Sanctuary of Monte D'Accoddi description and photos - Italy: Sardinia Island (Topic)

Monte D'Accoddi Sanctuary description and photos - Italy: Sardinia Island. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Monte D'Accoddi.

Photo and description

The Sardinian ziggurat, also known as the Sanctuary of Monte D'Accoddi, is an ancient megalithic monument that was discovered in Sardinia in 1954 near the city of Sassari. It got the name of the ziggurat for its multi-stage tower shape.

According to archaeologists, this unique monument in the Mediterranean region was erected about 5.5 thousand years ago by representatives of the Ozieri culture, who had close ties with Minoan Crete and the entire eastern Mediterranean. Then it was repeatedly completed and partially rebuilt. The latest reconstructions date back to 2600-2400 BC. - the heyday of the culture of Abealzu Filigos.

Initially, there were settlements of the Ozieri culture on this territory, they were mostly simple square houses. In addition, there was a necropolis, which consisted of underground graves, and a sanctuary with a menhir, stone slabs for making sacrifices and stone balls. Some scholars suggest that the balls symbolized the Sun and the Moon. A little later, the first wide platform was built in the form of a truncated pyramid with a height of about 5 meters and a base area of 27x27 meters. It housed a platform measuring 12.5x7.2 meters, painted with ocher and therefore called the "red temple". Probably at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. there was a terrible fire, traces of which are still visible today and which forced the local residents to leave this place. For several hundred years, the temple was destroyed and covered with earth and stones - this is how the second platform was formed, also in the form of a truncated pyramid with a height of about 10 meters and a base area of 36x29 meters. The overall shape of the entire structure resembles the ziggurats of Mesopotamia, created around the same time.

For a time, the Sanctuary of Monte D'Accoddi remained an important religious center, but in the Bronze Age it again fell into disrepair and was abandoned. As early as 1800 BC. the structure was destroyed and served only as a burial place. During the Second World War, the upper part of the temple was seriously damaged, as a trench was dug in these places for the installation of an anti-aircraft battery. Fortunately, soon after the end of the war, large-scale archaeological excavations began: the first took place from 1954 to 1958, and later from 1979 to 1990. As a result of these works, the Sardinian ziggurat was partially restored, and now it is an important tourist attraction of the island.

We also recommend reading Casa Lleo Morera description and photos - Spain: Barcelona

Topic: Sanctuary of Monte D'Accoddi description and photos - Italy: Sardinia Island.