stelae, in the middle of a significant increase in square façade processed and layered stone blocks. The giants grave Coddu Vecchiu is a plant of the older type ( with portal telephoto).
The megalithic site was excavated in 1966 by Editta Castaldi. It is considered as part of an archaeological Trinity, form the rest of the components of the Nuraghe La Prisgiona, about 600 m southeast of lying, and only 20 meters away Nuraghe Demuro. Of the latter only a few rows of stones remained. It was a complex of Nuraghe Article addition to the central tholos she had at least two more towers in a completed using walls bastion.
Description
The still good appearance ( best preserved of its kind ) is the result of two phases of construction. First, a sort of box or gallery was built. Later, the Exedra has been set before. It consists of the phallic central stele and an arcuately be imputed in series of vertical panels that make up the facade. It is supported by an underlying curved wall of medium sized blocks, which also connects the Exedra via an intermediate chamber with the earlier gallery. The height of the two-piece, drawn only in this system the central stele, in which the lower plate is the entrance to the chamber is 4.4 m, its width is below 1.9 m. The two side panels adjoining are already significantly lower. They are to the sides complemented by back ( once ) six even lower panels. As with the nearby, twice as large investment of Li Lolghi the superior façade is the most notable element of the monument.
The underlying, in relation to the Exedra rustic gallery is acting outside length 10 m, which corresponds to a smaller variant of the giants' tombs, and from 3.5 to 4 m wide. It encloses relatively narrow, rectangular chamber whose inner side made of granite blocks. The ceiling is made of camber plates. The visible today, sooner probably hidden in a hill outside the front of the gallery part is formed by rows of stones of medium dimensions. The amount of medium-sized stones led to the hypothesis that there was once a tumulus that covered the structure.
The soil obtained only in the middle part, paved follows the natural slope of the land. The excavated material has confirmed a cultural sequence that corresponds to the different phases. The majority of the artifacts found in the area of the exedra, because the internal part eliminated at different times and the residual material has been robbed. They found pans, dishes and plates with comb decoration and vases with recurved necks. All this belongs to the last phase of the Bronze Age and the Nuraghen. But there are also fragments of vases, which are provided with the typical decoration of Bonnyrigg culture.