At the archaeological site at Su Padrigheddu, which is adjacent to the large Nuragic tower complex of nuraghe S’Uraki, a large and richly varied collection of surface finds was made in the early 1980s, when the field concerned was deep-ploughed to create a eucalyptus plantation. As a result of the trees that have grown since, further fieldwork has been impossible. Although the site was initially interpreted as a cremation cemetery, more careful analysis of the pottery collected has shown that the ceramic assemblage is quite varied, which makes interpretation as a village more likely. The prevalence of Nuragic pottery leaves little doubt that it must be seen as an indigenous Nuragic settlement. It was probably first established in the Late Bronze Age and remained continuously inhabited until the early Roman Imperial period.

Study of these finds in 2006 and 2010 has allowed identification of Iron Age Phoenician and Nuragic pottery, and through visual inspection a range of fabrics and manufacturing techniques has been distinguished. The pottery appears to document a variety of interactions between local inhabitants and newcomers during the Iron Age. Analysis of the finds has documented early changes in Nuragic ceramic practices from the 8th c. BC, when new pottery types – such as so-called Sant’Imbenia-type amphorae and Phoenician-style bowls were produced with traditional – mainly hand-made – manufacturing techniques. Most of these new forms were made in the same fabric that characterises local Nuragic ceramic production since the Late Bronze Age.

A different situation can be observed from the 7th c. BC, when new fabrics and more diversified and larger amounts of Phoenician-style pottery appeared. Nuragic-style pottery and the characteristic local fabric gradually seem to disappear. The appearance of new forms and fabrics goes together with other changes in manufacturing techniques, in particular the more frequent use of the slow wheel. Further research along these lines in 2011 and 2012 will focus on more detailed fabric analyses to define the local, regional or overseas provenance of clays, while more sophisticated analyses will help to define the manufacturing techniques of Phoenician-style pottery and the possible influence of Nuragic ceramic traditions.

The site at Su Padrigheddu has been investigated as part of the Colonial Traditions Project that studies interaction between the indigenous (Nuragic) inhabitants of Sardinia and Phoenician merchants and settlers between the Iron Age and the Classical period (9th to 4th centuries BC).

The Colonial Traditions Project focuses on the production of ceramic coarse wares for domestic and productive purposes in the region of west central Sardinia to investigate the articulation of indigenous and colonial ceramic traditions. Its underlying assumption is that technological traditions are embedded within social practice and that changes in traditional manufacturing techniques and modes of pottery production among the Nuragic and Phoenician communities of Sardinia can reveal underlying processes of social interaction and negotiation of identities.