Around the 12th century BC the complex was founded.

Between the 8th and 7th century BC exchanges with communities of the Tyrrhenian Mediterranean are documented at the site.

The last documented phases of frequentation date to the end of the 7th century BC.

THE VILLAGE AND THE INSULA

The accessible part includes the village and the cult buildings, among which stands the circular sacred spring known as “vano i”.

The investigated area does not develop around a nuraghe but forms an insula, a block of rooms arranged around a central courtyard and surrounded by a powerful wall.

The central courtyard is paved; the slope of the floor channelled rainwater into an underground channel. Other channels fed the rooms linked to worship.

THE “VANO I”

Among the cult buildings stands the sacred spring, the “vano i”: the most recognisable architecture of the village and the focus of the whole block.

The room is circular, built with regular basalt courses. A stone bench follows the curve of the walls. At the centre is a basin with a circular base and a hole allowing water to flow out.

Higher up, on the circular wall, runs a course of limestone blocks decorated with seven heads of rams or mouflons. Water flowed from their mouths.

THE STEPPED BASIN

A short distance uphill from the spring is a circular stepped basin, which could collect water and be used for purification rites.

RITES, MEALS AND CONTACTS

Life in the insula was not limited to ceremonies: pans, bowls and food remains document the preparation and consumption of food.

Oysters, limpets and other marine shells have emerged among the remains: their presence, unusual in a mountain settlement, testifies to frequent contacts with the coast. The finds also attest to links with Tyrrhenian Mediterranean trade networks.

THE BRONZE HOARD

In the last phase of use the “vano i” changed function and became a hoard of about 150 kilograms of bronzes: tools, weapon parts, pins, sheets and model boats, probably intended for a new working cycle.

The hoard suggests the presence of local metallurgical activities and casting workshops.

Excavations began in 1977. So far the complex, believed to cover four hectares, has been only partly explored.

Gianfranca Salis, Le rotonde con bacile: un nuovo contributo dal villaggio nuragico di Sa Sedda ’e sos Carros-Oliena, 2012.

Gianfranca Salis, Nuovi scavi nel villaggio nuragico di Sa Sedda ’e sos Carros (Oliena, Nuoro), 2006.

Maria Ausilia Fadda, Il complesso nuragico Sa Sedda ’e sos Carros di Oliena. Le nuove scoperte, 2006.

SardegnaCultura; Comune di Oliena; IDESE; SardegnaTurismo; La Sardegna verso l’UNESCO.

Sa Sedda ’e sos Carros means “passage” or “cart pass” in Sardinian. It refers to the name used by charcoal burners who, between the 19th and 20th century, crossed the area with carts loaded with charcoal and railway sleepers.