Sacred Village of Romanzesu

The Romanzesu village shrine stands on a plateau in a forest. It is part of the Bitti area, 13 kilometers away, and covers an area of seven hectares. Entirely made of granite, it includes about a hundred huts, many of which are hidden by the trees, and various cult buildings: a chess temple with a stepped amphitheater, two with a megaron, a rectangular one, a heron and a mysterious labyrinth. The name of the place goes back to the Roman settlement from the 2nd-3rd centuries. Century AD. The first information about this site dates back to 1919: it was discovered by archaeologist Antonio Taramelli. Seven excavations at the end of the 20th century uncovered fragments of ceramics, bronze and lead.The monumental centerpiece is the Chess Temple (13th-14th century BC), spring water bubbles out of its cracks. It has an entrance staircase, a room with a floor and a counter on the wall. It is connected by a corridor over 40 meters long to a circular paved tank, a ceremonial basin where water was collected. Around it are six wide steps of an amphitheater in which one can imagine the village population crowding together and taking part in the collective rituals of the water cult: ablutions and politico-religious ceremonies, including trials through ordeals (requests for divine intervention in order ). to judge crimes). In addition, three granite baetyluses were found, symbolizing divinity. Near a Megaron temple you will notice an oval enclosure surrounded by a series of concentric spiral walls, leading via a labyrinthine path to a central room: here a pedestal supported a cult object. The labyrinth, perhaps the magic priest's hut, dates from the 13th-14th centuries. century B.C. BC, while the village dates from an earlier period: the pottery found in the huts dates back to the 16th century BC. BC, i.e. from the beginning of spring, was only used to supply water. The huts are round, have a paved floor and seating around the fire pit. Some are very spacious, with niches and internal partitions, and one even has three rooms opening onto a shared courtyard.Source: sardegnaturismo.it/en/explore/romanzesuFurther information can be found here: romanzesu.sardegna.it