Sardinia's Giants of Mont'e Prama
Discovered by chance in 1974 the Giant’s of Mont’e Prama are large stone sculptures made of limestone carved during the Iron Age in Sardinia. Some 10,000 fragments have been recovered, representing an estimated 40 statues. Currently, from these fragments, 25 have been reassembled. Besides larger than life statues of archers, warriors and boxers, there are also 16 ‘models’ of nuraghe, also carved in limestone. These vary from single towered structures to multi-towered nuraghe. The human-like sculptures stand between 2 and 2.5 m high, and closely resemble the bronze statuettes already known archaeologically from the Bronze Age Nuragic people of Sardinia.Â
Where to See the Giants of Mont'e Prama
National Archaeological Museum, Cagliari
Given the quantity of objects from all over the island, this museum is certainly the most important in Sardinia. Since 1993 it has occupied one of the buildings in a complex known as the ‘Citadel of Museums’, built within the district of Castello, reusing the space of the ancient medieval walls. It houses more than 4,000 objects that tell 7,000 years of history, ranging from Prehistory to the Early Middle Ages, in an itinerary that is divided over 4 floors, each with different themes. In the collections visitors can admire statuettes of the mother goddesses, Nuragic bronze statues, a large part of the Nuragic giant statues of Mont’e Prama, as well as Punic and Phoenician jewellery and Roman statuary.
Civic Archaeological Museum of Cabras
The Museo Civico “Giovanni Marongiu” – Cabras opened in 1997 exhibiting the local history of the Cabras municipality (including the Sinis Peninsular), from prehistory to medieval times. Artefacts come from Neolithic, Nuragic, Phoenician-Punic, Roman and medieval sites in the area. Two notable displays include the Roman shipwreck of Mal di Ventre, dated to the 1st century BC, and a small collection of the large stone statues, the ‘Sardinian Giants’, recovered by archaeologists at the Nuragic necropolis of Mont’e Prama.
Mont'e Prama Archaeological Site
The archaeological site at which the fragments of the so-called Giants of Mont’e Prama were found is not open to the public. Although you can see the excavation from the road. This is because archaeological investigations are ongoing. Regular events are organised, however, either by the museum in Cabras or the Mont’e Prama Foundation. And these often include guided tours of the site. These last about an hour, and we highly recommend taking one if you can. Although it seems that there is very little to see (certainly there are not giant sculptures in place), it is possible to get an appreciation of the ritual context of the larger than life sculptures.
