The Giants' graves - Sardinia

I've noticed that some days ago has been started a thread about some speculations on possible relations between Atlantis and Sardinia:
i think it would be nice to share some informations and pictureas about the sardinian megaliths, the
Giants' graves
Italian: Tomba dei giganti
Sardinian: Tumbas de sos gigantes

Is the name given by local people and archaeologists to a type of Sardinian megalithic gallery grave built during the Bronze Age. They can be found in the whole Sardinia, and so far 321 are known.

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.
In the so-called "slab type", uncut slabs are buried on end in the ground, and are arranged side-by-side. There is usually a central stele, which is the largest (up to 4 m in height), and has a doorway cut through it. The sepulchres has a characteristic rectangular plan with apse. The burial chamber is usually 5 to 15 meters long and 1 to 2 meters high. The structures were originally covered by a mound resembling the shape of a turned down ship. Nearby the entrance was an obelisk (betile in Sardinian), which would symbolize the gods or the ancestors who watched over the dead.

In the more primitive slab-type giant's tombs, the central slab is unmodified aside from the entrance that is cut through it at the base, 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 (Dorgali, Goronna, Santu Bainzu, Coddu Vecchju).
The so-called "block type" 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.

en.wikipedia.org...



List of major tombs

• Su Mont'e s'Abe, near Olbia
  
• Sa Dom'è s'Orcu, near Quartucciu
  
• Two 18th century BC tombs near Lanusei
  
• Aiodda, near Nurallao
  
• Coddu Vecchju and Li Lolghi, Arzachena
  
• Sa Dom´e S´Orku, Siddi
  
• Imbertighe, Borore
  
• Madau, Fonni
  
• Muraguada, Bauladu
  
• Osono, near Triei
  
• Tomb of San Cosimo, near Gonnosfanadiga
  
• Ena ´e Thomes, Dorgali
  
• Bainzu, Borore
  
• Sa Farch´e S´Artare, Seneghe
  

The Su Mont'e S'Abe Giant's Grave
www.iolao.it...
/4hoepc


Sa Domu 'e s'Orcu Giant's Grave
it.wikipedia.org...


SELENI - LANUSEI Giant's Graves
www.ilportalesardo.it...


AIODDA - NURALLAO Giant's Graves
www.ilportalesardo.it...


LI LOLGHI - Arzachena Giant's Grave
www.comunearzachena.it...


CODDU VECCHJU - Arzachena Giant's Grave
www.comunearzachena.it...


Sa Dom'e S'Orku Giant's Grave
wikimapia.org...



Imbertighe - Borore Giant's Grave
www.archeologiasarda.com...


MADAU - FONNI Giant's Grave
www.ilportalesardo.it...


Muraguada - Paulilatino Giant's Grave
www.comunas.it...


BAU NURAXI - TRIEI Giant's Grave
www.ilportalesardo.it...


San Cosimo - Gonnosfanadiga Giant's Grave
spazioinwind.libero.it...


www.sardiniapoint.it...
S'ENA 'E THOMES - Dorgali Giant's Grave



Santu Bainzu - Borore Giant's Grave
www.archeologiasarda.com...


Sa Facche de S'Altare - Seneghe
www.edizionisole.it...

Some hi res images:
upload.wikimedia.org...
www.prociteam.com...
www.prociteam.com...
upload.wikimedia.org...!Dorgali02.jpg

Some links
www.provinciadelsole.it...
www.italyaround.com...
faculty.ed.umuc.edu...
domusmaiore.altervista.org...

Sorry for not providing more sources in english

[edit on 6/4/2008 by internos]

[edit on 6-4-2008 by Jbird]

This is real cool!!!!

I believe the giants had 6fingers as well.

Have you ever heard the American Indian legend of the fierce 6fingered people?
It is said that they could keep pace with a stampeding buffalo and then reach over and rip off its' leg!!!!

It is the REAL REASON behind the holding up of the hand, not to greet as in a handshake, but as in let me count them fingers!!!! Because the indians were truly in fear for their lives with these guys, and rightly so.

