Summary (English)
Upper chamber
Large, low chamber (11 m long, 5 m wide), containing rich ritual deposits of the Upper Neolithic, Ozieri culture.
Context 1: disturbed loose deposit containing stones, animal bones and pottery fragments;
Context 2: underlying intact ritual deposit (12 – 24 cm thick), comprising an extensive and heavily burnt horizon, made up of stones, grey ash containing large pottery fragments, animal bones and several obsidian fragments and arrowheads.Radiocarbon dating:
• OxA-22197 4942±32 BP (3783-3653 cal BC)
• OxA-22198 4997±31 BP (3812-3699 cal BC)
• OxA-22199 4935±31 BP (3777-3651 cal BC)
Context 6: very hard concretionary horizon (up to 8 cm thick) made up of a combination of calcite, small stones, earth alternating with pottery fragments;
Context 5: loose and intact grey-brown deposit (up to 5 cm thick), containing small stones, animal bones, pottery (some of the Ozieri Culture) and obsidian;
Context 4: silty cave deposit, orange in colour (6-22 cm thick), containing stones and micro-fauna which seemed to be natural in origin but also contained charcoal fragments.
Radiocarbon dating:
• SUERC-29318 8160±40 BP (7200-7060 cal BC)
Context 3: calcite and bedrock.
Lower chamber
Semicircular chamber (2.8 m wide and circa 3 m deep), delimited on three sides by large speleothems (rock formations).
Context 1: disturbed collapse and surface deposit (10-40 cm thick), containing soil constituted by dark grey ash, goat droppings, large pieces of pottery, animal bones, pieces of wood, an acorn, a match and pieces of plastic;
Context 2: deposits of fine, loose, dark grey-brown ash (3.5 cm thick), containing small stones, several bones, a large quantity of pottery and a fragment of metal blade;
Context 3: discontinuous calcite formation derived from water percolation (2 cm thick) – no material culture present;
Context 4: deposit of black as (thickness unknown), containing very thin soil, some bones and pottery fragments (including the leg of an Ozieri Culture tripod).Large lower chamber
Large semicircular chamber (circa 6 m wide and 3 m deep)
Context 1: collapse and loose deposit (circa 45 cm thick), containing large stones, soil constituted by grey-brown ash, sheep/goat droppings, wooden sticks and occasional foliage, bones and pottery (including Ozieri Culture) and aluminium;
Context 2: loose deposits of soil with ash (circa 5 cm thick), containing occasional rocks, pottery, animal bones, obsidian and a metal nail;
Context 3: slightly more compact deposit of grey-brown ash (circa 7 cm thick), containing small stones, animal bones, pottery, obsidian, metal (modern), a bead and a stone figure (Ozieri Culture);
Context 4: bedrock.Inner chamber
Small chamber along the final part of the northern arm of the grotto.
Context 1: surface deposit disturbed by modern visitors;
Context 2: intact early Bronze Age deposits containing animal bones, fragments of prehistoric pottery and micro-faunal remains.
Radiocarbon dating:
• OxA-22619 3755±31 BP (2234-2120 cal BC)
• OxA-22620 3683±28 BP (2143-1976 cal BC)
- Robin Skeates - Departmment of Archaeology, University of Durham 
Director
Team
- Maria Giuseppina Gradoli - COMET – Valorizzazione Risorse Territoriali
Research Body
- University of Durham
Funding Body
- Fondazione Banco di Sardegna
- The British Academy
- The Prehistoric Society
Images
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