Oliena and Dorgali (Nuoro, Sardinia)

Coordinator/director

Lorenzo Bonazzi, Maurizio Cattani

Research Area and ERC Panels

• Archaeology from pre and proto history to medieval age
• SH6 The Study of the Human Past: Archaeology and history”

 Starting date of the campaign and duration

The project of archaeological survey started in 2017 on the initiative of students of the Specialization School in Archaeology of the University of Bologna, with the scientific support of several teachers and the authorization from the Superintendency of Sassari and Nuoro. Fieldworks have been taking place every year.

Overview

The aim of the project is the investigation of the region of Middle Cedrino Valley inside the municipalities of Oliena and Dorgali in the province of Nuoro, with particular attention to the Gollei plateau, the area next to the Cedrino Lake, the plain of Frathale stream and the upland of Biriai.

Systematic survey with field-walking and detailed topographic documentation of archaeological evidences with total station and drone produced a valuable map of archaeological complexes and a collection of archaeological finds dating from Prehistory to Middle Ages.

The relevance of the area was already known from famous prehistoric sites like Grotta Rifugio, Grotta del Guano, Riparo Frathale and Biriai, but it is now enriched by the results of fieldwork that include almost 40 archaeological complexes of different age: domus de janas, burials dating to Neolithic and Copper Age, the wide area around the eneolithic Biriai settlement, nine

Bronze Age nuraghi with two contemporary cemeteries (tombe dei giganti), four villages dating from Final Bronze Age to Early Iron Age, four settlements dating to Roman time, three Late Antique occurrences, four rural churches of Middle Ages and many other scattered structures and finds of different periods.

The relevant results confirmed the opportunity to continue the investigations completing the documentation of main monuments and extending the fieldwork research in a wider region, enough to reconstruct the settlement pattern of Cedrino Middle Valley.

Information for students

Fieldwork and other activities in laboratory are usually organized in a period of one month. Accommodation and meals are usually provided by the mission, while participants need to take upon themselves expenses of travel.

For information, please contact prof. Maurizio Cattani maurizio.cattani@unibo.it or dr. Lorenzo Bonazzi lorenzo.bonazzi3@studio.unibo.it

References

Alberti A., Basso F., Bonazzi L., Cavriani M., Di Michele D., Gaspari A., Grandi A., Riggio S., Simonini C., Valdinoci B. 2019, Progetto Media Valle del Cedrino: studio territoriale dell’altopiano del Gollei (Oliena-Dorgali), Ocnus. Quaderni della Scuola di Specializzazione in Beni Archeologici 26, 2018, pp. 75-152