The nuragic
holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...
is a Sardinian
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
structure for the worship of the waters. Scattered throughout the island, along with the
Giants' grave
Giants' grave (; or ) is the name given by Sardinians, local people and archaeologists to a type of Sardinian megalithic gallery grave built during the Bronze Age by the Nuragic civilization. They were collective tombs and can be found throughou ...
and the megaron temples, they testify to the deep religiosity of the
Nuragic populations. These temples were a place of pilgrimage and ceremonies: it is believed that at certain times of year the various nuragic populations of the area gathered together in their vicinity.
Architecture
The oldest temples were built in the style of the
nuraghe
The nuraghe, or nurhag, is the main type of ancient megalithic Building, edifice found in Sardinia, Italy, developed during the History of Sardinia#Nuragic period, Nuragic Age between 1900 and 730 BC. Today it has come to be the symbol of ...
, with blocks of stone not perfectly squared; over time they were built with a greater accuracy. The most common type is composed of a circular well built with blocks of stone, which was accessed by steps that descended to water level.
Pozzi Sacri, il portale sardo
They are a clear example of the architectural mastery of the nuragic peoples and evidence of their reverence for water sources.
Dating
In the past it was thought that they were built between the eighth and sixth centuries BC; the latest findings, however, have led archaeologists to estimate that the temples date from the time when there was a close relationship between the Mycenaean kingdoms, Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
and Sardinia (around 1300 BC). An almost certain dating comes from recent excavations in the Holy Well of Funtana Coberta, near Ballao
Ballao, (Ballau in the Sardinian language), is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northeast of Cagliari, in the Gerrei traditional subregion.
It was founded around 1300, w ...
, which lack completely Iron Age nuragic ceramics, while there are finds from the Aegean. The Well of Ballao was probably built in the late Bronze Age and abandoned some centuries later.
Image gallery
File:Pozzo Sacro Santa Cristina S.S.131 Km.115 Paulilatino (Or) Sardegna.JPG, Holy well of Santa Cristina
File:Funtana Coberta.jpg, Reconstruction of the holy well of Funtana Coberta
File:Pozzo_sacro_di_Funtana_Coberta_Tholos_da_interno.JPG, ''Tholoi'' of the Funtana Coberta well
File:Olbia - Pozzo sacro di Sa Testa (19).JPG, Sa Testa, Olbia
Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune of 61,000 inhabitants in the Italy, Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle ...
File:Santa_Cristina_Pozzo_Sacro_Sezione_mediana.jpg, Santa Cristina holy well (section), Paulilatino
File:Pozzo Sacro di Santa Cristina.jpg, Holy well of Santa Cristina
File:Pozzo sacro di Santa Cristina, la volta a tholos sopra il pozzo. - panoramio.jpg, Underground tholos of the Santa Cristina temple
File:SantaVittoria2.jpg, Nuragic well temple at Serri
File:Nulvi, pozzo sacro di nuraghe Irrù (04).jpg, Nulvi, Nuragic holy well of Irrù
File:Su Tempiesu detail.jpg, Su Tempiesu detail
File:Perfugas - Pozzo sacro di Predio Canopoli (6).jpg, Perfugas - Holy well of Predio Canopoli
See also
*Clootie well
A clootie well is a holy well (or sacred Spring (hydrosphere), spring), almost always with a tree growing beside it, where small strips of cloth or ribbons are left as part of a healing ritual, usually by tying them to branches of the tree (cal ...
*Holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...
Notes
Bibliography
* G Lilliu: ''Sardegna Nuragica'', Edizioni ''Il Maestrale'', 2006,
* A.Moravetti: ''Il santuario nuragico di Santa Cristina''; Editore Carlo Delfino,
* R.Pettazzoni, ''La religione primitiva in Sardegna'', 1912, Società Editrice Pontremolese, Cagliari Biblioteca Nazional
* M. A. Fadda, F. Posi: ''Il villaggio nuragico Su Romanzesu'', Editore Carlo Delfino, 2006
* Demurtas S. U. Manca Demurtas L. ''Santa Cristina e i siti archeologici nel territorio di Paulilatino'' 1999.
* Pitzalis G.: ''Il pozzo sacro di Predio Canopoli''. Bollettino di Archeologia Perfugas. 1991.
* Lilliu, G. ''La civiltà dei Sardi dal neolitico all'età dei nuraghi''. Torino - Edizioni ERI - 1967.
*Puddu M. G.: ''Recenti sondaggi di scavo a Santa Vittoria di Serri'', in: ''La Sardegna nel Mediterraneo fra il Bronzo Medio e il Bronzo Recente''. Atti del III Convegno di Studi.
* Lilliu G. ''Sculture della Sardegna nuragica'' Verona 1962.
* Aa.Vv., Ichnussa. ''La Sardegna dalle origini all'età classica'' - Milano, 1981.
* Paolo Melis: ''Nuraghenkultur'' 2003. .
* Maria Rosaria Manunza (a cura di): ''Funtana Coberta. Tempio nuragico a Ballao nel Gerrei''; {{ISBN, 88-8775-82-04.
Archaeology of Sardinia
Holy wells