Cagliari, Area of Vico III Lanusei

The area is included in the historic district of Villanova.
During archaeological investigations, the remains of buildings were identified in blocks of square stone, which were placed directly on the rock, used for a long period of time starting from the late Republican age. The discovery of numerous burial and incineration burials dating back to the early imperial age also testifies that the site was part of the extensive E necropolis of Carales.
In the first half of the 5th century AD, a sector of the area was leveled to the rock, eliminating part of the buildings from the republican age and destroying the tombs from the imperial age. With the materials recovered from the demolition of the previous structures (square blocks, stones, funerary stones, sarcophagi), a new building was built consisting of three rooms, oriented N-N/O S-S/E, and built with the frame technique (that is, with large stones interspersed with stone beaked with mortar and earth). The structure first had a residential function and, later, after a phase of abandonment, it was transformed into a mausoleum, thus assuming a funerary and cultural role.
Four burials were inserted into the floor, three of which surrounded an altar, which was built by obliterating one of the entrances. From the finds recovered in the plan of the tombs (remains of animal bones, mollusc shells, fragments of glass goblets and canteen ceramics), it has been deduced that libations were held in honor of the deceased (funerary rituals consisting in the consumption of meals and drinks at the burials) in the mausoleum, at least until the middle of the 6th century AD.
In the earthen deposit that documents the phase of abandonment of the building, before a fire destroyed it permanently, some bronze coins dating back to the 7th-8th century AD and two valves from a small stone mold for making jewelry have been recovered.
In addition, numerous ceramic artifacts have been found, but also glass, bone, metal, marble and animal bone remains, pertaining to a very long period of time from the late republican age to the nineteenth century, which make it clear how the area, after the destruction of the building, was transformed into a landfill, identifiable, perhaps, with the “montonargio” or “sterquilio de Jesus”, of which the documents of the 16th century say.

History of excavations
The Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage for the provinces of Cagliari and Oristano carried out two archaeological excavation campaigns, curated by Donatella Mureddu, in 1996 and 1997.

Bibliography
D. Mureddu, “New archaeological investigations in Vico III Lanusei in Cagliari”, in Insulae Christi. Primitive Christianity in Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearic Islands, edited by P.G. Spanu, Oristano, S'Alvure, 2002, pp. 225-232;
D. Mureddu, “Cagliari: a matrix for jewels from the Vico III Lanusei area”, in On the Borders of the Empire. History, art and archeology of Byzantine Sardinia, curated by P. Corrias-S. Cosentino, Cagliari, M&T Sardegna, 2002, pp. 243-244;
Urban Archaeology in Cagliari. Scavi in Vico III Lanusei (1996-1997), curated by R. Martorelli-D. Mureddu, Cagliari 2005.

How to get there
Take Via Roma in the direction of Colle di Bonaria and, at the traffic light located at the height of the Hotel Mediterraneo, take Viale Cimitero. After passing the Basilica of San Saturnino, turn south into Via San Lucifero. At the traffic lights at the end of Via San Lucifero, turn south into Via Sonnino. Take the second side street (via Lanusei), on which Vico III Lanusei opens up on the street.