This must have been pre-flood that somehow lived on.

Interesting tombs. Do you know what happened to the giant's remains?

Judging by the fortresses of these people they must of lived in troubled times they remind me of medievel forts in England.

They are of course much older prehistoric in fact but non the less as well made incredible really

'Nuraghe' derives from the prehistoric Sardinian root 'nur' which means both 'hollow' and 'heap.' But the nuraghi are neither hollow nor are they haphazard heaps of stone.

The nuraghe interior often presents a complex plan of chambers, winding staircases, dead-end corridors, concealed rooms with trap doors, and a variety of niches and compartments.

Standing up to three stories high with magnificently corbelled domes one on top of the other, some structures have as many as 18 subsidiary towers attached to the main keep. Large complexes were sometimes completely enclosed by enormous stone walls punctuated with still more towers."


Over 3,000 years old, the nuraghi have withstood the depredations of weather and later humans by virtue of their excellent design and construction. As with many other such ancient structures, one is impressed with the size of the stones used.

How were they moved? How were the stones -- usually hard basalt -- cut and dressed by artesans with no metal tools harder than copper or bronze?

And what was the purpose of the nuraghi? A quick answer to the last question is that they were fortresses, but they might also have been dwellings or storehouses.

(Gallin, Lenore; "The Prehistoric Towers of Sardinia," Archaeology, 40:26, September/October 1987.)

I often think you can get a better idea of the culture if they have produced statues or in this case statuettes, I have read there exists over 400 probably distributed around the worlds museums.








www.s8int.com...

Thanks for the replies
Sherpa, thanks for your post: that fortress looks like the village of Barumini:


Map
www.parcodellagiara.it...

Artist's impression
www.alghero.org...

Yes, the statuettes which have been found are more than 400;
but sadly, many times it happened that thiefs have found and stolen them:
so the actual number is unknown.
It's big problem that is common in all the south Italy/Isles:
the politicians put efforts in order to increase the turism but they "forget"
to protect and to promote these wonderful treasures.

upload.wikimedia.org...
upload.wikimedia.org...
upload.wikimedia.org...
upload.wikimedia.org...
it.wikipedia.org...

Another ancient structure worthy to be mentioned is of course Su Tempiesu, located in Orune:


www.sutempiesu.it...

Here you can find an article about it
'Su Tempiesu' sacred fountain

In the primitive and wild valley of the municipality of Orune is one of the best kept examples of construction from the Nuraghic period: the Su Tempiesu sacred fountain. This temple (in ancient times dedicated to the cult of spring water by the Nuraghic people) dates back to the period of greatest splendour of the Nuraghic civilization; then end of the II Millennium B.C. and was kept practically intact due to a landslide that covered it until 1953 when it was discovered.
“Well temples" – called in this fashion due to the presence within of a spring and precisely a well – present a more sophisticated and perfected structure with respect to the Nuraghic constructions. The stones that form its structure, although are of the same nature of those used for the Nuraghe, are nevertheless placed (arranged) with precision and in a regular fashion.
They were fundamentally made of vaulted rooms that could be reached through a covered atrium and then tiers.
Constructions of this type and dedicated to the same cult can also be found in other areas of Sardinia: in Serri in the province of Nuoro is the well-kept Santa Vittoria sanctuary. In Paulilatino (province of Oristano) we find the Santa Cristina sacred well, in Bonorva in the province of Sassari the Su Lumarzu sacred fountain.

www.sardegna.com...
sogaer.infoturistiche.it...
www.stonepages.com...

I've been many times here:
the fist thing that one can notice is that the rock used to build it,
can't be found closer than 70 miles, more or less: and at the time, the transport
was most likely a big problem, i guess

Here can be downloaded the Cultural heritage guide
www.sardegnaturismo.it...

Originally posted by Howie47
Interesting tombs. Do you know what happened to the giant's remains?

