Middle Neolithic

Nuoro, Monte Ortobene, domus de janas. Photo by Renato Brotzu, from Sardegna DigitalLibrary

The Middle Neolithic (4000-3400 BC) witnessed the birth of the Bonu Ighinu culture. The name used to designate this culture derives from the site that returned the first archaeological evidence. This is the Bonu Ighinu cave (also known as Sa Ucca 'e su Tintirriolu) in the territory of Mara, in the Sassari area.
The consolidation of Neolithic achievements in agriculture, livestock and ceramic production, as well as in the life practices of human communities, is traced back to this chronological-cultural phase.
One of the most explicit testimonies of this phenomenon comes from the ceramic productions attributable to the culture of Bonu Ighinu. These are various vascular shapes, including faired vases and bowls, with zoomorphic or anthropomorphic handles, characterized by shiny, black-brown surfaces, often decorated with engraving or impression. The remarkable technical quality of these artifacts testifies to an undeniable progress in the ability to control the technological process that oversees the production of ceramic products. The increased variety of vascular forms is also a significant reflection of the increased economic needs of the Bonu Ighinu people.
As far as the funerary environment is concerned, the cave tombs and the grave goods that accompanied the deceased in the afterlife appear characteristic. In this regard, it should be noted the necropolis of Cuccuru is Arrius, in the territory of Cabras, where numerous statuettes of steatopic “mother goddess” were found, with very pronounced feminine forms. This type of artefact offers a material testimony of great importance: in fact, it represents a clear archaeological proof of the existence of a spiritual and religious world in which the human communities of this period had to find “refuge”.

Update

16/7/2025 - 15:24