Built by the Nuragic civilization nearly 4,000 years ago, the nuraghe towers of Sardinia may have been used as military fortresses, community centers, or even private residences during the Bronze Age.
Gianni Careddu/Wikimedia CommonsNuraghe Loelle in the town of Buddusò was once surrounded by circular huts.
In Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy, thousands of looming stone towers known as nuraghes dot the horizon against the Mediterranean blue sea and sky. While some stand alone as single towers, other structures are entire sprawling complexes with walls, courtyards, and adjoining villages.
At first glance, these stone buildings are reminiscent of castles that date back to medieval times. But in reality, the nuraghes — or nuraghi — were built nearly 4,000 years ago, during the Bronze Age. Their sturdy design has withstood the millennia as evidence that the Nuragic people who built them were far ahead of their time.
Over the decades, archaeologists have discovered 7,000 nuraghes on the island. But despite their prevalence, their purpose remains a mystery.
Were they military fortresses, temples, private residences — or something else entirely? That’s what experts are still trying to figure out.
The History Of The Mysterious Nuragic Civilization
The Nuragic people occupied Sardinia from roughly 1900 B.C.E. until 700 B.C.E. While much about this flourishing society remains murky, the civilization was a dominating presence in the Mediterranean for centuries. They engaged in both trade and warfare, controlling various ports on the island.
Sardinia is rich in mines, primarily copper and lead, and the Nuragic people were skilled metalworkers. They imported tin from across the Mediterranean to make bronze figurines of people and animals, in addition to artifacts like swords and jewelry. They also made bronze casts of the nuraghes themselves.
Silar/Wikimedia CommonsA bronze figurine from the early Iron Age depicting a Nuragic tribal chief.
The Nuragic people mainly lived in villages consisting of simple huts, many of them constructed in the shadow of the nuraghes. However, since they left behind no written records, historians are left to speculate about most aspects of the society.
Indeed, the most concrete evidence of the Nuragic civilization is their namesake: the nuraghe.
Nuraghes, The Stone Towers That Have Baffled Archaeologists For Decades
While much about the nuraghes left behind by the Nuragic people is up for debate, archaeologists have studied them enough to split the structures into roughly three categories: the protonuraghe, tholos nuraghe, and complex nuraghe.
Public DomainThe single-tower nuraghe of Santa Sabina.
The protonuraghe, or corridor nuraghe, is the earliest rendition of the structure. These nuraghes were likely built between 1700 and 1500 B.C.E. They weren’t as round or conical as the structures that came after them, and instead of a circular room inside, they had long, narrow corridors.
Like all nuraghes, protonuraghes were constructed without mortar or cement and were held together by the weight of the stones used to build them. They typically contained a stairway that led to a flat roof, which seemingly had wooden huts on top.
Later nuraghes had more complicated designs. The tholos nuraghe — the structure seen most frequently across Sardinia today — was a single conical tower that rose into a beehive-like shape. They had two or three levels made completely from stone, and some reached heights of more than 60 feet.
A short corridor led to a round chamber inside, and a spiral staircase ascended to the top of the structure. Small slits in the walls allowed light to penetrate through the stone.
Ángel M. Felicísimo/Wikimedia CommonsSu Nuraxi di Barumini, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sardinia, is a complex nuraghe with numerous towers, internal chambers, and adjoining structures.
As the centuries went on, nuraghes only became more impressive, eventually resembling medieval castles. These complex nuraghes typically featured a center tower with multiple smaller towers surrounding it. The structures were connected by fortified walls with walkways that formed a courtyard. Some complex nuraghes had two or three layers of walls, and the center towers were up to 100 feet tall.
One such nuraghe, Su Nuraxi di Barumini, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. UNESCO calls it “the finest and most complete example of this remarkable form of prehistoric architecture.”
Nuraghes are certainly astounding to behold — but what were they used for?
Theories About The Purpose Of The Nuraghe
While the original purpose of the nuraghe remains a mystery, archaeologists have put forth various theories about their function. In a 2022 study published in Open Archaeology, researchers laid out the most common explanations about the purpose of the towers: military fortresses, religious sites, or private residences.
One popular theory claims that the nuraghes were built as a means of defense against foreign attacks. Supporters point to the complexes with fortified walls and towers with slits that may have been used to throw spears or shoot arrows at assailants.
Dragonjack97/Wikimedia Commons“Windows” in the stone are visible on this nuraghe in the town of Macomer.
However, some researchers have argued that the nuraghes, particularly the earlier corridor nuraghes, would have been impractical and too small to hold a community seeking refuge against a military assault. Rather than fortresses, the structures may have acted as intimidating symbols to deter attacks.
Most researchers do agree, however, that the nuraghes were used as lookout towers and likely stored food or weapons. It’s usually possible to see one nuraghe from atop another, so they may have been watchtowers or even markers for the boundary of a clan’s territory.
Hans Peter Schaefer/Wikimedia CommonsNuraghe Arrubiu, one of the largest in Sardinia, gets its name from the red lichens that cover the stones.
Other historians believe that the nuraghes were ordinary family homes. Artifacts found in several nuraghes — like pottery, grinding stones, small tools, animal bones, and spindle whorls — suggest that domestic activities took place inside the structures. The nuraghes may have also been elite dwellings or meeting halls, as many of them were built in the center of villages filled with smaller huts.
Another hypothesis suggests that they held religious significance and perhaps even served as temples, though there isn’t enough evidence to confirm this theory. Ceremonial objects have been discovered in some nuraghes, but they may have been repurposed for ritual use long after the Nuragic civilization built the structures.
However, a 2002 study published in the Journal for the History of Astronomy did uncover potential astronomical links. The entrances to a number of nuraghes seem to align with the sunrise on the winter solstice and the southernmost point of the Moon’s rise.
Daniel Ventura/Wikimedia CommonsVisitors explore the sprawling complex at Su Nuraxi di Barumini.
This suggests that the nuraghes may have been used by the Nuragic civilization as a sort of calendar to determine when to plant crops or celebrate certain ceremonies. Still, this likely wasn’t their main purpose — and we may never know their true function.
Despite the mysteries surrounding the nuraghes, however, they provide an unparalleled look into the ancient history of the Mediterranean. The Nuragic civilization that built them may be long gone, but the stone towers still stand today as iconic symbols of the island of Sardinia.
After reading about the mysterious nuraghe towers of Sardinia, discover the theories behind the Nazca Lines of Peru. Then, dive into the debate about who built Stonehenge.