Giants' grave

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Giants' grave, or tomba dei giganti, is the name given by local people and archaeologists to a type of Sardinian megalithic gallery grave built during the Bronze Age.

A stone cairn lies over the burial chamber itself. Some examples have a cup-shaped entrance similar to the Court Cairn tombs of Ireland.

There are 2 general types of giant's tomb. They are:

1. the slab type, in which uncut slabs are buried on end in the ground, and are arranged side-by-side. There is usually a central slab, which is the largest, and has the doorway cut through it. In the more primitive slab-type giant's tombs, the central slab is unmodified aside from the entrance that is cut through it, or else there is a crude dolmen-like arrangement of 3 uncut rocks to form the entrance (Osono, Sortali, Lolghi, Pescaredda). In more advanced slab-type giant's tombs, the central slab is modified so as to be rounded on top, and have a simple design carved into the front surface (Thomes, Goronna, Santu Bainzu, Coddu Vecchiu).

2. the block type, which is made of rectangular-cut blocks (Bidistili, Madau II, Seleni II, Iloi, Mura Cuata). There is also a structure similar to a block-type giant's tomb on the island of Malta.

[edit] See also

• Nuraghe