It has never been found a single giant bone, if you mean this

[edit on 6/4/2008 by internos]

Very interesting post... The Biblical account of how these giants came to be:

Genesis 6

1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal ; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

The nephilim were the giants. Hybrid offspring of the Fallen Angels("sons of god") and human women.


Also in Numbers 13

28Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

29The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

30And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

33And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Note they felt like grasshopppers because the Nephilim were so big.


Also in Amos 2:9

9Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

Also the race known as the Anakims were giants. These are the very same ones that cause God to flood the earth. And also the reason God told Joshua to kill every man woman and child when the Jews took over the promised land. To rid the earth of the corrupted DNA.

Here's a good website: Giants in Anceint History



[edit on 4/6/2008 by Bigwhammy]

Thanks internos I was looking for more examples of the bronzes

It is interesting because the layout of walls tower and keep are very synonymous with defense with projectile weapons, ie overlapping fields of fire.

The statuettes give a distinct indication of this as there are 2 that show a standard bow and what looks like a recurve bow.





it.wikipedia.org...

The recurve would give further credence I think to Phonecian trade because it is said that they introduced this weapon to the Mediterranean region.

Neat Neat stuff.
Thanks for the post and the hard work put into it.

reply to post by internos

It has never been found a single giant bone, if you mean this

OK this is actually a sculpture done by Joe Taylor who based it off ones he found in the Euphrates Valley and in Homs and at Uran-Zohra.


Size 47."

Dear Christian Friends, I was born and lived in the Middle East from 1938 to 1968. I was Ain-Tell and Euphrates water works Engineer and was very interested in archaeology and history and had some very interesting findings, some of which may sound unbelievable. I have brought with me a few silex arrow heads, etc., from the very battle-field where King Nebuchadnezzar and Pharo-Necho’s armies fought. And what about the giants mentioned in Genesis? In south-east Turkey in the Euphrates Valley and in Homs and at Uran-Zohra, tombs of about four meters long once existed, but now roads and other construction work has destroyed the spots. At two places, when unearthed because of construction work, the leg bones were measured about 120 cms. It sounds unbelievable. I have lived with my family at Ain-Tell for more than 14 years at the very spot where King Nebuchadnezzar had his headquarters after the battle of Charcamish, where I dug the graves of kings’ officers and found their skeletons like sponge, and when you touch them they become like white ash, with spears and silex and obsidian tools and ammunition laying by.

www.mtblanco.com...

reply to post by Bigwhammy

Bigwhammy, thanks for these great posts.
In my answer i was referring to Sardinia, of course
Ancient sardinian were very short (and even presently they are not so tall)
I've never heard the fascinating story that you've posted.
Thanks for sharing it.



reply to post by sherpa

Sherpa, that's very likely:
Tharros
en.wikipedia.org...
encyclopedia.jrank.org...
and not only, was founded by Phoenicians in the 8th century BC.
They founded also: Karalis, Nora, Bithia (near Cape Spartivento), Sulcis (on the island of Sant'Antioco), and Bosa.
www.isolasarda.com...
Even some statuettes, like i.e. the one representing a vessel, are believed to represent Phoenicians' stuff


[edit on 6/4/2008 by internos]

Originally posted by toasted
This is real cool!!!!

I believe the giants had 6fingers as well.

Have you ever heard the American Indian legend of the fierce 6fingered people?
It is said that they could keep pace with a stampeding buffalo and then reach over and rip off its' leg!!!!

It is the REAL REASON behind the holding up of the hand, not to greet as in a handshake, but as in let me count them fingers!!!! Because the indians were truly in fear for their lives with these guys, and rightly so.

This must have been pre-flood that somehow lived on.

That story has always interested me. In some areas they referred to them as "The Leopard People" (or, something like that). They were described as 9' to 12' tall, two rows of teeth, and they screamed like a leopard. Their bones were like iron (when they died, their bones were VERY heavy), and they were reported to eat the stones in a local river (the river stones are high in iron).

