The astronomical bearing of Nuraghi

Towers or center towers. Line of departure for a formulation of any credible hypotheses, this is another table elaborated by the writer with the deducing data of: Lilliu, La civiltà nuragica, Sassari 1982.

	Name	Site	Bearing		Azimut	Age	Astral alignments
1	Palmavera	Alghero (SS)	E	75		Bronze Age	?
2	Nuraddéo	Suni (NU)	E	82		Bronze Age	?
3	Marosini	Tertenia (NU)	E	87		Bronze Age	?
4	Muru de sa Figu	Santulussurgiu (OR)	E	110		Bronze Age	?
5	Su Igante	Uri (SS)	SE	115		Bronze Age	?
6	Genna Masoni	Gàiro (NU)	SE	122		Bronze Age	Winter solstice sunrise
7	Attentu	Ploaghe (SS)	SE	123		Bronze Age	Winter solstice sunrise
8	Krasta	Santulussurgiu (OR)	SE	128		Bronze Age	?
9	Giba e Scorka	Barisardo (NU)	SE	130		Bronze Age	?
10	Molineddu	Séneghe (OR)	SE	133		Bronze Age	?
11	Frida	Illorài (SS)	SE	135		Bronze Age	Greater southern lunar solstice sunrise
12	Madrone o Frolìo	Silanus (NU)	SE	135		Bronze Age	Greater southern lunar solstice sunrise
13	Murarti	Silanus (NU)	SE	135		Bronze Age	Greater southern lunar solstice sunrise
14	Tittirriola	Bolòtana (NU)	SE	136		Bronze Age	?
15	Lugherras	Paulilàtino (OR)	SE	137		Bronze Age	?
16	Sa Mura e Màzzala	(NU)	SE	138		Bronze Age	?
17	Nàrgius	Bonàrcado (OR)	SE	140		Bronze Age	?
18	Orrùbiu	Arzana (NU)	SE	140		Bronze Age	?
19	Porkarzos	Bòrore (NU)	SE	143		Bronze Age	?
20	Su Konkali	Tertenìa (NU)	SE	144		Bronze Age	?
21	S. Sofia	Gùspini (CA)	SE	144		Bronze Age	?
22	Bronku	Bonàrcado (OR)	SE	145		Bronze Age	?
23	Sa Figu Rànchida	Scanu Montiferru (NU)	SE	145		Bronze Age	?
24	Logomake	Fonni (NU)	SE	148		Bronze Age	?
25	S. Barbara	Macomèr (NU)	SE	148		Bronze Age	?
26	Pùliga	Locéri (NU)	SE	151		Bronze Age	Alfa Centauri on 1100 b.C. and/or Alfa crucis on 1350
27	Pranu Nuracci	Siris (CA)	SE	155		Bronze Age	?
28	Mindeddu	Barisardo (NU)	S	165		Bronze Age	?
29	S. Sarbana	Silanus (NU)	S	165		Bronze Age	?
30	Sa Corona	Villagreca (CA)	S	164		Bronze Age	?
31	S’ Ome ‘e s’Orku	S.Basilio (CA)	S	166		Bronze Age	?
32	Losa	Abbasanta (OR)	S	169		Bronze Age	?
33	Piandanna	Sassari	S	170		Bronze Age	?
34	Sa Domo ‘e s’Orku	Ittireddu (SS)	S	171		Bronze Age	?
35	Cabu Abbas	Olbia (SS)	S	171		Bronze Age	?
36	Baiolu	Osilo (SS)	S	172		Bronze Age	?
37	Longu	Cùglieri (NU)	S	172		Bronze Age	?
38	Is Paras	Isili (NU)	S	174		Bronze Age	?
39	Santu Antine	Torralba (SS)	S	174		Bronze Age	?
40	Sa Pedra Longa	Nuoro	S	175		Bronze Age	?
41	Còa Perdona	Séneghe (OR)	S	176		Bronze Age	?
42	Asoru	San Vito (CA)	S	178		Bronze Age	?
43	S’Attentu	Orani (NU)	S	178		Bronze Age	?
44	Su Nuraxi	Sisini (CA)	S	180		Bronze Age	Noon at the equinoxes
45	Su Fràile	Burgos (SS)	S	180		Bronze Age	Noon at the equinoxes
46	Giannas	Flussìo (NU)	S	180		Bronze Age	Noon at the equinoxes
47	Abbaùddi	Scanu Montiferru (NU)	S	180		Bronze Age	Noon at the equinoxes
48	Su Nuraxi	Barùmini (CA)	S	180		1660/1260	Noon at the equinoxes
49	Noddùle	Nuoro (NU)	S	180		Bronze Age	Noon at the equinoxes
50	Sa Cuguttada	Mores (SS)	S	182		Bronze Age	?
51	Sa Serra	Orròli (NU)	S	182		Bronze Age	?
52	Mont’e s’Orku Tuèri	Perdasdefogu (NU)	S	183		Bronze Age	?
53	Sa Còa Filigosa	Bolòtana (NU)	S	183		Bronze Age	?
54	Su Sensu	Pompu (CA)	S	185		Bronze Age	?
55	Orrùbiu	Orròli (NU)	S	185		1400/1340	?
56	Nuracc’e Deu	Gèsturi (CA)	SO	210		Bronze Age	?
57	Mudègu	Mògoro (OR)	SO	218		Bronze Age	?
58	Gurti Aqua	Nurri (NU)	SO	225		Bronze Age	?
59	Nuraddèo	Suni (NU)	SO	243		Bronze Age	?
60	S’Iscala e Pedra	Seméstene (SS)	N	358		Bronze Age	?

