LAND OF ANCIENT GIANTS: MIGHTY STATUES OF MONT’E PRAMA, SARDINIA
Have you ever encountered a giant in your life? I haven’t. I am not talking about ‘Ande the Giant’, ‘The Undertaker’, ‘Khali’, or ‘The Big Show’ either. They are all entertainers in the World Wrestling Federation. I am talking about real giants who once walked a certain part of the earth long ago. Mystified, aren’t you? Today, I am going to talk about a place in the Mediterranean which, according to the legends and historical records, belonged to the Giants.
The place I am talking about is an island in the Mediterranean, called Sardinia. It is located west of the Italian peninsula, north of Tunisia, and to the south of the French island of Corsica. Did you know that Sardinia was once called the “The Island of the Giants?” Sounds mysterious right? Well, let’s find out why.
According to archaeological records, perhaps the most important archaeological discovery in the Mediterranean was shrouded in an aura of legend in the middle part of the 20th century. The story goes something like this some farmers working in the fields suddenly stopped their work in 1974. It seemed that they had hit some big rock. Upon digging, they found to their surprise a big stone head. Upon closer examination, they found that their discovery was among the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. On further digging, the archaeologists unearthed one of the greatest Iron Age finds in the history of the Mediterranean. Furthermore, the limestone block unearthed at Monte Prama was said to be the first of many fragments of huge megalithic structures on the island of Sardinia. These fragments were believed to be part of the megalithic statues of Monte Prama.
These limestone statues are said to be carved from a single block of limestone. The most dazzling aspect of these statues is that they are reported to tower over any normal human being. According to reports, some of these statues are over 7 feet tall. Can you believe that? Now, according to reports, these statues have highly stylized features, for instance, all of these statues have triangular faces and T-shaped eyebrows and noses. That is simply amazing, isn’t it? Also, according to reports, some of their more distinctive features are the way their eyes are made. These are said to be represented by large concentric circles that seem to stare ahead. Another unique feature of these statues is that all of them are seen to be holding some kind of weapons. That is each of the statues is either holding a shield, a bow, or an arrow, Therefore, the archaeologists have dubbed them into 3 categories, i.e., the archers, the boxers and the warriors.
Although it has also been reported that historians are confused about their exact age, according to consensus, these statues are believed to be over 3,000 years old. There is also some doubt that has lingered on what are these statues supposed to represent. Magnificent as these statues are, they are believed by historians to be part of a ‘Carthaginian Temple’, built by the powerful ‘Carthaginian Empire’ somewhere around 500 B.C. when they invaded and captured the island. Furthermore, it is said that the commercial power of Carthage was based in North Africa.
However, according to more detailed studies and claims by the renowned historian, Giovanni Lilliu, these structures belong to Sardinia’s ‘Nuragic Age’. According to Giovanni, the Nuragic Civilization flourished in between the 18th and the 8th centuries B.C. Also, according to Giovanni, the ‘Nuragic People’ were known for building distinctive megalithic structures. That is why this civilization is also referred to as the ‘Nuraghi’, according to their culture. Also, it has been reported that there are more than 6,000 ‘Nuraghi’ structures spread across approximately 9,000 square miles of the island. This was surely an amazing achievement by the ‘Nuraghi People’. There are also many forts, dwellings, and palaces all across Sardinia, however, their exact purpose remains a mystery to historians and archaeologists even today.
It is also said that over time, the ‘Nuragic’ tribal system began to weaken and the Greeks and the Phoenicians started to fight over the island’s rich mineral deposits. Here, the Phoenicians were said to gain the upper hand, until the arrival of the ‘Carthaginians’. Unfortunately, according to scholars, the gigantic structures were destroyed as the ‘Nuragic’ culture began to fade away.
The most important thing which the archaeologists discovered between 2007 and 2011 was that these statues, which were divided into three distinct categories as mentioned above, still had some elements missing. However, it is also believed that when these statues were intact, each sculpture had its own particular set of traits.
The ‘Mighty Statues of Mont’e Prama’ were and perhaps, still are the most brilliant and magnificent pieces of sculpture that could be found anywhere in the world.