The Philistines supposedly were giants, just like "the leopard people", and were very well known warriors of considerable ferocity. That is why Moses went into the desert....better to face the desert than the Philistines. The Philistines had a tendency to eat human flesh, or so the story goes.

The following link has a lot of info on giants:


www.stevequayle.com...


Of course, don't forget about Angus McAskill, the "Cape Breton Giant". Fairly recent, and well documented, it provides a wonderful insight into the strength of the "men of renown" talked about in the legends.

One final piece....the ancient North American War. Giants moved in, and there went the neighborhood....so the chiefs called a meeting of the tribes and plotted to remove the interlopers:

www.stevequayle.com...

Interesting subject. A favorite of mine, for sure.


[edit on 6-4-2008 by bigfatfurrytexan]

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


That's what the passage from Numbers 13 is about. God had told the Jews to go and take over the promised land but they saw the Nephilim and were afraid to... In his anger God had them wander in the desert for 40 years until the generation that was afraid to fight the giants all died out. Then Joshua took them in to fight, Giants and all.

Of course Goliath who David beat with a sling is another famous example.

And Og

"For only Og King of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants (nephilim). Indeed his bed was an iron bedstead. Nine cubits is its length and four cubits is its width, according to a standard cubit (13.5 feet X 6 feet). Deuteronomy 3: 11.

reply to post by toasted


I heard that same story when I was a child.I thought later in life that my grandparents were fooling with me. Evidently not as your story closely matches the one I was told. You did leave out the part where they could long jump twice the height of a grown man.

reply to post by toasted

Originally posted by toasted
This is real cool!!!!
I believe the giants had 6fingers as well.

I found it!

"Yet again there was a war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he also was born to be Gibborim (giant)." 1 Chronicles 20: 6 & 2 Samuel 21: 20.

The Bible has a lot about Giants if you dig a little. It appears most of them were killed off in the flood but some came after. Most were slain during the invasion of the promised land. I am wondering if this area in Italy is where some of them might have escaped to.

reply to post by Bigwhammy


That is some good bible work, whammy.

The link i provided has a ton of info about Giants in the bible.

Howdy guys

That story has always interested me. In some areas they referred to them as "The Leopard People" (or, something like that). They were described as 9' to 12' tall, two rows of teeth, and they screamed like a leopard. Their bones were like iron (when they died, their bones were VERY heavy), and they were reported to eat the stones in a local river (the river stones are high in iron).

The key point of that passage is, "their bones were like iron', this is probably in reference to finding fossilized bones. Many human bones resemble other mammal bones. The Greeks were famous for thinking fossilized bones were remains of heros and monsters.

The femur in the pictures looks to be one from a four legged mammal - yep they do tend to look somewhat human too, especially the leg bones - we are mammal also and hall share a common ancestor back around 40-50 million years ago.

reply to post by Bigwhammy


In ancient times, as now, there were definitely peoples of a greater than normal height. However, two things stand out to me.

The first is that depending on which translation of ancient Hebrew texts is used, Goliath has been attributed to both 4 cubits and a span (roughly 6'6") and 6 cubits and a span (roughly 9'6"). Could be either.

The second is that in your external source, it says the leg bones, PLURAL, measured 120 cm, or 47 inches. This would seem to indicate an approximate height of around 8 feet, not the approximate 12' to 14' the picture would suggest.

cormac

reply to post by cormac mac airt


Sorry for the confusion about the picture.

If you look at my post I said the picture is of a sculpture.

That is not a real leg bone. The ones the guy found, he said 47", turned to dust from being so old... so it is not really a verifiable find.

reply to post by Bigwhammy


Thanks for the reply,

My problem wasn't with your post of it being a sculpture, instead of a bone. It was with the apparent belief, per the article, that the sculpture was 47" long (one bone) instead of 47" overall (both upper and lower leg bones). You may have caught that yourself, I'd assume.

cormac

reply to post by cormac mac airt


I think it means there were two (plural) leg bones that were both 47" long. He made the sculpture to demonstrate what they looked like for the museum.