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WEALTH OF REMAINS |
  
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| There are numerous remains of nuraghe civilization in the territory of Arzachena. Excavations carried out between the 50s and 60s brought to light important findings of vases in the vicinity of the "Monti Incappiddatu", a huge rock just at the outskirts of the town, moulded by time and the elements into the shape of a gigantic mushroom. Archaeologists date these findings back to the so-called culture of the "tomb circles" of Arzachena. There are a number of nuraghi in the area, the most easily accessible of which and fairly well preserved are those known as "La Prisciona" and "Albucciu" (or Malchittu), both dating back to between the tenth and the eighth century B.C.. The nuraghe is a kind of tower with a truncated cone shape, built with what is known as a cyclopic technique, which consisted of piling up huge blocks without using mortar or other binding material. The old inhabitants of Sardinia generally erected these buildings in dominant positions or in the vicinity of rivers, depending on the precise lie of the land. Scientific opinion largely agrees that the nuraghi had the same function as that of mediaeval castles at a later date. The "Giants Tombs" too are megalithic constructions which archaeologists consider were closely connected with the nuraghi, and are generally held to be the "common burial places" of the nearby nuraghe villages. If looked at from above, they represent an enormous bull's head. Two giants' tombs in a good state of repair may be visited at Arzachena. The first, known as "Coddu 'Ecchiu", is at Capichera, while the second, known as "Li Lolghi", is in the Li Muri area where there is also a small necropolis of great historical and archaeological interest. Finally we must not fail to mention the nuraghe temple of Malchittu, part of a nuraghe settlement lying along a valley close to the main road S.S. 125. As a place of worship, the temple is the only building of its kind on the island.
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