The Protonuraghi

In specialized literature, three terms are used to designate the same type of monument: 'protonuraghe', 'pseudonuraghe', 'corridor nuraghe'. Despite this, the three terms cannot be considered simply synonyms.

The first term 'protonuraghe' precedes the expression 'nuraghe' (which, let's remember, refers to a truncated conical tower monument, characterized inside by the presence of one or more superimposed chambers, turned with the so-called 'tholos' or 'false cupola') the element 'proto' deriving from the Greek word 'prôtos', which means' first ', 'original'. The use of the term “protonuraghe” to designate a certain monument (and, more generally, a certain type of monument) therefore implies the conviction that this monument chronologically and/or structurally precedes the actual nuraghe (the so-called “protonuraghi” in fact have inside them not tholos rooms, but “a corridor”).

Even in the second term 'pseudonuraghe', the expression 'nuraghe' is preceded by an element of Greek origin: 'pseudo', which means' false ',' apparent ', 'externally similar'. In this case, the relationship that is established between the monument called “nuraghe” and the monument called “pseudonuraghe” is defined differently than in the first case: the similarity between the two is indicated as only apparent and therefore not substantial.

Finally, in the third case, we have a still different position on the interpretive level. In fact, the monument is explicitly defined as “nuraghe”. The combination of the second part of the syntagma (a term that designates a set of words with their own autonomy compared to the rest of the discourse in which they are inserted), however, produces a change in the meaning of this term, making us explicitly understand that the term “nuraghe” can also be used legitimately for a monument without the “false dome” cover in the inner rooms.

Whatever the terminological choice adopted, it is in any case certain that we are referring to the same type of monuments, characterized by a massive architectural structure, often by a plan called “reniform” (a term that explicitly refers to the shape that reminds precisely that of a kidney) or, in other cases, an inverted ship. These are monuments lower than the classic nuraghi (the known ones do not exceed 10 m compared to nuraghi that exceed a height of 20 m), tending to have no large rooms with a “false dome” roof, even if this type of roof could be used in some small room that overlooked the internal corridors, a true architectural feature of these monuments.

There are about 300 known protonuraghi, a much lower number than that of classical nuraghi, far from certain in the absence of a real regional census, but considered to fluctuate between 7,000 and 10,000 units (numbers including, moreover, of the protonuraghi themselves).

It cannot be ruled out that future investigations will ascertain that some of the monuments traditionally known as nuraghi actually belong to the type of protonuraghi.

Update

12/9/2023 - 16:35