The sanctuary of Abini is situated in a pleasant valley in central Sardinia, strategically placed along a natural transhumance route, still used by shepherds, in the territory of Teti (Nuoro). It is one of the best-known nuragic cult sites due to the incredible number of high quality bronze votives have been found there. The site comprises a village of numerous huts and a sacred spring within an enclosure.

In the second half of the 19th century, the discovery of a rich votive hoard brought the site to the attention of scholars and it was explored between the end of the 1800s and the early 1900s. Excavations were undertaken in 1981 and from 2000 onwards. The Superintendency has carried out maintenance and clearance on the site, together with interventions aimed at re-reading the site from an architectural and functional point of view.

Firstly, a study was made of the dumps of material from the 19th century excavations, including clandestine ones, which had left huge spoil heaps that were hindering the reading of the structures. The materials recovered from the spoil heaps included bronze and, above all, pottery fragments, which the old excavations had ignored in favour of retrieving the precious metal ex-votos. The pottery forms comprised jars, bowls with inverted rims, some of which decorated, carinated bowls, often with plastic decoration, jugs and _askos-type vessels with impressed decoration and “reverse elbow” handles with plastic decoration, dating to between the final Bronze Age and the early Iron Age.

Ashlar blocks from the original temple structure were recovered, easily recognisable as the temple was built in local volcanic stone. The study of these blocks has suggested a reconstruction that finds close parallels with similar nuragic cult buildings such as the sacred spring of Su Tempiesu at Orune. The monument, probably destroyed in the 19th century by the excavations, consisted of a circular room with a false vault covering and a vestibule with a pitched roof.

The spring was situated inside a large elliptical temenos, with a bench/counter in the eastern sector and a floor of large cobblestones. The water from the spring was collected in two small wells and reached the exterior of the enclosure via a small channel.

The site’s sacred function was confirmed by finds of fragments of stone basins, stone offering tablets with holes in them and lead for fixing the ex-voto onto them, and the fragments of a miniature nuraghe. The site was in use from the final Bronze Age until at least the 6th century B.C., as attested by the bronze handles with palmette decoration and several anthropomorphic ex-voto made of coarse pottery.

The settlement area situated south-west of the enclosure extends along a low plateau that slopes down towards a small torrent. The complex is constituted by tens of huts, in some cases single and others grouped in insulae. The huts, some of which have substantial sectors of standing walls preserved, are notable for their size, height, and internal arrangement: dividing walls, niches and counter-benches. The fragments of a black gloss footed cup of Punic production which imitated Greek types were found inside one of the huts with a niche, attesting the prolonged occupation of the village.