The Giants or Colossi of Mount Prama - Sardinia

The myth that Sardinia is the land of Giants, comes true, taking human form in huge stone statues dating back three thousand years, found on the hill of Mount Prama, on the Sinis peninsula, in the central-west of Sardinia.

It is estimated that in ancient times, the statues were lined up to protect the necropolis along the road at the foot of the Mount Prama hill, alongside huge sacred stones and reproductions of nuragas.

The Giants or Colossi of Mount Prama are sculptures that are believed to have been created by the Nuragic civilization, they represent the traces of a culture that inhabited the island of Sardinia between the 18th and 2nd centuries, no written records of this civilization have been discovered, apart from some small possible epigraphic documents belonging to the last stages of civilization.

Researchers have yet to agree on whether the Nuragic culture originated on the island itself or perhaps is related to the mysterious Peoples of the Sea, which ravaged the Mediterranean coast between the 14th and 13th centuries BC. And that they would have arrived in Sardinia after being defeated in their unsuccessful invasion of Egypt between the 13th and 12th centuries BC.

With a height of between two and two and a half meters, the Giants or Colossi, as some scholars have called them, were found in 1974 near the city of Cabras, to the west of the island. They represent warriors, archers and fighters with shields, and some of them with the appearance of robots, it is interesting to note that some have meandering motifs on their clothing, something that we can also observe in Sumerian art, Inca Maya, Hopi, India, Horseshoe Canyon and in all the planet.

One of its most outstanding characteristics, in addition to its extremely large size, are the eyes formed by two concentric discs. Experts are not sure if these massive statues are a representation of mythological heroes or gods. Some were found alongside ancient tombs, so experts believe the statues may have been organized around her as guardians. Or they could have belonged to a nearby temple not yet found.

In March 2015, after 40 years of study and restoration, the Giants were presented to the public at the National Archaeological Museum of Cagliari and the Goat Museum.

In total, with more than five thousand ancient pieces found, 33 Giants have been successfully rebuilt. Two new pieces were found in September 2016, with the particularity that they are complete and intact.

The novelty of these last two giants discovered, unlike those found previously, is that they wear their shields glued to one side and not on their head. A position very similar to that of a small nuragic bronze from the same period found in Viterbo (north of Rome), whose date is known with certainty: IX BC.

If this connection is demonstrated, we would find the first example of colossi or statues of giants, found in the Mediterranean, several centuries before the Greek colossi, so they would become the oldest anthropomorphic sculptures in the Mediterranean area. , after the Egyptian statues, preceding the kouroi of ancient Greece.

Scholars believe that the statues of the giants were created using masks, very similar to those used today in traditional Sardinian celebrations. Although these were not exactly the same, it would show that some ancient rites and traditions have survived on the island for more than 3,000 years.

Mount Prama is the most important Nuragic necropolis, a tomb of heroes.

The statues represent young men who are skillful and brave: some show their finely crafted armor, their shield and sword, or their bow and quiver with arrows. Boxers are bare-chested and wear a pointed skirt, recognizable by an armed glove worn on the right arm and a light shield worn over the head.

The archers wear a short tunic and a horned helmet, they hold the bow with the left arm, protected by a scabbard and a glove. Also the warriors also wear a short tunic and a helmet with horns on their heads, protecting themselves with a circular shield.

What is undoubtedly striking are the characteristics of the statues, which are similar to those found in other art samples of gods from other civilizations that are not contemporary with these giants on the island of Sardinia.

The Giants or Colossi of Mount Prama - Main Features

1. Some statues show a kind of antler finished in a rounded shape similar to the gods that appear in Sego Canyon, Utah, United States.

 2. Larger eyes in relation to the skull than a normal human being would have. The same art license in Sego Canyon, Utah, 5500 years ago.

3. Eyes with concentric circles like those that can be seen in the Wandjinas cave, dating from 8000 BC. in Australia.

 4. Clothing similar to those found in the Horseshoe Canyon paintings, parallel vertical and horizontal stripes on a trapezoidal trunk.

5. It is interesting that all these sculptures are always representing very tall humanoids, but with very marked shoulder detail and perfectly defined muscles. Shields are paramount in sculpture and most of them have it. This is something that is also seen in Sego Canyon.

6. In this type of sculpture, the hymnotic effect is produced thanks to the design of the eyes, something that is also highly developed in Wandjina beings. Marked muscles, somewhat exaggerated proportions but consistent with the body. The detail is in the eyes.

7. It is interesting to note that some of the soldiers have meandering motifs on their clothing, something we also see in Sumerian art and in Horseshoe Canyon.

8. On the other hand, the exaggeration of the chin and nose thus give the figures a robotic appearance. It is striking that some of the figures also resemble the god Loki from Viking mythology in their antlers.

The Giants or Colossi of Mount Prama are symbolic figures of military and religious value, and perhaps allude to a superhuman dimension, intuitive by the features of their faces: nose and marked eyebrows, large eyes formed by two concentric circles, to express power and magic.  As if, at the end of the Nuragic era, of the past splendor only the memory turned into myth remained.