 

As it is remarking in the table, 87% of the incomes of the towers, or of the central towers of  60 nuraghi considered are comprised in an arc of 75° over the 360° of the horizon; 73% in an arc of single 50°. It is the sky arc mainly exposed in sunlight between the hour of the dawn and little after the noon. The more probable alignments (winter solstice sunset, greater southern lunar solstice sunset, noon at the equinoxes etc.) however, are applicable only to a minority of the taken structures considered; so it would be opportune to deepen the possible correspondences around  173° of azimut, also in this enough frequent case. Independently from astronomical-religious motivations, the incomes could be oriented towards South-South East for lighting system reasons; however  such circumstance would refute the classic hypothesis of the defensive function of  nuraghi, because the eventual invaders would have had the better vision of the inside of the construction, while the defensors would be find themselves dazzled from the solar light.

Nuraghe Llosa-Entrance to the central tower of the complex nuraghe

Mauro Peppino Zedda, in “I  Nuraghi tra archeologia e astronomia”, Cagliari 2004, refutes the classic defensive hypothesis, sensationally demonstrating that no nuragic construction was supply of closing device; consequently, in onslaught case, the defenders would have been totally exposed. At the light of the replies of the studious, we dare to propose a new hypothesis about the function of  nuragic constructions, in the within of the astronomical-religious thesis.
As Lilliu supports, in the age between neolithic and the bronze age, not only on the Island, but in all Mediterranean, they were the two predominant religious Entities for the prehistoric man: the land element of the feminine goddess mother, and the male solar fertilizing element. No other structure, if not the inside of dark and unfathomable nuragic dome, compressed from titanic walls that shield, but in the same time dominate with their force its eventual host; communicating with the light of the outside, apparently unknown, through an only mysterious opening, it gives the idea of the maternal uterus and bring us back to dark pre-born feelings. The bearing of a similar construction towards the male element of the solar beam, and the penetration of this last one, in astronomical particular given, the dark cavity of the great maternal uterus of the nuragic dome - it seems at the writer - could not representing but the fecundation of the nature and the renew of the myth of the creation, by means of the union of the two male and feminine divine Entities. The nuraghi were the great prehistoric cathedrals where, periodically, it was celebrated what it was representing the greatest and the most religious mystery, at the eyes of the ancient Sardinian man.

Nuraghe Llosa-Note the convexity of the connecting wall

The peripheral towers of the complex nuraghi

All nuraghi are not constituted from one single tower. In the more imposing cases, around the center towers, they have been realized two or more smaller towers, called peripheral towers, apparently to defensive scope. After a series of measurements, carried out beginning from 1995, Peppino Zedda has clamorously refuted also the defensive function of the peripheral towers of the complex nuraghi, discovering  the astronomical bearing of the tangent lines of the same towers. According to Zedda, the walls of connection between the peripheral towers of  complex nuraghi, were purposely realized with a convex development, in order to favor the astronomical observation of such tangent lines, from observatories setting with the shoulders to the massive walls.

Astral correspondences of the alignments
of the tangent lines to the peripheral towers of the complex nuraghi:

Name	Site	Age	Tangent	Astral alignments
Losa	Abbasanta (OR)	Bronze Age	North Tower – South East Tower	Summer solstice sunset-Winter solstice sunrise
Losa	Abbasanta (OR)	Bronze Age	South East Tower - South West Tower	Summer solstice sunrise-Winter solstice sunset
Nolza	Meana Sardo (CA)	Bronze Age	South East Tower –North West Tower	Winter solstice sunrise - Summer solstice sunset
Su Nuraxi	Barùmini (CA)	Bronze Age	North Tower –West Tower	Southern greather lunar solstice sunset
Su Nuraxi	Barùmini (CA)	Bronze Age	East Tower-South Tower	Southern greather lunar solstice sunset
Santu Antine	Torralba (SS)	Bronze Age	North Tower - East Tower	Winter solstice sunrise
Santu Antine	Torralba (SS)	Bronze Age	East Tower –So called principal guard side	Southern greather lunar solstice sunset

 

Zedda has moreover uncovered that an observer placed at the North Tower of Nuraghe Santu Antine can see the solstice winter sunrise behind the East Tower, while arranging on the South Tower, he can characterize the summer solstice sunrise behind the East Tower. Moreover from the East Tower the sunset can be seen behind the North Tower towards summer  solstice and behind the South Tower to that winter one. Such characteristics, according to Peppino Zedda, make of the Santu Antine “the dry realized technically more sophisticated constructive apparatus, than the all Earth surface”.

Santu Antine-Note the convexity of the connecting walls