Corbeddu Cave

Corbeddu Cave is a significant prehistoric archaeological site and natural monument situated in the Lanaittu Valley near Oliena, in the province of Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy. Extending approximately 130 meters, the karst cavity consists of three main chambers and a smaller terminal room. The site derives its name from the notorious 19th-century Sardinian bandit Giovanni Corbeddu Salis, who used the cave as a refuge. Its primary historical importance, however, lies in its archaeological record, which provides some of the earliest known evidence of human presence on Sardinia, with human fossils and artifacts spanning from the Upper Paleolithic through the Bronze Age.

The cave gained archaeological attention in 1967 when Bruno Piredda of the Nuoro Cave Group identified bones of the extinct rodent Prolagus sardus. Following this discovery, American paleontologist Mary Dawson of the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh organized an initial excavation campaign in 1968. Systematic excavations began in 1982 under the direction of paleontologist Paul Y. Sondaar of Utrecht University, in collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendency of Sassari and Nuoro, represented by archaeologist Mario Sanges. These excavations continued in 1983 and 1986, uncovering a stratigraphic sequence that fundamentally altered the understanding of Sardinian prehistory by pushing back the date of human arrival to the Upper Paleolithic, well before the previously assumed Neolithic colonization.

The cave's stratigraphic record encompasses a vast chronological scope, documenting intermittent human occupation from the Late Paleolithic through the Early Bronze Age. The oldest evidence includes charcoal traces from fires dating back roughly 25,700 years before present. Stone and bone tool industries, such as scrapers, blades, and burins made from local flint, quartz, and marly limestone, date between 14,500 and 12,000 years before present. Later Mesolithic and Neolithic occupations are attested through additional stone tools, including obsidian from Monte Arci, and ceramics associated with the Bonu Ighinu and Bonnanaro cultures. The faunal assemblage is equally extensive, containing the remains of extinct endemic species that coexisted with early human inhabitants.

The most significant findings are human fossils representing the oldest Homo sapiens remains recovered from a Mediterranean island context. In the second chamber, excavators uncovered a right temporal bone and a left maxilla from the same individual, radiocarbon-dated to approximately 8,750 years before present. A deeper layer in the same chamber yielded a proximal hand phalanx dated to about 20,000 years before present, while a proximal ulna fragment from a different individual was found in the first chamber. These human remains exhibit morphological characteristics suggesting marked endemism, likely resulting from prolonged cultural or genetic isolation from continental European populations. The human fossils were found in direct association with extinct endemic fauna, including the deer Megaceros cazioti, the canid Cynoterium sardous, and the lagomorph Prolagus sardus. Select paleontological and archaeological materials from the cave are now housed in the G.A. Sproni National Archaeological Museum in Nuoro.

Formed through the dissolution of Jurassic limestones within the Supramonte karst plateau, the cave is an almost horizontal cavity extending roughly 130 meters. It consists of three main interconnected halls, with a smaller terminal room at the rear, linked by narrow corridors. The entrance faces northeast, providing good exposure to sun and winds, while the first hall receives natural daylight. The interior features geological formations such as flowstones and stalagmitic structures, alongside evidence of past water flow, including breccia fans and mud cracks. The cave is not crossed by groundwater, and its strategic position offers extensive visual control over the Lanaittu Valley, making it highly suitable for human settlement. It sits in close proximity to the Sa Ohe cave, which connects to the Su Bentu system via submerged passages.

Corbeddu Cave is located at SP 46, localita Valle di Lanaitto, in Oliena, postal code 08025. Visitors can reach the site by following the SP46 toward the Su Gologone springs and the Sa Ohe Refuge, where the ticket office is located. From the reception point, a steep path to the right of the Sa Oche cave entrance leads up the mountain, requiring an 8 to 10 minute trek to reach the cave entrance. The site is open year-round, seven days a week from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and access requires a fee. Guided tours are available, and a refreshment point with rooms is located approximately 1.5 km before the ticket office. Contact information includes telephone number +39 339 7126111 and email info@coopcorrasi.com.